Daruso - Interview & Video

It's been at least a week since Cascada released their last genre defining masterpiece, so - like me - you're probably gagging for a Hi-NRG dance fix. Happily a new act from England has stepped in to fill the breach left by Natalie's child bearing hips. Daruso were recently signed to 3 Beat Blue (the thinking man's AATW) and are comprised of vocalist Jess Russo as well as producers Julian Gingell & Barry Stone. The latter are better known as Jewels & Stone and have worked with everyone from lovely Kylie right through to Ratshit Stevens. That should be enough to grab your interest but if you're still not convinced check out their hot new single "Since You Been Gone" (below). All you need to know is that it's not a Kelly Clarkson cover and would sound pretty fucking amazing in a club! Daruso's glamorous frontwoman kindly took the time to answer some of my probing questions, so check out what she has to say about working with Jewels & Stone and those Cascada comparisons.

Hey Jess, what did you get up to before joining Daruso?
Musically I've been performing since I was really young and experimented with a variety of styles - I was mainly performing jazz and blues though locally and around London and trying to get into the songwriting side of things. Quite a bit different from Daruso!

How did you hook up with Jewels & Stone? Those guys have worked with some amazing people including Kylie, Sophie Ellis-Bextor and… um, Stephanie McIntosh.
Meeting Jewels and Stone was a happy coincidence as I actually met them through my manager who had worked alongside them for Stock, Aitken & Waterman. They were looking for a vocalist so I sang for them in the most casual audition I've ever been to ha ha. And the rest is history :) They have worked with some incredible artists and they are amazing songwriters - I think I'll always be in awe of them.

“Since You Been Gone” is already burning up nightclubs across Europe. Have you always been into dance music?
I've always loved any music I can dance to but obviously now I'm working within this genre I find myself not listening to much else!

Is the song reflective of the rest of your album or do you guys mix it up?
I think the tracks we've recorded so far are all really unique in their own way but on the whole we tend to record songs that make you wanna dance and uplift you in some way. I would say "Since You Been Gone" is probably a very good indication as to what's to come though!

Who were your influences? You kind of remind me of a Hi-NRG version of Everything But The Girl.
Well I take that as a HUGE compliment.....as a dance act they don't come cooler than that. I know Barry & Julian are influenced by so many different artists and genres half of which I've never heard of ha ha but as a vocalist my influences originate from the Jazz world....singers such as Ella Fitzgerald and Etta James are a real inspiration for me. In today's music I would say someone like Paloma Faith - she has such a unique voice.

When is the song released and will you be doing PAs?
The single is being released in July and we already have lots of P.A's locally and also in Europe in the pipeline. The next one is in Glasgow on the 25th June which I'm really excited about as I've never been to Scotland before!

And finally, the question on everyone’s lips – are you the new Cascada?
Ha ha everyone asks me that question! I am a huge fan of Natalie's and the truth is there will only ever be one Cascada. But I definitely think there's room out there for another female dance artist and if Daruso were to have even half the success Cascada has had, I'd be very happy!