IF predictions were my line, Motown's newest signing Stacy Lattisaw could, in time, become a serious threat to the likes of Teena Marie and Janet Jackson. She was, to all intents and purposes, quite a surprising addition to the Motown family because prior to this, very little had been heard about the nineteen year old singer. With "Nail It To The Wall" showing healthy signs of becoming a hit, Stacy's debut album "Take Me All The Way" is set for UK release next month - and what a stunner that is too! However, before getting to that, a few facts and figures.



The young singer was born in Washington DC and began singing at the tender age of six. Stacy's mother, whilst at school, sang for fun with Marvin Gaye. When Stacy was eleven she decided she was ready to turn professional and appeared with Ramsey Lewis in the Fort Dupont Park, Washington, before thirty thousand people.
Cotillion Records took a chance and signed the young girl where her first album "Young And In Love" was produced by the late Van McCoy, released in June 1979. Two more albums followed: "Let Me Be Your Angel" and "With You", both produced by Narada Michael Walden. Single-wise Stacy Lattisaw enjoyed hits with "Jump To The Beat", "Dynamite" and "Love On A Two Way Street". With success came the demand for live appearances so she was booked, amongst other things, as support act for The Jacksons' 1981 US tour, lasting thirteen weeks. "The best part about it was meeting Michael. I watched the Jacksons' show from the wings every night and every night I learned something new. I love performing live because it tests your abilities. You have to give something to the audience to get something back, but when you do, you know you've earned it."

JOINING Motown was the next significant move of her career: "We negotiated with different companies before deciding on Motown" she told me. "And they didn't have a female singer like myself. "It's a general feeling that she could fill the gap left by Teena Marie, whose talent to this day hasn't been realised or exploited. Stacy found this comparison a compliment but expressed this didn't form a part of their negotiations. The album boasts several producers, like, Kashif, Leon Sylvers, Steve Bari, Jellybean (responsible for the single) and Narada Michael Walden, of course. "It was Motown's choice to work with the different producers. We wanted to produce an album of variety to show what I could do. There's a mixture of uptempo and ballads in there." The set, which took two months to record, is definitely a pot pourri of sounds: good, catchy and commercial songs. Was she pleased with the result? "Yes, I am." Out of the tracks included, Stacy rates the album's title "Take Me All The Way" as her favourite. Other smasheroos, in my opinion, are "You Ain't Leavin'", and "Love Me Like The First Time", followed closely by "A Little Bit Of Heaven", a calypso-influenced, happy-go-lucky tune. The cream of the crop is the "Longshot" ballad. Yes, indeed, a fabulous debut album, which is a credit to Stacy, her producers and writers. Both single and elpee are moving past in the States, she said, "People began wondering where I've been so when the album came out, I've had to catch up on the lost time." Having worked with Narada Michael Walden during the somewhat crucial and successful stages of her early career, it seemed obvious he should contribute towards the Motown album. "Take Me All The Way" is his: "He sent me the song to my home, and I liked it immediately. I told Motown about it and they wanted to do it." She also divulged she plans to work with Walden in the future. "We have a special working relationship."

BECOMING part of the music business at such an early age, I wondered if Stacy felt she'd missed out on a normal childhood. "I don't think so. I came out of school when I was fourteen, then I had a tutor, which was a little boring for me because I had no school friends around me."
If she hadn't gone for singing as a career, her destiny might have been a whole lot different. "I'm not too sure what I'd have done. Probably I'd have worked in an office, as a secretary. My mother insisted I take a secretarial course, just in case."
She stressed she was fortunate in that she still held on to most of her early friendships "and when I'm not recording or touring I do what most people of my age do."
Yet being in this business does have its problems. "Although I keep in touch with my friends regularly, they're not in the business I'm in. They're either at college or in other areas, which makes meeting up a lot harder. But I don't really think I've missed out on too much because this business has a lot of glamour, and it's exciting, although a lot of work is involved! However, it's now like my second nature."
She also has her future worked out in her mind - "I plan to record more albums, and I'd like to get into writing more of my own songs."
More immediately though, she's off to Japan to appear in the Yamaha Music Festival: "I don't know much about it" she admitted. "They contacted my manager, and I'll be performing my single. I'm also planning to come to England although I don't know when. I believe the trip is being set up now. Meanwhile, there is a video to help the single." B&S Nov '87