| "I'm a Diana Ross, not a Supreme." Interview Magazine, September 2001 Dimitri Ehrlich: Why did you call your debut solo album Supernova (Arista)? Lisa Lopes: A supernova is a rare star that increases in brightness up to a billion times at any given moment. That represents me. So on August 16, 2001, the album's release date, a new star will be born--Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes, a.k.a. Supernova. August 16 is also the day that my father was born; and the day that his father died. People's souls have come in and out in my family on that date. DE: In the song "I Believe in Me" you say, "I'm a Diana Ross and not a Supreme." Did that irritate the other members of TLC? LL: That's what it's suppose to do. [laughs] What would my record be without lines like that? I don't know if it's gonna offend them or not. I don't know if they've heard it. I haven't personally sent them a copy of it. DE: In the same song you say, "Well the truth is, I still got love for my group." So you diss them and then say the opposite? LL: Well, that Diana Ross line is not meant to be negative. The important thing is that I'm bigger than being a member of TLC. I am my own entity. DE: In the song "Rags to Riches," you refer to talking back to your mother as the beginning of a fall from grace. LL: My grandmother brainwashed me against my mother. So after living with my grandmother for a while, I became sassy [with my mother]. I was 11 years old at the time and that's when I started to experience the negative things in life. Before then I was an angel. I was at the head of my class, and I was so well-mannered. When I sat at the table my left hand stayed in my lap, my elbows did not touch the table, I ate all my vegetables first, my meat second, my drink last, everything was "Yes, Ma'am. Thank you. No, thank you, Sir." DE: How were you brainwashed against your mother? LL: My grandmother would say things to me like, "Your mother's dirt, she's lower than dirt. When she separated from your father he tried to kill himself. She was cheating with another man." Then she'd call [my mother], and tell me to be quiet, and she'd say, "Wanda, remember when you did such-and-such." And [my mother] would say, "Why are you asking me that?" And my grandmother would say, "Oh, I was just thinking about it." Then she'd hang up the phone and say, "See, I told you, you mother is nothing." DE: You and [NFL star] Andre Rison are engaged now. A few years ago you smashed his Mercedes Benz with a pipe and burnt his house down. That's a lot to forgive, isn't it? LL: Is that a lot to forgive? Well, I guess it depends on what your outlook is on life, if you value material things more than you value�your love and respect for each other. He's not a very materialistic guy. The only furniture he had was in the basement and he had a bed in his bedroom. DE: Shortly after that fire incident you went to rehab for a while. What was that like? LL: My case wasn't that severe. I'd been drinking a lot, so I spent three days in detox where they monitored me. After that I went to AA classes where you have to say, "Hi, my name is Lisa, and I am an alcoholic." I always refused to say that part. DE: Your album is really upbeat considering all the drama you've been through. LL: Even though my life seemed very dysfuctional growing up, there was a lot of positive things. My father was very talented. He did magic tricks, he juggled, he was a musician, and he's responsible in a lot of ways for who I am. He was in the army, so his saying was "Be all that you can be." It's not your best, you can do better. I grew up with that. |