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Reproduced from DMR 15-28 June, 1991. Vol 14 - Issue 11
A FEW WORDS WITH THE DEAN OF HI-NRG: HAZELL SPEAKS!
by Dean Ferguson
The Dean of American HiNRG artists is, in fact, a very, very proper Brit.
Of course, that's Hazell Dean, a woman with a speaking voice so seductive
that it's almost as intoxicating as the singing voice she's used to propel
classic songs like "Who's Leaving Who", "Love Pains",
"Searchin'", and, most recently, "Better Off Without You" to
the top of different charts worldwide. Rumor had it, though, that the lyric
of her fifth #1 American HiNRG hit might be more than a bit prophetic: "Oh
it would've happened sooner or later; it was only just a matter of time..."
Was it true? Was she really severing ties with PWL and the
Stock-Aitken-Waterman team for good? Hazell spoke to DMR this week from her
home in London in order to bring you a special feature we'll call...
"Of course it's not true!" Hazell said, regarding the much rumored nasty
parting of the ways between her and PWL. "Pete Waterman and I have been
friends for years, always will be, but now it's time for me to grow and move
on. Pete understands that and won't stand in my way." With more than a
year's time passing between her current HiNRG smash and her last PWL release,
Hazell told us that she simply felt that things weren't happening fast enough
and that her career was going nowhere. Additionally, she told us both
"Love Pains" and "Better Off Without You" fell short of the top
ten UK pop chart rankings that she'd been used to previously, adding fuel to
the rumor of an impending unfriendly split.
"Time moves along, you know... it's quite sad, really, but sometimes you
have to make changes in order to grow." We asked if that meant she thought
that the PWL/SAW formula sound had gone stale and she replied, "Perhaps in my
case, yes, but one can't really say that (in general). Kylie and Jason are
all over the charts and..." she stressed "...they've still got a penchant for
coming up with staggeringly good songs. If Pete comes up with a new one just
for me, of course I'll record it." In the meantime, though, Hazell says that
she's through with hand-me-down tunes. She fell in love with "If I Have to
Stand Alone", a song that both Waterman and PWL-America's Robert John Jones
wanted her to record. She was understandably disappointed when the song
wento to Lonnie Gordon instead. They tried to get the song for Hazell, but
by that time it belonged to Supreme Rocords, who decided to release it as
Lonnie Gordon's third single. Even though that version was not a UK pop hit,
Hazell feels that it's a dead issue, and recording it now would be a step
backward.
So, what kind of song is Hazell Dean looking for next? "I have a powerful
voice so I'm looking for powerful songs. I'd love to do some big ballads."
A totally trendy turn-around, thankfully, is not in the works for this
back-to-back winner of the first and second annual HiNRG Awards for "Best
Live Performer." "There are the odd rap and house things that I like, but
for example, I hate 'Gypsy Woman'... she sings out of tune and to me
that's a crime!" With a laugh she adds, "...it is the #1 song right now,
though, so who am I to criticize." Among the artists she's currently fond
of are Mariah Carey, Oleta Adams, and Kim Appleby, although more often than
anything else these dyas she finds herself listening to classical music for
inspiration.
Hazell's also getting back to songwriting again, having recently reteamed
with her one-time collaborator Pete Ware. A major new personal keyboard
purchase is in the works for this summer as part of Hazell's continuing
renovation of her London home. "It's what I do when I have some time to
myself." Another passion for the 32 year old recording star is "...Going on
holiday with silly people!" Hazell oviously likes to laugh and have fun, and
this year she intends to do plenty of both. How about producing, we asked,
either for herself or other artists, since she's now decided to broaden her
horizons? "I think I'd be good at it, but it's really not something that
interests me now," leading us nicely into the question of whom she might like
to be involved with her next project, other than Stock-Aitken-Waterman. She
wouldn't answer for the record but among the names being bandied about at
this time are Nigel Wright, Youth, and a personal favorite of Hazell's, the
Pet Shop Boys. "I'd love to work with them, but nothing's definite at this
time."
With an enfectious confidence in her voice, Hazell told us in closing that
"...It's time to move on and move off. I've had lots of hits in the eighties
and it's time to really get started on the nineties!" Watch out world, here
comes the new Hazell Dean. The 1990s will indeed be her decade!
Be sure and catch Hazell on her current world club tour, which brings her
here to the US in July and early August. "I love coming to the States,"
Hazell told me during our first meeting last fall in New York adding that the
audiences at her club dates here are more exciting than anywhere else.
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