Interviews/Britta Phillips

This is a navigation hub for official and fan-run interviews for Britta Phillips.

## Fan-run

When Jerrica performs at night, she becomes her alter-ego in disguise. Let's hear it for the lady who sings.

**1. For those who didn't see your interviews on the DVDs and for the new generation of Jem fans, could you please introduce yourself including how you got the role of Jem's singing voice?**

Hi, I'm Britta Phillips. My dad got me an audition for the role of Jem's singing voice. He worked with Ford Kinder and Ann Bryant (who wrote all the Jem songs) in commercials and they were looking for a young singer who had not done commercial jingles. I remember I had a cold the day I auditioned, but they used my audition for the theme song, anyway.
**2. Had you been singing since you were a child?**

Yes. My mom, sister and I used to sing together in three-part harmony and I was in the school choir. I never knew that I could sing very high or loud until later, though ; )
**3. One of the amazing comments Samantha Newark made in her interview was how you two were matched perfectly. Were you instructed to sing a certain way(s)?**

No, I wasn't instructed to change my voice in any way.
**4. Did you need coaching or did you nail the singing vibe right away?**

Well, both Ann & Ford would "produce" the recording sessions. They'd have to fill me in on the drama going on behind the scenes of the song so that I would understand the emotional context.
**5. When you duet with Pizzazz on some songs, were you recorded separately and the final track overdubbed, or did you share the studio?**

We recorded separately, but the sessions were usually one after the other so I'd always run into Pizzazz and the Mistfits/Holograms (they were the same singers) on my way in or out.
**6. If you could turn back time, would you switch places and be Pizzazz, or are you happy being Jem?**

I guess Pizzazz is cooler, but I never think about changing the past. I am happy to be Jem.
**7. Presuming you've watched the series, does or did it ever feel strange that you were singing only and Samantha Newark was the dialogue?**

Yes, I've watched the show. It doesn't seem strange to me because the voices match.
**8. What is your favorite Jem track that you recorded?**

That is difficult because there were SO many and I can't remember all them at any given moment, but off the top of my head I'll say.... "Only Me & The Music," "I Believe in Happy Endings," "Only The Beginning"
**9. Does that track have personal meaning to you?**

I remember these earlier songs the best and they remind me of how exciting it was to be just starting out.
**10. Do you have any Jem toys either dolls and/or playsets?**

I do have a Jem doll, but I've moved so many times that I'm not sure where it is. Probably in storage. I live in a NYC apartment so any extra space is filled with musical instruments and CDs.
**11. When you were told the series ended, how did you feel?**

I was filming the movie, "Satisfaction," at the time and had to do the final recordings down south. I was sad, of course, but also very glad that it lasted as long as it did. I heard that the series was cancelled because the doll wasn't selling well. The Jem doll was a lot larger than Barbie and parents didn't want to spend money on clothes for different sized dolls. The series was very popular, so it was sad that it all depended on toy sales.
**12. You are still a professional musician- what was life like after Jem?**

It was all about acting for the next year or so. Then I joined a band and we moved to London and stayed for 3 years. I didn't move back to NYC until 2000 when I joined the band Luna. That's how I met my husband, Dean.
**13. How does your music today compare to Jem?**

After Luna broke up, my husband and I continued performing and recording as "Dean & Britta." Our music is pretty diverse. Some of it has a retro-pop vibe, some of it is a bit psychedelic. So it doesn't really sound at all like Jem.
**14. Does Jem and or the 1980's influence your current songwriting?**

I love a lot of 60's, 70's, and 80's music. Some mainstream pop and dance stuff as well as more obscure stuff. I love Dusty Springfield, Nina Simone, Madonna, ABBA, The Velvet Underground and Nico, New Order, Air, Nancy Sinatra, The Crystal Stilts, LCD Soundsystem... just to name a few....
**15. When you perform live, does your audience ask you to perform Jem?**

I think someone may have shouted out for the Jem theme once or twice.
**16. Do people recognize you as Jem when they meet you?**

No. I don't think most people would know what I look like. But I've met many people at shows who know that I was the singing voice for Jem because of hearing about it online. And some of my friends enjoy introducing me as Jem to people of a certain age.
**17. Could you still sing and sound like Jem today?**
Yes, sometimes I have to sing really high and loud for a commercial jingle. For Dean & Britta songs I usually sing much quieter and lower, but there is one song "You Turned My Head Around," where I sing really high and loud. But not as high as some of those Jem songs. They were stratospheric.

**18. Can you speak like Jem?**

I have never tried that so I don't know. Probably not that well, though ; )
**19. If your agent called and said new Jem episodes were upcoming in production, would you offer to sing again?**

Yes, of course.
**20. Can you write songs both lyrically and musically that could fit Jem?**

Maybe, but I haven't tried. I find its best to write what comes naturally.
**21. Shout Factory has taken serious interest in rereleasing Jem on DVD due to comments from the fans. Some of them have actually received personal responses from Shout! staff themselves. Are you excited that Jem may be available for the children of the original generation that may hear your oldest music?**

Oh yeah. I wish they'd rerun the show on TV.
**22. Could you please define your personal opinion of what it means to grow maturely musically?**

Hmmm... I guess it's sort of like acquiring a taste for other adult things... like caviar and champagne. I definitely think my taste in music has grown/matured. I always had very strong opinions about what I liked and didn't like musically, but, as a musician and a lover of music, I appreciate "soul" a lot more now. I think that's what makes any kind of music sound original and memorable. That's what moves me. I also appreciate simplicity. So many musicians overplay or over sing (try too hard). The important thing is to listen to what every one else is playing and stop being self-conscious. That's the way to find yourself, musically. Musicians are often both arrogant and insecure and I don't like hearing that in a performance. I want to hear something unique and personal, but not over-indulgent. Everyone starts by imitating some one they like, but the really good musicians always seem to shine through their influences.
**23. Music has lead you to your lover. In your own words (through experience), how did music lead to love?**

Well, it has literally lead me to my love because I had to audition for his band. Playing music with him on stage night after night was very romantic. Before I met him, I had become uninspired by music and was thinking about a career change. Playing in Luna was a thrill, and, on top of that, Dean played me all sorts of great new and old music that I'd never heard before and I began to feel passionate about music again - the way I did when I was a kid or teenager. We're lucky to be so "simpatico" musically. For me, music communicates more than mere conversation. It's a way of sharing a state of mind, mood, emotion...
**24. Did Jem change your personal outlook on life?**

Well, it certainly boosted my confidence as a singer and made me feel that I could really pursue a career in music. I also feel very lucky and that keeps me optimistic about life. I think that anyone who can survive as a musician (these days especially) is very lucky. Its getter harder and harder.
**25. Any final words to say to Jem fans coming from the viewpoint of the past 25 years?**

I'm glad to have made such an impression on people. Its a great feeling and very humbling. Like I said, "I've been lucky."