Adam Barta Goes VIP

July 25, 2010

Adam Barta Goes VIP

by http://goothmag.com

Former boy-bander Adam Barta is all grown
up now,
hitting the Billboard and Logo Click List
charts and
working with the industry’s top producers.
The Bronx-born performer is being compared
to
Lambert and Gaga and is hitting the ground running
on the gay scene with his most recent smash hit “VIP.”

Gooth: You've had a number of dance/club hits. Describe the feeling
you get when
you're in the recording studio. Which song was your favorite to record?
Which one
are you most proud of?

Barta: Recording is a mixed bag for me. It can be fun and exciting but it
also can be pretty
grueling and emotionally draining. However, when you walk away with
something that's
amazing, it's all totally worth it. To really get into the heart of song, you
have to emotionally
be able to connect with the words, and when you are in a studio, you
have a chance to do
that and really make it perfect. The only problem is, if something’s off,
you have to repeat it,
over and over. Redrawing out that emotion each time can take a lot
out of you, but it’s the
most rewarding. The song I am most proud of would be "Q&A."
I got to work with Mr. Mig,
who has produced for everyone from Akon to Taylor Swift. We wanted
to change up my
sound a bit from dance to more R&B pop and have it be more
emotionally intense.
I wrote it about a past love, and using those kinds of experiences
often makes the best
music because they have the most passion put into them, and thus
more people can really
connect to them, which is what it’s all about. The one that was my
favorite to record would
have to be "VIP." I got to work two awesome producers, Mysto and
Pizzi, who are totally
hot right now on the scene (they've produced tracks for R. Kelly,
Kelly Rowland and more!).
If you aren't having fun while you are singing about popping bottles
and kissing lots, there’s
something wrong.

G: What do you have to say about celebrities/artists who stay in
the closet, as well as
those who eventually come out (most recently Vanessa Carlton
and Ricky Martin come
to mind)? Are we past the age where sexuality matters for
a high-profile individual?

B: Who knew Vanessa Carlton was gay! She’s incredibly talented
(and so is Ricky for that matter)
so maybe there’s something to be said for the gay "gene" adding
a bit of artistic genius, LOL.
But seriously, I don't consider myself openly gay in the regard that
if I chose to have a girlfriend,
I'd want people to be okay with that in the same regard as if I chose
to have a boyfriend. We as
artists shouldn't have to hide WHO we are but it's OK I think to
acknowledge or ask that what we
do in our personal lives is sacred to us. I really believe in taking away
the brand from
"straight vs. gay" artists and just make it about the music and art
above anything else. People
like Gaga and Lambert are doing that, and following on a trend that
I think Grace Jones and Bowie
started so many years ago, infusing this hybrid of glam-rock with
pop with everything else and not
have it be "gay" but just overall COOL. I think any artist--straight
or gay--needs to embrace the fans
and the people who love their music. And that might be the best
way to move forward with a big step
for equality for all of us. The gay community has been amazing to me,
and I want to do as much as
I can back to love them.

G: You have said you wanted to be a performer since you
were a little boy.
But performing and being a professional performer are
two different things.
How, when and why did you decide that is what you
wanted to do for a living?

B: I think it was just a natural progression for me. The business
aspect of it pains me
sometimes, and it gets so distracting from the art part of it,
which is why I'm so lucky
to have such a great team behind me. My manager Shaun
(Shakir Entertainment)
and publicist Robyn (R*Star Publicity) have both been a
blessing in helping to keep
my career on path. But I think in order for me to do it as much
as I love, I had to
make it my career, otherwise I'd never be able to do things on
the grand scale that
I want. I have this vision for myself doing a full concert on tour,
and so many cool
concepts I want to share, but the only way for that to happen is
to financially and
successfully get to the place where I'm able to do it with my
own creative control.

G: Are you single? Looking, or open to the possibility?
Is it difficult to develop
and maintain relationships when people already have
a preconceived notion of
who you are before they meet you?

B: Single, definitely open to the possibility! It can be hard to
meet people, even as friends,
because both guys and girls can latch on for the wrong reasons,
sometimes without even
realizing they are liking the performer and not the real me.
And even if they don't know
who I am, it’s always hard to tell someone that my music is
so involved in my life, without
knowing how they will react. I've actually gone on dates where
people have told me they
couldn’t date me because they felt intimidated. But it’s no different
than dating a doctor who
may be on call most of the time, or a lawyer dedicated to a case.
Passion drives me,
and I’d want someone to

respect that.

G: What are a few songs in your iTunes collection that people
would be surprised you have?

B: Randomly, "As the World Falls Down" by David Bowie (from the movie

"Labyrinth"), "Milk" by Garbage, "Amnesty" by SK8.

G: I heard you’re performing at "Market Days" in Chicago in August.
Can you elaborate?

B: I'm currently working on a new single with Carlprit, the rapper from Cascada’s
"Evacuate the
Dancefloor." We are meeting with a few record labels later this month regarding
it and I'm really
feeling good about it. Market Days is one of the biggest gay street festivals in
the country held
every year, and I'm honored to be one of the headliners this year along with Joan
Jett, Jon Secada,
Blake Lewis, Jennifer Holliday and White Tie Affair. I'm performing Sunday,
August 8th,
on the big stage. I'm putting together a 40-minute set like I've never done before.
My two dancers,
Dana (who has danced for the NY Knicks) and Katie and I are going to be doing
everything from
a jazzed-up version of my dance single "I Wanna Hold You" set to the song
"Fever" to a
dominatrix-ish style "VIP." I'm definitely excited to put together an actual story
and show to go
with the songs than just performing them, and hopefully this is just the start.