Do you find that your upbringing contributes to your current musical creations? If so, in what ways?
Yes. I came from a family of musicians. Music was in our home, and it was always a part of our culture. My mother and my father, as well as my sister are singers. My brother, Paul Lakatos, is considered one of the foremost guitar players in the world today and I’ve been doing music since I was very young. I was very fortunate to be able to go touring at a very early age. I was also introduced to recording, and did my first major recording at the age of 11, doing the music of the great Brazilian composer Antonia Carlos Jobim and backed by a symphony orchestra. These experiences have made me the musician I am today.
How would you describe your musical taste and personal style?
First and foremost, I am a lover of jazz music and have an affinity to the greats of jazz, such as Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, Natalie Cole, and many others. Culturally I grew up with Hungarian gypsy music. This music is different from other gypsy music and is very close to classical music. When we play with my brother and sister, we have a very unique folkloric style. It’s unlike anything you have probably heard . I am hoping one day to release some of that material to share with the world. It shows where I came from and features the rich musical heritage!
As for my personal style I love art, decorating and fashion. I love to paint and those are my paintings in the video. I also made that green dress by hand. I adore Kelly Wersler, the interior designer, and I hope to one day be a successful interior designer. But don’t worry, I’ll keep singing if you ask nicely!
What does it mean to you for “My Favourite Time Of Year” to be featured in the BET film A Miracle Before Christmas? What was the moment like when you discovered this amazing news?
Being a musician in this day and age is very competitive. I know the producers were trying to get Mariah Carey’s Christmas song for the movie but musical supervisor Marc Williams was presented my track by a guy name Lemoyne Alexander. We call him LA and he has been a great supporter of mine! He suggested to Marc to give the track a listen. The rest is history. Thanks LA – without you, this would have never happened!
I can say that I was “over the moon” to hear the news that the song was accepted! It takes years of hard work and steady diligence and you just never know. I have to thank Dave Sereny the writer of this song. He always encourages me to keep going and to never give up on my talents and dreams, even when I get discouraged myself!
It’s a dream come true and being a small-town girl from Hungary singing on BET with all the great musical heritage of that organization and all the amazing artist that have played and performed there, it is quite an honour!
Why is it important to create with your “life-and-music partner” Dave Sereny? What do you feel that connection brings to this song?
OMG what can I say! Dave had some big shoes to fill as I grew up with my brother Paul. Let me tell that is no easy task for any guitarist. I must say he has really come along and has actually developed his own style. He is doing some real interesting music and has developed his vocals and I am very proud of what he has accomplished! He has an unplugged style album coming out in the new year that I had the pleasure to sing on. It is truly unique and original which is very hard to do in music. He never gives up! He is my number one supporter and is the foundation to my success. I love Christmas with the decorating and the cooking and having friends and family over to celebrate. So, he knew he better step up and do something Christmas-y so he wrote that song for us. He has a few other Christmas songs that I adore and hope to have in the next BET Christmas movie! Stay tuned! Thanks Dave, you are my light!
The “My Favourite Time Of Year” music video is stunning! What was your favorite moment from the music video shoot, and why?
This video shoot came up very quickly and we had very little time to prepare. We met this young videographer named Jeremy Hodgkinson. We just loved his photography and artistic eye. I feel he is going to be a big name in video in the future at only 20 years of age! Dave Sereny suggested we shoot at Ilumi, the offshoot of Cirque du Soleil. It’s this wonderful outdoor light show with a 350-foot Christmas tree. Dave’s good friend Steve “Itchy” Macaphee famous front out house engineer and now the technical engineer for Ilumi worked it out. I am so grateful to have been able to sing at such an amazing exhibit with such an amazing crew of talented people. It’s just so surreal!
What do you hope the new year brings for your musical career? Do you have any upcoming projects you would like to share with your audience?
I am going to be releasing my catalog of music I have compiled over the years. I have done many projects from House music with Joe Smooth, pop music with Lemoyne Alexander and Marcus Kane, smooth jazz and R&B with Jim Peterik and Dave Sereny, and jazz with my brother Paul Lakatos and Randy Waldman. Look these guys up they’re the real deal. These will be released over the next couple of years on the Groove United LLC label. In partnership with Mike Marcotte( tech giant) and his partner Amielle Zay Marcotte the sky is the limit! Like I said stay tuned and Groove United. I would also like to thank Jolifefoods.com for supporting me over the years! They make the best grain free and nut free snacks in the world! Yay Jolife! For all my fans I wish a very merry Christmas and I hope it’s your Favourite Time of The Year! Happy new year !!!!