"Pop
Life"
Chapter 81
Angie, the producer for that VH1 special I'm doing is sitting over on the side of the studio while I rehearse a new number. She keeps jotting things down as the choreographer demands more attitude from me.
Finally we get a break.
"So, do you think we'll have time to do the interview today?" I ask as I wipe my face with a towel.
"We should. When do you think you'll be finished?" she asks, nodding toward Garrett, my choreographer.
"We have been ending around six every day so far."
There's only one more week until my tour starts. I'm in LA now and am rehearsing seven days a week.
"I'm sorry we have to do this now while your so busy. But we need to get it done now."
"I understand. I've been doing photo shoots and stuff like that after my rehearsals all week so I'm getting used to it."
"For Pepsi?"
I smile and nod. "Yeah. I film my first commercial in a couple of days."
"You excited?"
"Yeah, I am."
The camera crew sets up shop in our home in LA.
"This used to be my daddy's house, before he and mama got married," I explained.
"Isn't this the house he bought when they broke up?" Angie asks.
"Um, when they took a break, yes. Mama liked it better than the one she was living in so they sold that one."
We sit down so they can get the lighting correct.
"Now, I won't be seen in the interview at all."
"Okay," I nod.
Someone has a handheld camera and is constantly taping. They were at my rehearsals today too.
"Okay so basically we're going to talk about what it's like to grow up as a celebrity's daughter."
She explains the whole premise of the show.
"We've gotten some good pictures from your mom. She was very generous."
I smile. "I was with her when she was picking out which wedding photo to let you use."
"Basically you spent most of your early years on the road, didn't you?"
I nod. "Yes. Between my parents I was on the road for at least half of the year."
"Did you ever feel unsettled? Like, where's my home?"
I think about that for a second. "No, not really. I always felt my home was in Orlando. Mainly I was happy because I was with my parents. They made it feel comforting to me."
We talk more about what my parents are like.
"I mean everyone knows them as this super pop couple," Angie says.
I shrug. "To me, they're mama and daddy. I grew up on the road with them so I knew what they did for a living but it never occurred to me that what they did was kind of rare...if that's the right way of putting it. I mean it was just what they did."
"So you never felt neglected."
"Lord no," I laugh. "If anything there were times when it was like, leave me alone. You see, if there wasn't mama and daddy, I had four uncles and four aunts who were on the road with us. That was on daddy's tours. If we were on mama's tours we had Aunt Fe and Uncle Rob...there were always people around."
Angie laughs.
"Are either of them with you now?"
I shake my head. "No, they're both in Orlando right now. I'm pretty sure they'll be here next week for my opening night. It's hard for them with my brother and sister in school. I think daddy's working on something too so that makes it even more difficult."
"Did they encourage you or discourage you to get into this business? I'm sure they have warned you about certain things..."
"They actually supported me...I think that's a better way of putting it. I grew up singing. My grandma always said daddy was singing harmony when he was two and I think I was doing something like that too. So since I was singing all the time and wanting attention all the time they only supported me with whatever I wanted to do. As far as warning me about stuff...I guess they give me suggestions and advice. I think right away they looked out for me as far as getting the best deal and stuff like that. That, I'm sure they learned the hard way so they can take that to help me out."
She nods and jots a couple more things down.
"Are your parents as much in love as the public wants to believe they are?"
"I guess so. I really don't have anything to compare them to, except my aunts and uncles and maybe some friends' parents. I think they're in love. I mean they tell each other all the time. Daddy will surprise mama with flowers and stuff like that all the time."
"That's sweet."
I nod.
We finish the interview and it's ten o'clock.
"Thank you so much Ana, for giving us this interview. Good luck on your tour," Angie says as she stands up and shakes my hand.
"Thank you."
They clear out of the living room and Tony walks over to me.
"You did good."
"Gee, thanks."
"Brad called while you were doing the interview."
"Did he say when he'd be in town?" I ask.
"He said he'd try to make it for your opening night."
"Try?"
He nods.
"Okay. I guess they're hot and heavy into their recording now. It's probably hard for him to get away. It sucks that when he was in LA I was in Orlando and now that I'm here, he's in New York."
"Yeah, bad timing."
"Oh well," I sigh. "I'm going to bed."
"Okay...good night."
The next morning we arrive at the arena where I'll do my rehearsals from now on. The stage is already set-up.
"Wow," I say as Tony, Andre and I walk into the venue.
"Looks good, huh?" Tony asks.
"It's incredible. Daddy and Cody came up with this?"
"Yeah...most of it, I think."
"God, I wish they were here to see it," I say as we approach the stage.
"Well, one of us is," daddy says as he walks out onto the stage.
I gasp. "Daddy."
I run up the steps at the end of the walkway and run down the catwalk into daddy's arms.
"What are you doing here?" I ask as he holds me.
"I wanted to make sure the stage was just right for my baby," he says swinging me back and forth. "Oh yeah, I wanted to see you too."
He sets me down and I take his hand.
"This is great. Take me on a tour."
"Okay."
The stage manager, Roy, is standing close by and walks with us.
"So I'm going to come out in that?"
"Yeah...you'll get strapped in right here and it will lower," daddy says trying to demonstrate with his arms how the contraption will work.
"And I'll be singing while this is coming down?"
"Uh huh."
"Okayyyy."
He gently squeezes one of my shoulders. "It will be great."
As we walk down the catwalk I ask, "So when did you get in?"
"Really early this morning. I took the jet here. The poor pilot I don't think he's ever had to fly this early."
"Are you going to stay until my opening night or do you have to go back?"
"Uncle JC's coming out here and we're going to work on that Christmas CD so I'll be staying."
I smile up at him.
"But I'll be working. You might not see me until your opening night," he kids me.
"Well, as long as you're here."
The stage manager yelled something to the crew and a couple of men ran over and started to fit a couple of pieces of the stage together again.
"I can't wait to rehearse on here. Where's Garrett?"
"He's on his way," Tony says from the floor.
"Good. Ohhh the band's here," I say as I walk back toward the main stage.
Justin laughs as he watches his daughter was back up the catwalk. He looks down at Tony.
"How did the interview with VH1 go?"
He nods. "It went well. She's getting good at those."
"She's more relaxed now?"
Tony nods. "Definitely."
"Good. I talked to Brad the other day. Apparently he and Adriana's schedules are opposite right now so they're not getting to talk to each other much. He wanted me to prepare her that he most likely won't get to see her tour until it comes to New York."
"Yeah, I talked to him yesterday. He told me the same thing but he said not to dash her hopes too much."
"Sounds all too familiar," Justin says shaking his head.
"Okay, am I strapped in?" I ask as a couple of the crewmembers lock me in the harness of the contraption I'm going to be lowered onto the stage in.
"Yep, it's nice and tight."
"Okay," I say before taking a deep breath.
I adjust my mic. "Is this on yet?"
"Not yet," my sound guy says in my ear.
"Oh okay. Oh God daddy why did you do this to me?" Just as I said that the mic was turned on and the next thing I hear is daddy saying, "It was your brother's idea," over the speakers.
I try to chuckle. "Heh heh...greattttt."
"Whenever you're ready Ana," the stage manager says.
I test my vocals to see what I'm going to sound like, since I really can't move.
"Okay...let's do it."
The music starts and I can envision what it's going to be like when there's an audience. I can hear the screaming of the fans in my head and it makes my adrenaline start to flow. I start singing Mind Games as I'm lowered over the stage. I guess I can see why having me in a trap is a good way to start this song. We redid the choreography to this song so I concentrate on that. I see daddy walking up on the stage, staying toward the back until I finish the song.
"Okay...we'll stop right there," Garrett says.
I look over at daddy as I try to catch my breath. He's got something on his mind as he walks toward me, I can tell.
"How did that sound?" I ask.
"Sounded good...but could sound better. Are you out of breath?"
"I am now."
"No I mean when you were in the harness...was it too tight?"
I shake my head. "It didn't feel too tight."
"I bet it was. Roy...next time you do a run-through on that song, adjust the straps so they're not so tight," daddy yells.
"Will do," he yells back.
"Did I sound that bad?"
"No, you didn't sound bad. I just know you and I think even you could tell it sounded a little weaker."
"I was concentrating on the new choreography," I say as I walk behind him back down to the middle of the stage.
"You can do that and belt it out...I've heard you," he says looking back at me.
"Yes sir," I say almost in a pout.
He lifts up my chin and smiles at me. "You can give one hundred and ten percent. You always do...now do it again."
He kisses the tip of my nose and walks over to stand by George.
I walk over to the harness again as they strap me in. This time they don't tighten the buckles around my waist as tight. The song starts again and I feel so much better singing this time. I glance over at daddy and he's giving me two thumbs up.
We go through a few more songs, not necessarily in the order I'll actually do them in concert but there's a few "gags" on the stage we want to try out.
"This is going to be like a big play room every night," I tell daddy as he hands me a towel.
He laughs. "I've felt that way about some of our stages."
"I can't wait until we piece the whole thing together. What did you think about my medley?"
He smiles and nods. "Your mama's going to be very surprised."
"I don't want to copy or imitate, ya know? I just wanted to show her respect."
He kisses my cheek. "She'll love it."
"Good."
"Okay, lets work on Throw It At Me, next," Garrett yells.
"So much for a five minute break," I groan.