A/N: This chapter does not have to be read. The story plot picks up in the last couple chapters that I am now writing. So carry on.
Peace and Love,
Kay
What Lies Beneath
By: Diane Richards
Association publisher
She's a dimpled face, radiant beauty that stole the world's heart with her sexy abs, and her strong seductive voice. Coming on to the music scene as the bold fiesty, and kinetic leader of the nation's hottest Female Pop group, Promise, whose music and style is creating its own empire in today's popular music. At the age of twenty-two, the singer/songwriter/dancer and model has been said to be the sexiest female performer in industry along with all of the other major sex symbols, Madonna, Vanity, Melanie Griffith, Kim Basinger, and her fellow group member, Nikki Harris.
Since Promise's debut in 1978, much has been written about her in the public. Media describes her be a "mysterious woman". Often shy and reserved in the public's eye, but also a defensive and aggressive person in the eye of the music. One who seemed to say what was on her mind through lyrics, without any hesitation. Using lyrics that may raise the eyebrows of some parents when is heard from the stereo of their teenage girl's room.
Brooklyn born, Aaliyah Dana Haughton grew up not knowing who her father was, and a mother who was hardly ever around. She was raised in Alabaster, Alabama by her grandmother for part of her life where she found her love for singing in a church along side of her sister Aleena (also a member of Promise) at the tender age of five. For as long as she could remember music has been a major part of her life. Whether she liked to admit or not. She grew up listening to the Ike and Tina Review, Elvis Presley, Stevie Wonder, Etta James, James Brown, Ray Charles, and Gladys Knight and The Pips. Often, she tells people that music saved her life without giving any explanation as to why. So far, she has been known to not speak of her childhood. It is left a mystery when it comes to Liyah. If it is brought up, she seems to always change subject. It seems that she wants to hold on to whatever it is that she's hiding. So, she often alludes to her past life when she says, " Of course, everbody's had hard times. I've had hard times. I don't really think I will go into detail as to what it was. But when you go through something so painful, it just helps you become a stronger person." When asked about her private life in general-like the reasoning for having to go to rehab back in 1980-she responds with a bright smile, " Private Life! I don't want to discuss that!" She's like a Teflon Diva. Nothing ever sticks to her.
Even when Aaliyah was young, she was private. "She was a very quiet child," remembers Dr. Denise Davis-Cotton, whom Aaliyah says guided her education in high school. "Very polite, personable, conscientious. She knew her goals in life at a very young age." Her aunt, Liana Haughton, attributes it to her niece's creativity. "She's quite a complex young lady," Haughton says. "She's always been like that. It's just a part of the genius of herself."
As a child, it was apparent that Aaliyah was ahead of her peers. During her audition for acceptance to her high school, Aaliyah sang the aria "Ave Maria" in Italian. She was only 16. With the help of private tutors and independent-study programs, Aaliyah graduated high school with a 4.0 GPA.
- Liyah attends album party for "Givin' Me A Rush" in New York City, 1983.
When the people who know her best describe Aaliyah, you would think they were speaking of an angel. Brooke Shields says, "Liyah is the sweetest artist I know." Her best friend of five years, Kidada Jones, uses the words "grounded," "emotionally balanced," and "unaffected." Her sister says she is the smartest person she had ever known, " She keeps me and the girls in line even though she's the youngest." And according to her husband, she's sassy and she has a great sense of humor. She's really good at imitations, especially her Aunt Sasha's deep southern voice. When asked to go into more detail, Aaliyah chooses not to - for personal reasons, of course.
-Liyah and Kidada Jones, Eddie Murphy's Delirious show, 1983.
"I've always been mysterious," says Aaliyah. "My husband is always asking me, 'What are you thinking, what's going on?' There are times when I don't understand myself, you know what I mean?" You do understand, and you can't help but believe every word she says as she continues, "I used to have black-out shades in my old apartment, I'd push a button, it'd be totally dark. I think I'm a bit of a vampire in real life, and there are times when I just want to be myself. I wanna be alone."
So instead of hiding from the world, maybe all the secrecy is Liyah's way of discovering herself; her way of holding on to what's true in a hazy world of glitz and imagery. "People feel like they own you in this business, and, to a certain degree, they do," she says. "But there's a part of me that will always be just for me."
The tug of war between the controlled professional and the closed in, private Liyah surfaces in lyrics that she's written for herself. In I'm Not Dead from Promise's last album, Givin' Me Rush LP, she's says is exactly about her:
I'm not dead just floating
Underneath the ink of my tattoo
I've tried to hide my scars from you
I'm not scared just changing
Right beyond her cigarette and his devilish smile
You're my crack of sunlight.
Two of her written singles from the album seems to reflect on the anger of her past life. "No longer will you dictate what I do or say!" She sings on " Promise Me". Seneca Tragedy, an aggressive ballad that reflects upon the anger towards someone in her life. " Temperatures risin' no disguisin' these cries tonight/The picture is fading, tired of weighing my heart on ice/ Chemical Silence, a violent blue. Let go of my hand. I won't die for you/I'll wait until my heart starts beating again, so I can make sense of it all. Don't know where I'm going but I know where I've been. I gotta make sense of it all. "
"Writing music is the only way I know how to stay honest with myself. Sometimes, I don't even know how I feel about a certain situation until I write about it. It's because I write what's in my heart, and my mind is too stubborn to listen to what my heart has to say." Yes, she says that her songs are the only way you will ever be able to even get a taste of what goes on in her personal life. " If you're really that curious about my life, listen to the songs I write. They'll tell you everything you need to know."
I spoke with her just a month ago, and she said that she doesn't listen to, or read any of the things that are said about her. People have wondered if she suffered from drug addiction or alcohol abuse, and the white media has come across the spectrum that she has. Especially after her sudden collasping at a Vogue photoshoot a year ago. The singer denies it.
"I've said it many times before, that I don't -under any circumstances -discuss my private life with anyone outside of my family. It is not anybody's business to know what I do behind the closed doors of my own home, and no where is it written that I have to discuss what I do when I'm not making records or performing with the girls. So, just to clear things up I will say this -
"No! I did not go to rehab for a drug problem or alcohol abuse.
"No! I do not wear contacts the make my eyes the color that they change to.
"No! I did not marry my husband for the sake of me and my friend's career.
"With that being said, I trust that the fans will know and understand the truth when I say that all the things that are written about are simply untrue. "
-Promise's Rush promotion tour, Miami, Florida, 1983.
Over the course of her career, the only thing Liyah has seemed willing to reveal about herself has been her highly touted body. A to-die-for figure that was voted one of the sexiest bodies of 1983. She is known for showing up to award shows and events in the sexiest gowns and dress that turns the heads of many frat boys. "She has a true body of a dancer!" People Magazine said of her. " She has this tomboy edge to her, and a crazy seductive sex appeal. It's classic, something rare."
-1982, Magazine shoot for RollingStone magazine.
Through most of the past year, she has been carrying her now four month old daughter, Ariana Rose Jackson, who was born back in August. Promise announced the pregnancy at the end of an energetic medley performance at the Grammy's back in February. She hide her bump up until the end with a gold shirt and a pair of high waisted spandex. "The whole time I was up there I was thinking, 'Oh, my God! They can see they know.' I had never been so worried during a performance in my life." The singer says she gained over forty pounds through out the course of her pregnancy. " I never really understood why people make pregnancy out to be a walk in the park. Pregnancy isn't anything like that all. True pregnancy-and women would know what I'm talking about when I say this-true pregnancy is like hell. Yes, it's all for the birth of your child in the end. But you're crying all the time over the smallest things, you want attention all the time, you have to go through morning sickness which I had throughout my whole pregnancy. You crave some of the strangest things. It's crazy. And giving birth is no walk in the park either." She goes further to say that it was worth it though. Her daughter is her world and she wouldn't trade her for anything.
Now, her body seems to back in the shape it was before her pregnancy. She says that it wasn't hard to lose the weight. What was hard as getting back into her normal routine: Working out four hours straight, five days a week. Going back on her vegetarian diet to boost her energy for dance rehearsals. And running at least five miles a day.
Her body wasn't always an asset of her, it was her face. She's a drop dead gorgeous eye color changing model that has been on the cover more magazines than anyone in history. " I got my eyes from my great grandfather, apparently. I used to hate that they changed colors like that, but now I embrace it. My husband loves my eyes. He thinks they're beautiful. "
- The couple attended 1982 Dreamgirls premiere in Los Angeles.
-The couple dressed in dark blue for this years Grammys.
-Liyah joined voices with her husband in smash hit called, Stay.
Her relationship and her marriage with husband Michael Jackson is another thing added to the list of things she doesn't speak about openly. But it doesn't take a statement to know that the couple is truly in love. Other than the fact they always seem to be under each other: holding hands, whispering in one another's ear, hugging each other, and every now and then-if you're lucky-a kiss. Meeting back 1978, their love started off as a friendship and grew into something more after a kiss from Michael. It has been written in the white press that they are the total opposite of one another. Michael is a quiet, humble, sensitive, and religious person. Liyah is quiet and shy as well, but on the other hand she doesn't hesitate to say what's on her mind. No one knows if she's sensitive or not, and as far as religion is concerned...Liyah never really expressed interest in that either. "Most people around us think we are exactly alike," she told me. " That's not exactly true. First of all, there is more to Michael then what he shows you. He's probably gonna kill me for saying this, but Michael is goofy, silly, outgoing, and funny. He can be really stubborn at times too. He's always seemed to be the free spirited one in our relationship. Always pushing me to come out of my comfort zone, and that's one of the things that I love most about him.
- Liyah attends Michael's Double Platinum ceremony for "Thriller".
" I'm very serious. He's always saying that I take things entirely too seriously and that I need to loosen up. He always told me that I need to learn to just let things go and have fun. Michael trusts people too easily. Getting me to trust anybody is like pulling teeth. He always see the good in people. I usually see the bad before the good. He doesn't hold grudges on people for too long. I do. I guess you can say that he's the...better half of me." Their love for each other is mainly reflected in songs that Liyah writes and she doesn't seem to shy away from writing about faults about their relationship. The two went through a break up that lastedthree years. Neither of them spoke openly about the break up, but it seems to be the topic if some of the singles written by Liyah. One song in particular called Crawling Back To You. Lyrics that seem to reflect on their- sometimes described by close friends- as 'a rocky relationship':
Time can heal, but the scars only hide the way you feel,
And it's hard to forget how I left you hanging
"Michael and I, we're not perfect. We've never been perfect. We have had our ups and downs in our relationship. It hasn't always been smooth ride for us. We fight, we argue just like any other couple. We have times when we can't stand each other, but at the end of the day we still love each other. Deeply. And nothing will ever change that. "
Michael and Liyah married on June 9, 1983 at the Beverly Hills Hotel. The wedding was set outside right before sun set in a private ceremony with only close family in friends. The only look the public a glimpse of was their reception. Liyah was dressed beautiful in a long sleeved simple dress with lacing in the back, and a long viel trailing down her back. "We did that for the fans," she explains. " When our engagement was announced there were fan letters being sent to us, asking if we could have the ceremony filmed. I decided that I would share the reception became the ceremony was a bit intimate and personal to me."
Even though Liyah is the more private one, Michael is a bit open about the life they share together. "I love being married, knowing that Liyah is there." He told us in his article The Michael Jackson Nobody Knows. "She's strong. She's smart. I don't have to worry about her taking advantage of me or using me, because I know she doesn't care about my name or anything like that. She's the first person I've met who actually treats me like I'm a normal person, and I like that. She always told me, ' I'm not with you because of your name...I'm with you because I love who you are as a person.' That's the best thing anyone like me could ever hear. She's on my side through both good and bad. She listens to me. Understands me and my world." He seems to be okay with knowing that most of the love songs written by Liyah are about him. "That's how she expresses herself. Liyah sometimes doesn't know how she feels about anything unless she put it in a poem or a song or something. It's sometimes hard for her to open up to her true feelings." Liyah explains that it is very true. Michael always seem to see directly through her. No matter how hard she tried to hide her feelings he seemed to know exactly what is going through her mind. It's something that always frustrated her about him.
Promise success has been evident since they entered the industry with their debut album, Servant. For a moment the world thought were just a one hit wonder after they sort of disappeared from the spotlight after their first world tour, but they were sure to have proven that to be wrong. Their album Givin' Me A Rush was the second biggest selling album in the nation. Scoring them four Grammy's, five American Music Awards, and three Video Music awards. To top it off their success, they embarked in tour across the United States. Performing in sell out concerts in each state.
- Liyah embarked on The Rush tour pregnant with first child.
"I have to think our fans for that. They are our biggest inspiration and we love them as if they are apart of our musical family. Without them we wouldn't have gotten this far." The love she has for the fans is what made Liyah go on the tour on march four months along in her pregnancy. She said that the tour had been planned since the middle of the previous year, and she didn't want to disappoint the fans by post poning the tour until 1985. Also, she didn't want to spend her daughters first year on the road.
For the most part, Liyah seems to live a glorious life. As the interview continued we sat out on the balcony of her exquisite Malibu beach home she shares with her husband and daughter. She speaks on many different subjects seemed to be overlooked in the public:
Ebony: As an entertainer, you have to deal with a lot of the stress that comes with being the lead singer and also being the wife of one of biggest entertainers our right now. How do you cope with the pressure being that you're always looked at through a fine tooth comb.
Liyah: I try not to think about it, actually. Things can only pressure you if you let them pressure you. And something as far as what the media thinks is something I definitely try not listen to. I like to focus on more important things.
Ebony: What are some important things to you?
Liyah: My family, friends, fans, and my career.
Ebony: What are some things you'd like to do in you're career?
Liyah: I'm not exactly sure. I haven't really thought about it. The girl's and I have been working on our next album for over a year now, and we're expecting it to be out sometime next year or maybe a year after that.
Ebony: What can we expect from the new album?
Liyah: New sounds. We are actually taking our time with mixing the songs, and thinking lyrics thoroughly. I have a good feeling about it.
Ebony: You write amazing songs. So many of them from the past two albums has done well on the R&B and Pop charts. What is your creative process to writing all those hits?
Liyah: That's a hard question....songs come to me at the strangest moments. Sometimes I'll be in the middle of writing one song, and I would have to stop because another lyric or beat would come into my head. Most of the songs I write start on my piano, though. It starts off with the lyrics and then melody, harmony, and beat comes in afterwards. Then I make a demo before taking it to Quincy [Jones]. Then he takes it and make changes if he wants. Mixes it. And the rest is...just history I guess.
Ebony: How long does it take to write a song?
Liyah: Every song is different. Some happens really quickly. Some happens very slowly. I've been trying to write one song for a whole year now, and I still haven't even gotten chorus down yet.
Ebony: That has to be frustrating.
Liyah: Yes, it is. It can be very frustrating. Usually I would've given up by now, but there is something about it that's urging me to keep writing it.
Ebony: Does that happen often?
Liyah: No, the longest I've worked on a song is two weeks. Tops.
Ebony: It's been read that you love to reading, travel, and art. Why are those three things so important to you.
Liyah: Well, if you put some thought into it, they all tie into together. When I was little I would read about places like Rome, Paris, and Egypt. It was kind of escapism for me. Anytime I would read about those places I could picture myself there. I would sit at a table for hours and I would pretend like I was apart of those stories. Reading can take you to places that you could never go to in reality. It's all about fantasy and magic which is something I love.
Ebony: What kind of books are your favorite?
Liyah: I'm a comic book addict. I love the idea of super hero's with super powers coming to save the day, or to help a woman in distress. Things like that rarely happens in the real world. I also love Stephan King. He's my favorite author. I don't know how he thinks of the things he thinks of. His books really scare me...and I like that!
Ebony: What's your favorite Stephan King book?
Liyah: Carrie, Pet Cemetery, The Dead Zone, The Stand. Michael just bought me another one of his newer books called The Tailsman and I'm obsessed with it.
Ebony: Are you big on scary movies too?
Liyah: Yes! They don't really scare me as much as it does other people. I'm obsessed with the Halloween series. I have every one that has come out. I loved An American Werewolf in London.
Ebony: I bet you loved Thriller then.
Liyah: Oh, my God! I loved it! I actually went on to the video shoot with my friend Kidada [Jones] while he was shooting, and John [Landis] showed us around the set. I thought it was absolutely amazing.
Ebony: Did he [Michael] scare you?
Liyah: Yes...he did. He's always trying to scare me. For some reason he thinks it's funny. We were walking around the set, and John brought us over to the cemetery where the zombies come out of the ground or whatever. So, while I'm looking at the set and talking to John I'm not as aware of my surroundings as I usually am, and next thing I know I feel these arms around me. I'm thinking it's just Michael, and he's just being silly as usual. So, I turned around and it turned out to be this thing in this scary werewolf mask, with these yellow eyes, and these sharp teeth, and it's long claws ready to charge at me. I start screaming and jumping over Kidada and John to get away from him, and he's just standing there under that mask laughing his a- off. It was so embarrassing, because all the crew members and dancers saw the whole thing happen was laughing at me to.
Ebony: How does art and traveling tie together.
Liyah: That's easy. When you travel you are seeing all kinds of art work in architecture, in scenery, and just in the Earth itself. I love traveling when I'm touring when I get to see more than just the hotel. Our first world tour was the first time I was able to see the world. We went Japan, Germany, Hawaii, Switzerland...and I learned a lot about their culture and their lives. I met so many different people and learned about life through their eyes. For some reason I've always been so fascinated about that. Not many people get to do that in their lifetime.
Ebony: What is it that touches you about traveling that gives you that emotional response?
Liyah: The beauty. Seeing new places and new things is one of the many things that inspires me the most. I'm always looking for new ways to describe things or look at things. I love seeing mountains and valleys, you know? Pictures just don't do any country justice. You have to see it for yourself to catch it's real beauty.
Ebony: So, you are an observer when you travel.
Liyah: How can anyone not be? You just can't travel and not see what all a place has to offer. That's crazy! You have go out and see all of it, tour ever corner until there is nothing left to see.
Ebony: Out of all the places you've listed, which has impressed you the most.
Liyah: Oh! France! For our honeymoon we went Paris and it was just fascinating. There are still some things there I still want to see that we weren't able to. We went to this one place where this guy painted this awesome picture of us-it's hanging in our den-and there was this other guy was making these amazing carvings of the Eiffle Tower. We visited art museums-my favorite is Louvre-and we bought this beautiful piece that's hanging in our bedroom. I wanted to buy the whole place. Everything was just so beautiful. And went to places outside of the city for site seeing. Twilight is absolutely beautiful there.
Ebony: What's twilight?
Liyah: Twilight is that soft glowing of the sky when the sun is right below the horizon. It's when the sky changes that pretty pink, purple, and orange color right before night falls. It's my favorite time of the day.
Ebony: Why is that?
Liyah: Because it's that rare beauty of the day that either people don't know what is, so they ignore it. Or they just don't pay that much attention to it all.
Ebony: Are there any places you'd like to go to that you haven't been.
Liyah: There are so many! But Egypt is next on my list. Ever since I was a kid I've always been fascinated by Egypt. I used to read books about the pyramids, and the queens, and pharaoh's. I would like to go visit King Tuts Tomb of I can.
Ebony: I've read that you feel a kind of connection with Egypt.
Liyah: I do. I feel like in a past life I was an Egyptian. The country casts a spell over me immediately although I know it only from pictures. If I had a time machine I would visit ancient Egypt. Who knows, perhaps Cleopatra and me would become very good friends. At least I would have a live experience of that ancient culture which I only know from books.
Ebony: Tell me about the books you have about Egypt.
Liyah: My books about Egypt are sacred. I use to read every story about Egyptian kings and queens. Sometimes I watch just the pictures. I dream to stand in front of these imposant buildings. My sister, Leena, used to make fun of me about it. She would say, " Oh, you're such a nerd! Why do you like this stuff?!"
Ebony: You have an Egyptian tattoo on your wrist?
Liyah: Yes, this is my...third tattoo I got a couple days before I turned twenty-one, and it is an Egyptian Ankh. It's also called the breath of life or the key of the Nile, and it represents the concept of eternal life. I also have a lot of Egyptian artifacts around the house.
Ebony: It's clear that you love Egypt.
Liyah: I do! I really do! I plan to take a visit there when Ari's [Ariana Rose] old enough for major travels like that.
Ebony: You say that's your third tattoo. Do you plan on getting any more?
Liyah: I've been planning to get another one on my back somewhere on my birthday next month.
Ebony: What of?
Liyah: I'm not exactly sure yet.
Ebony: You also have your belly button pierced. Do you plan to get anything else pierced?
Liyah: No, I don't. I'm satisfied with just my ears and my belly button.
Ebony: You say that you are inspired by many things. What is your biggest inspiration.
Liyah: That's a hard question... Do you mean musically or...?
Ebony: Musically
Liyah: I'm inspired by nature. You know, the ocean is music, the wind is music, the trees are music. But I'm mainly inspired by pain and anger than I am with happiness.
Ebony: Explain that please.
Liyah: Well, when I go through things, that's when I write at least more than one song in one day. I'm not the kinda person that will write all about rainbows and sunshine all that crap. Every song the I have written reflects on my life one way or another.
Ebony: So hardships, pain, heartache is when your creative process is at its peak?
Liyah: Yes, because life hasn't always been this good for me. My road to happiness has been a long and hard one, and I don't think I've fully gotten off the ride. I won't go into any details about what I mean by that, but writing music is how I say what I feel on inside. It's the only way I know how to get it out.
Ebony: What are some things in life that makes you happy?
Liyah: My husband, my daughter, and my friends. To me, life wouldn't be complete without the ones you love. You know, to have people there to support you and join you on the crazy ride. It sucks to be alone. Believe me, I would know.
Ebony: I know you're not the type to speak on your personal life, but I was wondering how is it for you as a mother and a wife.
Liyah: I love being both! I love the idea of taking care of my babies-I call Michael my baby too-but, I've always loved the simple things in life. I cook, I clean. I make sure they get what they need. It still gives me a sense of normalcy that I don't wanna let go of.
Ebony: How has motherhood changed you?
Liyah: I am not the same person I was before, and I could never go back to the same person I was before. Life makes so much sense now, and all the confusion I had has cleared up.
Ebony: Confusion on what?
Liyah: Life in general. I was always so confused about life and the things that fell between it. Now it all makes sense to me now.
Ebony: What is it that you love most about Motherhood?
Liyah: The little things. The first time I heard her laugh, I cried. She slept through the night the other day and Michael and I cheered her on because of it.
Ebony: Does she acts more like you or her dad?
Liyah: She has her daddy's face but my attitude. She's gonna conquer the world.
Ebony: What has she taught you.
Liyah: That life is too short to worry about things of the past. You can blink and miss ten years. Time is too short and precious and you have to spend it enjoying the little things.
Ebony: What is it that you and Michael want to teach her about life and the world.
Liyah: To never be ignorant. That's the only thing Michael and I are prejudice against. Ignorance. And there is a lot of that in the world. She will be educated. She will be taught-and I know this sounds a bit cheesy-but she will be taught to judge a person based on their character and not the content of their skin color. We are all created equal. She will taught that black people aren't better than white people, white people aren't better the black people. Asians aren't better than black or white. No race is over the other. There is no such thing as racial superiority. We are all same because we are different. I don't know of that makes sense or not, but we are going to try hard to have her understand that. It really irks me that some people would look at you and think you're not good enough, or treat you like a freak just because you are a certain skin tone. Or the fact that you're different in general. I think it's crazy! Things are not supposed to be that way we are supposed to love one another despite what we look like.
Ebony: What you just said is very compassionate and compelling. How do you compensate such feelings when you seem to not speak openly on the views of the world's problems.
Liyah: Just because I don't say anything doesn't mean I don't have an opinion. You see, I am a very, blunt and opinionated person. And when I am asked about how I feel about the world problems or whatever, I will say exactly how I feel about it. I keep it one hundred percent. No filter at all. And sometimes people can't seem to handle honesty. I mean, they ask for your honest view on....racism so to speak. And if they are offended by what you say, they take it and say, " Oh, you're wrong for saying that! You shouldn't have said that!" Then it's blown way proportion. So, I try to stay out conversations about politics or war or anything of that nature. So, I just write about them. We had a very controversial song on our last album called Do It Like A Dude, and that song was about women equality. We were telling all women that they are just as equal to men. And another song that was pretty controversial was Ain't Too Proud, and in that song we were raising awareness for safe sex, because there are sexually transmitted diseases that are killing people nowadays.
Ebony: Do feel that as an artist you have to write about things like that in order for people to listen?
Liyah: For me, for us. Yes. That's how I express how I feel. Other people may do it through acting, or speaking, or whatever it is they are good at. I'm in artist. I write my feelings on paper an turn it to music. Plus, kids look up to us as role models. So, I feel like it's our job to teach them that if they are having sex, to use a condom, and not to be ignorant and think that they can't get an STD or HIV. Or if it's a girl listening, I don't want them to think they can't get pregnant, because it is possible.
Ebony: So if the messages will help today's teenagers. Or today's people in general, you don't mind expressing your opinion?
Liyah: Nope, I do not. And you know, a lot of people wanted us to apologize for the lyrics we wrote in the two songs I just told you about...
Ebony: You didn't. Why?
Liyah: Because if I would have apologize I would've been lying. I'm not sorry for the lyrics that we wrote for either of the songs. Regardless of what we do, there will be two sides to it. There will be a side that loves it, and a side that hates it. There is nothing we can do it about that. I just want people to be sure that they know that we didn't just write it for the hell of it. We wrote those song because we are trying to make a point.
Ebony: You also don't seem to shy away from swearing on some of your songs, and many people don't seem to like it that either.
Liyah: I've always had a bit of a potty mouth believe it or not. My sister and I inherited it from our mother. I don't really curse as much as I used to when I was teenager, only when I get upset. I know a lot of our teenage fans parents are the ones that don't really like it, but that just goes back to what I meant when I said that people are afraid of the truth. If you go to a high school you will see that generally everyone in the school population say swear words. It's not a secret. The world just don't wanna see it. It's like they don't want children to grow up. So,they put it on us as artists when they probably were doing it way before hand.
Ebony: So are you saying that it's okay for teenagers to say curse words?
Liyah: I'm not saying that it's okay. I mean, if Ari were to ever have a potty mouth like I do she better keep it with her friends. The thing is, if teenagers don't already know this, they need to know when to turn it on and off. Cursing in front of a parent is not okay. Keeping it around friends, that's okay... I feel like I'm gonna regret saying this.
Ebony: Oh, no. I get what you're saying. So, do you think your daughter will inherit in your potty mouth?
Liyah: If she does, I'm pretty she won't be able to use it because Michael's not having that. I can't even curse around him if I want to.
Ebony: He doesn't say swear words?
Liyah: Unless you consider hell and damn curse words. No. Every now and then he may say a- but that's only when he's pissed or something.
Ebony: If you're daughter show any interest in show business will you and Michael let her go into it at a young age?
Liyah: Not at a young age, no. Michael wants her to have a somewhat normal childhood, because he didn't really have one himself. He started at five and I think that's too young myself.
Ebony: There has been a lot of rumors that you have had a drug or alcohol problem. You have said that is not true, but whar are your views on drugs in show business?
Liyah: Drugs in general are bad. Being where I'm from, I have been around people with drug problems and I know what it can do to them. They can lose themselves easily. And with show business, it's like it's handed to you. They will go and drop it in your pocket without you knowing about it. It's like they want you to slowly kill yourself. Which I think is just sad. I never understood why people could just do drugs just to be high. I mean, that is just crazy to me. Why don't you just be high off of things that won't kill you, like love, or music, or something like that.
Ebony: How do you keep yourself from things like that?
Liyah: My husband told me a long time ago that I had to have some kind of self-discipline when you're in this kind of business. If you don't you will lose yourself. I don't like to allow anything define me or take advantage of me. I don't do things just because I see other people doing it. I tend to try to walk in my own direction. I know I'm not perfect, I know I will make mistakes, but I don't want to make mistakes that will cost me my life. I've been there and done that.
Ebony: Earlier you said your road to happiness has been a long one. Are you happy now?
Liyah: I am. I mean, yes things aren't always good. I don't believe in that. But that doesn't mean things are always gonna be bad. I don't believe in a perfect life, but I am happy... I am very happy.