Global Entertainment Mag Interviews Chris Lago
Hi Chris Welcome to Global Entertainment Mag. How have you been?
If I may, I would like to reflect on some bygone days back in 2004-2005 this was a era in your lifeline that was really frustrating in your first band trying to keep members. You put a lot of effort and energies into something that seemed to have a snowball effect. This timeline also touches on a change within your career. When I look at the new style of your songs, lyrics, and new beats from a POP/RNB culture now they all seem to reflect the changes you have been going through in your life and career.
Curious how many people have said; your music seems to reflect the transitions or changes you experiment with or experiences in your lifestyle?
To be honest, very people few have said that, because the reality is, these were my older fans, and now, these are my new fans. For the fans that I have right now, they don’t know that I used to make Metal music and at the same time, it’s not as relevant to my life anymore; I’ve experienced what I had to experience and now I’m in a new place in my life. I know you mentioned that I was trying to keep band members, but in reality they were also trying to keep me! I was too immature to be in a band back then, and I wasn’t making the other members contribute as much as I should have. Also, I’m glad I got out of it because I didn’t want to end up drinking and getting high at every show, just to say that I was in that kind of scene. It was too dysfunctional for me, and god knows how it would have ended. I still keep in touch with some of the band members and all I would say to them is that I apologize for my own behavior. It’s ok though, you live, you learn.
In the beginning of this journey of a new transition or idea you empowered for change, were you skeptical about it at first?
I knew that it was what I had to do. I was way too conceited and wanted to do things my way, and so I decided to transition to mainstream music and scratch the whole band. I knew how to program music and knew all the basics of recording. I was definitely not as advanced as I am now, I learn new things every day.
I think you were the one of first few Musicians to come up with the idea of a POP/RNB cultured style, shortly after you released a couple of songs this new style was becoming popular on radio.
I don’t think I was one of the first! But it’s funny that you mention this, because I remember making that Gaga-style music way before she was on the scene. At the same time, I wasn’t as advanced as Red One as a producer and so they made way better music than I could have ever done! When I heard her album FAME for the first time, I thought, wow this is going to be huge… Now I didn’t know it was going to be THAT huge! To me it was kind of a transition from Gwen Stefani’s style onto a newer singer. But again, I think some people have made it go a tad too far!
Have you heard of the sweet new heavy metal sounds combined with the taste of rap in music yet? Yes I have, and I think it’s great. I’ve always liked to mix genres myself and make something new out of it. Experiencing is everything.
Would you agree that when a Musician wants to do something completely different out of the ordinary, embrace it with all their passion that they become very successful with their new creative ideas?
I would say yes or no. Like any ideas, there are good and bad ones. Sometimes a song might stick, sometimes it doesn’t. It’s ok to make something totally different, but it’s not ok to not listen to what the fans want to hear. If you’re making a Synthpop or Rap song and it sticks and starts getting a lot of hype on the net/clubs etc, then you have to listen! Don’t go out there and start making some crazy Rock Pop music, stick with what people like… Or not. But that determines if you really want a career out of this or not. At the end, people have to come to your shows, buy your music and merch, or else you can tell your career to go bye bye.
I find that coming up with something new, fresh, original and different this is rare but necessary to stay competitive in the music industry today, what is your opinion on this?
It’s true, but as we’ve seen, a lot of artists rehash what has already been done before. It’s a good and a bad thing. It’s good in the sense that it brings back that kind of familiarity/nostalgia, but it’s bad because it shows that everything has been done, which is untrue; it’s just that we would rather try to innovate than create something new. It has to do with our evolution. Anything you make will have a place in the music evolution history. I doubt that someone could come up with a sound that would make you go… Wow this is brand spanking new, that artist has no influences! I personally have my doubts on originality as a whole, I mean, it’s not like Nirvana came up with that sound on their own, they were influenced by so many bands.
I noticed this is what you have done and many opportunities have spawned from your new music style to modeling and acting. Are you currently active in playing a lead character in a movie Scooter Boy?
Yes! And I am also a lead actor in a bunch of other short movies (“Blind” by James Soares) that are in post-production. This acting gig really came out of the blue. I was about to make some music for TD banking, but when the video director met with me (he was a member from the band Len, by the way), he asked me if I wanted to be in the video since I spoke French and English and fit the character, I accepted even thought I didn’t have any acting experience at the time. I liked the experience so much that I started pursuing other opportunities like this. After a year as a working actor, I now have a wide range of credits (I had to turn down a part for the show Rookie Blue), and I am training with an acting coach. I just came back from an audition for VISA, it’s very exciting!
Are you able to incorporate your music into this new movie?
Being an actor, I don’t have that kind of say; it’s up to the director to decide. I like acting because I am not in control of the whole process. I just show up, lines memorized and knowing how to express them. I say them in front of a camera, meet interesting people and then I go home after 13 hours of shooting. It’s very empowering; you have no idea how many things a director has already thought about before you even start a scene! They put markers so we know exactly where we should stand and so forth, so in the scenes, there are different positions of where you need to be at that specific time, and what you need to do and which lines to say.
I have seen many Musicians segregate their music from their modeling and acting as a result their music is left behind or they just vanish from the music scene altogether for other career pursuits.
I don’t think it’s going to happen to me… Unless I get a big opportunity that I cannot refuse! Art is art, I don’t mind doing both really.
I notice that you seem to empower every opportunity that involves your music from modeling to acting and that you are flexible in working with all of them, also base new songs around them am I right on about this?
Yes and It’s normal; I am going to touch on subjects that I wouldn’t normally touch on (hanging out with celebrities etc). I mean, you go to LA/private events/clubs etc etc and you experience things that are unpredictable and exciting. I want to talk about these things, it makes other people catch a glimpse of my life, and really, I have way more experiences to live! I have to be flexible because I care about what I do. More exposure is always better, I understand that.
This is amazing and rare and I am curious how did you land the opportunities to have your music can be heard on MTV, the CW, the Oxygen Network, Td Canada Trust, The Government of Canada and MADD Canada?
For some of them it was through contacts I had previously made. For others, I didn’t do much other than sign a Publishing contract and letting the publisher license the songs for tv/movies. That’s where the money is at. Publishers usually come to you, not the other way around. I can’t say that it was a big effort on my part; I just had to make the songs and someone noticed.
Looking back at the timeline again, when you first started the transition for change did you have the feeling back then that you will be successful someday?
I don’t know, and I think that success is what you make of it. I have so much to achieve before I become an accomplished artist, and I try not to think about it so much. Am I as successful as Katy Perry or Lady Gaga? Definitely not! In reality, I don’t want to compare myself to others, it can be very unhealthy. I just make my own path and see what opportunities come my way. I don’t consider myself successful!
You have a single right now called “Runaway Model” that is hitting the charts on radio also a new full length Album entitled “Popkiller” which has been well received by fans. Will you be touring in the near future to promote this Album or are you actively working on a new one?
First of all, the song is called Runway Model! Lots of fans have mistaken that. Yes I will definitely do my best to tour, but at the same time, I have my hands in so many things that it’s a bit harder to start touring. I do play shows regularly, but there is so much you can do online these days. I am working on a new album, which I might title it “Creature of the night”; it’s less mainstream and more niche specific.
1: Take Your Clothes off (Feat. Chelsea Dutchak)
2: She's Ready To Go 3: Runway Model (Feat. Stack Dough)
4: I want you so bad
5: Not My Lover
6: No Glam Mode (Feat. Megan Gibson)
7: Screw You Around
8: Trainwreck
9: Beat Goes Boom
10: Between Your Legs
11: This Lifestyle
12: Bassline Pumpin'
13: Take it all Back
14: Redhead
Do you have any live shows coming up in December?
I am playing at the Hard Rock Café in Niagara Falls on December 16th!
What are your plans and goals you want to accomplish in 2012?
I just want to keep doing what I’m doing right now, I really want to push the acting gig, see if I can get out there. Sometimes what you want to accomplish might be totally different than what you eventually achieve. I think I’ll just trust fate at this point!
Chris your journey is one of inspiration, to everyone that if we all embrace change with passion, drive and hard work for what we want in a career, we reap many rewards of opportunities that come with it. Thank you for sharing your successful journey with our magazine, I wish you much future success. You Rock . –Tina Wilson CEO Global Entertainment Mag.
Global Entertainment Mag Interviews Chris Lago
Hi Chris Welcome to Global Entertainment Mag. How have you been?
If I may, I would like to reflect on some bygone days back in 2004-2005 this was a era in your lifeline that was really frustrating in your first band trying to keep members. You put a lot of effort and energies into something that seemed to have a snowball effect. This timeline also touches on a change within your career. When I look at the new style of your songs, lyrics, and new beats from a POP/RNB culture now they all seem to reflect the changes you have been going through in your life and career.
Curious how many people have said; your music seems to reflect the transitions or changes you experiment with or experiences in your lifestyle?
To be honest, very people few have said that, because the reality is, these were my older fans, and now, these are my new fans. For the fans that I have right now, they don’t know that I used to make Metal music and at the same time, it’s not as relevant to my life anymore; I’ve experienced what I had to experience and now I’m in a new place in my life. I know you mentioned that I was trying to keep band members, but in reality they were also trying to keep me! I was too immature to be in a band back then, and I wasn’t making the other members contribute as much as I should have. Also, I’m glad I got out of it because I didn’t want to end up drinking and getting high at every show, just to say that I was in that kind of scene. It was too dysfunctional for me, and god knows how it would have ended. I still keep in touch with some of the band members and all I would say to them is that I apologize for my own behavior. It’s ok though, you live, you learn.
In the beginning of this journey of a new transition or idea you empowered for change, were you skeptical about it at first?
I knew that it was what I had to do. I was way too conceited and wanted to do things my way, and so I decided to transition to mainstream music and scratch the whole band. I knew how to program music and knew all the basics of recording. I was definitely not as advanced as I am now, I learn new things every day.
I think you were the one of first few Musicians to come up with the idea of a POP/RNB cultured style, shortly after you released a couple of songs this new style was becoming popular on radio.
I don’t think I was one of the first! But it’s funny that you mention this, because I remember making that Gaga-style music way before she was on the scene. At the same time, I wasn’t as advanced as Red One as a producer and so they made way better music than I could have ever done! When I heard her album FAME for the first time, I thought, wow this is going to be huge… Now I didn’t know it was going to be THAT huge! To me it was kind of a transition from Gwen Stefani’s style onto a newer singer. But again, I think some people have made it go a tad too far!
Have you heard of the sweet new heavy metal sounds combined with the taste of rap in music yet? Yes I have, and I think it’s great. I’ve always liked to mix genres myself and make something new out of it. Experiencing is everything.
Would you agree that when a Musician wants to do something completely different out of the ordinary, embrace it with all their passion that they become very successful with their new creative ideas?
I would say yes or no. Like any ideas, there are good and bad ones. Sometimes a song might stick, sometimes it doesn’t. It’s ok to make something totally different, but it’s not ok to not listen to what the fans want to hear. If you’re making a Synthpop or Rap song and it sticks and starts getting a lot of hype on the net/clubs etc, then you have to listen! Don’t go out there and start making some crazy Rock Pop music, stick with what people like… Or not. But that determines if you really want a career out of this or not. At the end, people have to come to your shows, buy your music and merch, or else you can tell your career to go bye bye.
I find that coming up with something new, fresh, original and different this is rare but necessary to stay competitive in the music industry today, what is your opinion on this?
It’s true, but as we’ve seen, a lot of artists rehash what has already been done before. It’s a good and a bad thing. It’s good in the sense that it brings back that kind of familiarity/nostalgia, but it’s bad because it shows that everything has been done, which is untrue; it’s just that we would rather try to innovate than create something new. It has to do with our evolution. Anything you make will have a place in the music evolution history. I doubt that someone could come up with a sound that would make you go… Wow this is brand spanking new, that artist has no influences! I personally have my doubts on originality as a whole, I mean, it’s not like Nirvana came up with that sound on their own, they were influenced by so many bands.
I noticed this is what you have done and many opportunities have spawned from your new music style to modeling and acting. Are you currently active in playing a lead character in a movie Scooter Boy?
Yes! And I am also a lead actor in a bunch of other short movies (“Blind” by James Soares) that are in post-production. This acting gig really came out of the blue. I was about to make some music for TD banking, but when the video director met with me (he was a member from the band Len, by the way), he asked me if I wanted to be in the video since I spoke French and English and fit the character, I accepted even thought I didn’t have any acting experience at the time. I liked the experience so much that I started pursuing other opportunities like this. After a year as a working actor, I now have a wide range of credits (I had to turn down a part for the show Rookie Blue), and I am training with an acting coach. I just came back from an audition for VISA, it’s very exciting!
Are you able to incorporate your music into this new movie?
Being an actor, I don’t have that kind of say; it’s up to the director to decide. I like acting because I am not in control of the whole process. I just show up, lines memorized and knowing how to express them. I say them in front of a camera, meet interesting people and then I go home after 13 hours of shooting. It’s very empowering; you have no idea how many things a director has already thought about before you even start a scene! They put markers so we know exactly where we should stand and so forth, so in the scenes, there are different positions of where you need to be at that specific time, and what you need to do and which lines to say.
I have seen many Musicians segregate their music from their modeling and acting as a result their music is left behind or they just vanish from the music scene altogether for other career pursuits.
I don’t think it’s going to happen to me… Unless I get a big opportunity that I cannot refuse! Art is art, I don’t mind doing both really.
I notice that you seem to empower every opportunity that involves your music from modeling to acting and that you are flexible in working with all of them, also base new songs around them am I right on about this?
Yes and It’s normal; I am going to touch on subjects that I wouldn’t normally touch on (hanging out with celebrities etc). I mean, you go to LA/private events/clubs etc etc and you experience things that are unpredictable and exciting. I want to talk about these things, it makes other people catch a glimpse of my life, and really, I have way more experiences to live! I have to be flexible because I care about what I do. More exposure is always better, I understand that.
This is amazing and rare and I am curious how did you land the opportunities to have your music can be heard on MTV, the CW, the Oxygen Network, Td Canada Trust, The Government of Canada and MADD Canada?
For some of them it was through contacts I had previously made. For others, I didn’t do much other than sign a Publishing contract and letting the publisher license the songs for tv/movies. That’s where the money is at. Publishers usually come to you, not the other way around. I can’t say that it was a big effort on my part; I just had to make the songs and someone noticed.
Looking back at the timeline again, when you first started the transition for change did you have the feeling back then that you will be successful someday?
I don’t know, and I think that success is what you make of it. I have so much to achieve before I become an accomplished artist, and I try not to think about it so much. Am I as successful as Katy Perry or Lady Gaga? Definitely not! In reality, I don’t want to compare myself to others, it can be very unhealthy. I just make my own path and see what opportunities come my way. I don’t consider myself successful!
Curious how many people have said; your music seems to reflect the transitions or changes you experiment with or experiences in your lifestyle?
To be honest, very people few have said that, because the reality is, these were my older fans, and now, these are my new fans. For the fans that I have right now, they don’t know that I used to make Metal music and at the same time, it’s not as relevant to my life anymore; I’ve experienced what I had to experience and now I’m in a new place in my life. I know you mentioned that I was trying to keep band members, but in reality they were also trying to keep me! I was too immature to be in a band back then, and I wasn’t making the other members contribute as much as I should have. Also, I’m glad I got out of it because I didn’t want to end up drinking and getting high at every show, just to say that I was in that kind of scene. It was too dysfunctional for me, and god knows how it would have ended. I still keep in touch with some of the band members and all I would say to them is that I apologize for my own behavior. It’s ok though, you live, you learn.
In the beginning of this journey of a new transition or idea you empowered for change, were you skeptical about it at first?
I knew that it was what I had to do. I was way too conceited and wanted to do things my way, and so I decided to transition to mainstream music and scratch the whole band. I knew how to program music and knew all the basics of recording. I was definitely not as advanced as I am now, I learn new things every day.
I think you were the one of first few Musicians to come up with the idea of a POP/RNB cultured style, shortly after you released a couple of songs this new style was becoming popular on radio.
I don’t think I was one of the first! But it’s funny that you mention this, because I remember making that Gaga-style music way before she was on the scene. At the same time, I wasn’t as advanced as Red One as a producer and so they made way better music than I could have ever done! When I heard her album FAME for the first time, I thought, wow this is going to be huge… Now I didn’t know it was going to be THAT huge! To me it was kind of a transition from Gwen Stefani’s style onto a newer singer. But again, I think some people have made it go a tad too far!
Have you heard of the sweet new heavy metal sounds combined with the taste of rap in music yet? Yes I have, and I think it’s great. I’ve always liked to mix genres myself and make something new out of it. Experiencing is everything.
Would you agree that when a Musician wants to do something completely different out of the ordinary, embrace it with all their passion that they become very successful with their new creative ideas?
I would say yes or no. Like any ideas, there are good and bad ones. Sometimes a song might stick, sometimes it doesn’t. It’s ok to make something totally different, but it’s not ok to not listen to what the fans want to hear. If you’re making a Synthpop or Rap song and it sticks and starts getting a lot of hype on the net/clubs etc, then you have to listen! Don’t go out there and start making some crazy Rock Pop music, stick with what people like… Or not. But that determines if you really want a career out of this or not. At the end, people have to come to your shows, buy your music and merch, or else you can tell your career to go bye bye.
I find that coming up with something new, fresh, original and different this is rare but necessary to stay competitive in the music industry today, what is your opinion on this?
It’s true, but as we’ve seen, a lot of artists rehash what has already been done before. It’s a good and a bad thing. It’s good in the sense that it brings back that kind of familiarity/nostalgia, but it’s bad because it shows that everything has been done, which is untrue; it’s just that we would rather try to innovate than create something new. It has to do with our evolution. Anything you make will have a place in the music evolution history. I doubt that someone could come up with a sound that would make you go… Wow this is brand spanking new, that artist has no influences! I personally have my doubts on originality as a whole, I mean, it’s not like Nirvana came up with that sound on their own, they were influenced by so many bands.
I noticed this is what you have done and many opportunities have spawned from your new music style to modeling and acting. Are you currently active in playing a lead character in a movie Scooter Boy?
Yes! And I am also a lead actor in a bunch of other short movies (“Blind” by James Soares) that are in post-production. This acting gig really came out of the blue. I was about to make some music for TD banking, but when the video director met with me (he was a member from the band Len, by the way), he asked me if I wanted to be in the video since I spoke French and English and fit the character, I accepted even thought I didn’t have any acting experience at the time. I liked the experience so much that I started pursuing other opportunities like this. After a year as a working actor, I now have a wide range of credits (I had to turn down a part for the show Rookie Blue), and I am training with an acting coach. I just came back from an audition for VISA, it’s very exciting!
Are you able to incorporate your music into this new movie?
Being an actor, I don’t have that kind of say; it’s up to the director to decide. I like acting because I am not in control of the whole process. I just show up, lines memorized and knowing how to express them. I say them in front of a camera, meet interesting people and then I go home after 13 hours of shooting. It’s very empowering; you have no idea how many things a director has already thought about before you even start a scene! They put markers so we know exactly where we should stand and so forth, so in the scenes, there are different positions of where you need to be at that specific time, and what you need to do and which lines to say.
I have seen many Musicians segregate their music from their modeling and acting as a result their music is left behind or they just vanish from the music scene altogether for other career pursuits.
I don’t think it’s going to happen to me… Unless I get a big opportunity that I cannot refuse! Art is art, I don’t mind doing both really.
I notice that you seem to empower every opportunity that involves your music from modeling to acting and that you are flexible in working with all of them, also base new songs around them am I right on about this?
Yes and It’s normal; I am going to touch on subjects that I wouldn’t normally touch on (hanging out with celebrities etc). I mean, you go to LA/private events/clubs etc etc and you experience things that are unpredictable and exciting. I want to talk about these things, it makes other people catch a glimpse of my life, and really, I have way more experiences to live! I have to be flexible because I care about what I do. More exposure is always better, I understand that.
This is amazing and rare and I am curious how did you land the opportunities to have your music can be heard on MTV, the CW, the Oxygen Network, Td Canada Trust, The Government of Canada and MADD Canada?
For some of them it was through contacts I had previously made. For others, I didn’t do much other than sign a Publishing contract and letting the publisher license the songs for tv/movies. That’s where the money is at. Publishers usually come to you, not the other way around. I can’t say that it was a big effort on my part; I just had to make the songs and someone noticed.
Looking back at the timeline again, when you first started the transition for change did you have the feeling back then that you will be successful someday?
I don’t know, and I think that success is what you make of it. I have so much to achieve before I become an accomplished artist, and I try not to think about it so much. Am I as successful as Katy Perry or Lady Gaga? Definitely not! In reality, I don’t want to compare myself to others, it can be very unhealthy. I just make my own path and see what opportunities come my way. I don’t consider myself successful!
You have a single right now called “Runaway Model” that is hitting the charts on radio also a new full length Album entitled “Popkiller” which has been well received by fans. Will you be touring in the near future to promote this Album or are you actively working on a new one?
First of all, the song is called Runway Model! Lots of fans have mistaken that. Yes I will definitely do my best to tour, but at the same time, I have my hands in so many things that it’s a bit harder to start touring. I do play shows regularly, but there is so much you can do online these days. I am working on a new album, which I might title it “Creature of the night”; it’s less mainstream and more niche specific.
First of all, the song is called Runway Model! Lots of fans have mistaken that. Yes I will definitely do my best to tour, but at the same time, I have my hands in so many things that it’s a bit harder to start touring. I do play shows regularly, but there is so much you can do online these days. I am working on a new album, which I might title it “Creature of the night”; it’s less mainstream and more niche specific.
1: Take Your Clothes off (Feat. Chelsea Dutchak)
2: She's Ready To Go 3: Runway Model (Feat. Stack Dough)
4: I want you so bad
5: Not My Lover
6: No Glam Mode (Feat. Megan Gibson)
7: Screw You Around
8: Trainwreck
9: Beat Goes Boom
10: Between Your Legs
11: This Lifestyle
12: Bassline Pumpin'
13: Take it all Back
14: Redhead
Do you have any live shows coming up in December?
I am playing at the Hard Rock Café in Niagara Falls on December 16th!
What are your plans and goals you want to accomplish in 2012?
I just want to keep doing what I’m doing right now, I really want to push the acting gig, see if I can get out there. Sometimes what you want to accomplish might be totally different than what you eventually achieve. I think I’ll just trust fate at this point!
Chris your journey is one of inspiration, to everyone that if we all embrace change with passion, drive and hard work for what we want in a career, we reap many rewards of opportunities that come with it. Thank you for sharing your successful journey with our magazine, I wish you much future success. You Rock . –Tina Wilson CEO Global Entertainment Mag.
I am playing at the Hard Rock Café in Niagara Falls on December 16th!
What are your plans and goals you want to accomplish in 2012?
I just want to keep doing what I’m doing right now, I really want to push the acting gig, see if I can get out there. Sometimes what you want to accomplish might be totally different than what you eventually achieve. I think I’ll just trust fate at this point!
Chris your journey is one of inspiration, to everyone that if we all embrace change with passion, drive and hard work for what we want in a career, we reap many rewards of opportunities that come with it. Thank you for sharing your successful journey with our magazine, I wish you much future success. You Rock . –Tina Wilson CEO Global Entertainment Mag.
