Luciana Caporaso

Similar to Cher or Madonna, the lovely Luciana needs only one name.

"The Queen of Electro" started pumping out the club hits in 2006 with "Yeah Yeah" then her track "I Like That" with Richard Vission topped the charts afterwards. Her song with Golden Girl Betty White "I'm Still Hot" came complete with a hilarious video that is not to be missed. Most recently she collaborated with gay rapper Cazwell on the banger "Guess What?"

Luciana has worked with some of the biggest names in the dance world including Tiesto, Swedish House Mafia, and Benny Benassi.

We rang up the sharp tongued songstress overseas before her return to Roscoe's Tavern this Friday, Aug. 1 for for "We Only Talk In #Hashtag".

JN: (Jerry Nunn) Hey, Luciana. How are you doing?

LC: (Luciana Caporaso) I'm very well.

JN: You are on vacation?

LC: Yeah, I am with my family and we are on this little island. I've been in London before this. It is just like total mayhem here. I just went to a space where I could talk to you where there is not a lot of noise. How are you?

JN: I'm good and in Chicago so not as glamorous.

LC: Chicago is very glamorous, darling! I absolutely love Chicago. I love the smell of it.

JN: When was the last time you were here?

LC: When I was last at Roscoe's so about a year ago.

JN: I'm glad it went well and you are returning.

LC: Oh babe, it was just amazing so that is why I am coming back. I'm very excited. Listen, you need to be there and we can do a shot of vodka.

JN: Let's do it. It is Lollapalooza weekend so every artist in the world will be here.

LC: Lollapalooza is the place isn't it? I believe it was happening when I was there last time. Who are you seeing there?

JN: Lorde and Iggy Azalea.

LC: You are going to have a great time.

JN: What is your background?

LC: My mum is English from London and my dad is Italian. My professional background is that I've have always done dance music but I broke out with a track called "Yeah Yeah" with Bodyrox. That was the song that led me to work with all of these DJs.

JN: You have worked with everybody.

LC: Yes, I have worked with lots of DJs and other artists as well so that's cool.

JN: What was it like working with Tiesto?

LC: I've got a funny story about Tiesto because it was on my birthday two years ago. My friend told me to go talk to him and I said, "Hi, Tiesto." [laughs] It was so embarrassing. I told him about my track "Yeah Yeah" and he had heard of it. I offered to send him some a cappella songs. One of them was the chorus for "We Own the Night." He loved it and we wrote the track around that. Wolfgang Gartner got involved and that was that.

He was lovely and very on the ball, very businesslike.

JN: He's done very well.

LC: Yeah, he's done very well for himself, Mr. Tiesto!

JN: The list goes on, you worked The Cataracs. I heard they are great to work with from other singers.

LC: It's really weird because we got together with The Cataracs to write for Kylie Minogue or some other big artist, I can't remember. We were with Diplo and Switch. I am just so in love with Niles from The Cataracs. We started writing together and on the first day we wrote the chorus for "Big Dipper." I love that track so much. I continue to write with him and we have another track coming out with him as well.

JN: You have a new song I heard about.

LC: The one called "Arcadia?" Weirdly enough I just performed a show at Heaven here in London. I was nervous because it was the first time I had performed that track. It went down really well. It sounds so fresh. Maybe I will perform it at Roscoe's.

JN: I hope you do.

LC: I hope I do as well. It depends on what they want. Maybe I will put Betty White on and get her to come onstage with me as well.

JN: They would love that.

LC: Wouldn't that be fabulous?

JN: I've interviewed her before and she's very feisty.

LC: She's amazing. She's very sharp and humorous. I was very much in awe and I actually cried when I met her.

JN: Who's idea was it for you to work together?

LC: I was in a gay club and these two guys were like 6'4" big muscle men. Someone asked me to smell their armpits. This is the uncensored version, the censored version is a bit bland but I am telling you because you are pretty fabulous. So when I smelled his armpit it was very pungent. They said that they wash but not their armpits. We got to talking and one of them worked in an office. They had put together nine ideas for Betty White to do an excerpt for Life Line Insurance, which is what she supports. She didn't like their ideas so they wanted to put the "I'm Still Hot" song to her because she is still hot at 90 years old. She loved the idea and all of sudden I am in a video with Betty White. She was in my studio at 9:00 a.m. and that is so early for a musician. She was in my house eating sandwiches and I asked her if she wanted a shot of vodka. She said, "No thank you dear!" It was very strange and fabulous at the same time. I cried.

JN: I don't blame you.

LC: I don't blame myself! I thought, "Why are you crying, Luciana?" But it was Betty White, I used to watch her on The Golden Girls. I asked her if she made those cheesecakes and she said, "Oh no, dear, we had someone on the set doing that."

JN: The theme of the night is hashtag playing off your song "You Only Talk In #Hashtag."

LC: Are they really?

JN: Yes. Are you sick of hashtags?

LC: We were just talking about social media and how it is very difficult for people to converse one on one because everyone is looking down on their phones. It is hashtag this and that. Can I seriously not just have a conversation with someone where we are looking into each other's eyes?

Like Andy Warhol said, "Everyone will have their 15 minutes of fame" but now it is more like 15 seconds, 15 minutes is far too long. We've all got ADD. I want to be able to talk not in hashtags so that is how that song came about. It is very tongue in cheek.

JN: Do hate the Housewives from Bravo referring to your lyrics in that song?

LC: "Fuck all the hashtag Housewives!" [laughs] They are all sitting there in their ball-gowns arguing about nothing. Everyone is just fascinated by it, aren't they? Everyone just loves the Housewives. It is a bit of a joke to say fuck 'em all! Who really cares about it? Do you care?

JN: I watch the Atlanta Housewives because they are more casual.

LC: You like them? They are all so gossipy. It is like a big ball of whatever! Everyone watches it and that is what is indicative of our society. I'm not demeaning it because I think it's fabulous but it is just funny.

JN: I love your song "Guess What?" with Cazwell. Where did you two meet?

LC: [sings] "I met him at the candy store!" I met Cazwell when I was visiting London actually. My best friend and creative partner hooked me up with him on Facebook then we had a torrid love affair on Facebook. He sent me a track then I started singing "hot chili pepper" and that's it. We did a show in LA then some more shows in Australia. He's just fucking amazing. I love him.

JN: It has a great video.

LC: It is a great video. That was J.B. Ghuman. He's on another level.

JN: Do you want to do more artwork?

LC: That was when I was a bit over the music industry, this was just before the "Yeah Yeah" track happened I was really over it. It was just depressing. I decided I was going to eat what I want and not think about the industry because it is very harsh. I decided to do an art exhibition in Soho, in England. It went really well but then after I had done it I was over it.

When I get back to LA LA Land I am going to do a painting just because I haven't done one in forever. As long as I'm creating, I'm alright.

JN: What else do you have coming out?

LC: I've got the "Arcadia" track coming out and I have done a few new tracks that I am super excited about. I can't tell you about them other than they will be coming out soon. There will be a possible EP coming out at the end of the year.

JN: I look forward to meeting you face to face at Roscoe's.

LC: Yes, and what will you be wearing when I see you?

JN: I don't know. I will have to come up with something fabulous.

LC: Totally fabulous, maybe a little bow tie. I will look for you.

JN: Do you want your shot of vodka on the rocks or with a mixer?

LC: Oh my gosh, a chaser? You know what I won't be drinking is those Jager Bombs. Don't ever give me a Jager Bomb because I will be out for the count, babe. That is never a good look in heels!

Luciana will perform her Billboard chart topping hits "U Be the Bass", "Something for the Weekend", "Primitive", and "I'm Still Hot" on Friday, Aug. 1 at Roscoe's Tavern, 3356 N. Halsted. $5 cover after 11:00 p.m. Visit roscoes.com for details.