Inaia how close do you think you are to making it in the music business or do you feel that you have already made it?
Ah, I guess everyone has their own definition of “making it”. I’m not anywhere close to where I want to be, I’m working on it. I just feel like I have a lot more developing to do. I’ve recently become very focused because I’ve recently developed the desire to move to the next level…probably if you had asked me a couple of years ago if I thought I had “made” it I would have said “really yes”. I get to do really cool things, I get to travel all over the world singing and living in five-star hotels, meeting famous people, meeting all sorts of really interesting people from all cultures, so it’s not like I’m being down on where I am but there’s always so much more you can do. So I’m looking for a place that is uniquely mine in the music business, learning to play guitar. I DJ, I’m involved with a lot of house music as well as jazz. I’m trying to put all of my strengths together to put out a product that is uniquely mine which is my purpose and what I have to share with the world. I feel that I am moving in that direction, so I put a lot of hours in every day on my guitar, on my health, my vocal exercises, on studying actual music and developing my repertoire.
What is preventing you from being where you want to be right now?
The only thing that I was not doing before was not playing an instrument, I had a lot of music theory but I had no way to apply it, grow, and develop the musical language because I didn’t have an instrument I played. Now as I’m getting ready to go to India for my next contract. I’m going to invest in like a big hard case so I can bring my guitar with me because I don’t want to put it down. If I keep leaving it, I will never learn- which is what has been happening and that’s one of the things that I feel was holding me back from doing something that’s uniquely mine. I’m proud of what I am doing and what I have done, but I know that there is something that’s my contribution to the whole world of music that’s yet to be formed and born and shared.
Are you lesbian or bisexual?
I considered myself bisexual. My first relationship was a man, it was the boyfriend right before the one I have now. I’ve only had two relationships with men and before that it was always women. I went to Italy with the person who was my girlfriend at the time, whom you’ve already interviewed, Karen Jones…she was the first one who I went out of the country with. Even though I knew that I was bisexual I definitely call myself a lesbian because I didn’t want to have to deal with the way males come on to you especially if you are a women who is secure and strong and you don’t need them. They all want to prove to you that they have the “golden thing” (laughing). I never wanted to deal with that so at that time even though I knew that I was bisexual I referred to myself as lesbian because when I was in relationships (with women) I just didn’t want the unnecessary attention. We’re going to be really honest (laughing), I can be attracted to men and women obviously, it would depend on who I am in a relationship with and where I am in my life and what type of energy I feel is balancing me out at the time.
So it sounds like when you are with a woman, you are with a woman and when you are with a man, you are with a man, you don’t do them both at the same time?
No!
Are you attracted to more feminine or butch/stud type women?
I like women who are kind of integrated, I like the super heroes, strong women, sure of herself women, who plays basketball or put on lipstick and heels, someone who is versatile and comfortable with their female and male energy.
Oh, like a soft stud?
Yes
