Q: How did you get discovered in the entertainment business?
A: When I was about 8 or 9, I really really wanted to start modeling and my mom was hesitant about letting me get into the industry with all the things going on and finally she gave in and let me start modeling. When I would be on the shoots, they would say “Hey, do you know how to dance or anything?” And I never took any dance lessons before and I don’t know if you remember Darren Hanson (he had Darren’s dance grooves, and he did Britney Spears and Nsync and all those people), he choreographed for them. I went to one of his workshops and that was my first time dancing and he came up to us and was like “hey you really need to move to LA or New York. You’d be working every day” And so we actually knew a lot of talented kids in Florida so my mom owned a hip hop company, she opened it up and brought the choreographers from LA and New York in to teach us in Florida. From then on, I started doing a lot of big black tie events and opening for a lot of different people with my dance group. We won the world hip hop championship. I started back up dancing for Ashanti and Remy Ra and a bunch of different people. And when I would be doing that, I would say “hey I want to be that star, I want to be singing.” So I started taking lessons with Betty Wright, I don’t know if you know who that is, but she was on Making the Band 3 with Danity Kane as their vocal coach. She also does Beyonce and Gloria Estefan and John Legend. She’s amazing and I started with her and my singing career really just took off from there. And then I started opening for Lil Wayne, Ciara and Omarion and then I won the whole, I don’t know if you saw on Myspace, the Step Up 2 contest. It was so exciting. My song got on the soundtrack and movie and then just from there, everything has been taking off.
Q: What was it like recording your song for Step Up 2?
A: You know what, it was like seriously just amazing. and also to go the movies and hear your song in the movie and its on a soundtrack with Missy Elliot and T-pain and all these people are on the same soundtrack as me.
Q: Which artist would you like to collaborate with the most?
A: You know what I did, I don’t know if you saw, but I did the Chris Brown Super Sweet 18. We were supposed to, on the whole show and everything, we were supposed to do a whole duet together, me and Chris but then he decided he didn’t want to perform at his party, he just wanted to go. So I ended up still performing at the party but something separate. So I think it’d be really cool to do a song with him since we both like you know, dance and everything. I think it’d be really cool.
Q: How long have you been training at the Millennium dance complex?
A: I’ve been going there back at like… I mean I’m really from Florida so whenever we would come out to la for trips and stuff I would always go to Millennium but now that we have a place here in California, I go there as much as I can to take Shane Sparks’ class because he’s my choreographer. He’s there every Monday and Wednesday so whenever I can, I try to go over there and take his class.
Q: Which artists have you danced for?
A: I’ve back up danced for Ashanti and Remy Ma. And I was only 13 when I was dancing for them and all the other dancers were twenty-something.
Q: Who are your favourite choreographers?
A: Definitely Shane. I love Shane. I’ve worked with a lot of choreographers and every choreographer you know, is kind of different in their own way. And its just, Shane, I don’t know, I just think I like him all around as a person in general and as a choreographer. I mean his stuff is so crazy. Like a lot of choreographers in LA, some of them have the same style, you know, they have that same style, but Shane really has the style that no one else has and I really really like it.
Q: What is it like to become so famous so quickly?
A: It’s really exciting and like you just sometimes realize “is this really happening?” because it’s really really exciting and amazing. You just have to keep your head straight and don’t let it get to you and just keep focusing on what you have to do. But yeah, definitely keep working hard.
Q: How do you keep yourself grounded in such a crazy business?
A: My parents are very very very strict. And they you know, they don’t let me…they really keep my grounded. They make sure… I’m still in a school, actually start Monday. I’ll be going to some school out here. I used to go to a private preparatory school in Florida. and I’d be going out to California so much and my mom makes sure I get my As and Bs and I’m in all honours classes so it was really hard because I had to basically do it by myself when I was out here. So now I’m going to a school out here that’s geared.. all the kids that go here are actors or models or dancers or singers and so I’m still doing all my honours classes and AP classes this year in tenth grade but still they’re really really easy with like if I have to leave, because I’m going to touring soon, so they’re really good about that stuff. And if you have to be on set, like when I’m going to be doing the Jump Off, they’re going to be really good with that. So I’m really excited for that
Q: So who are you touring with?
A: Well there’s a couple tours. There’s one high school tour that I’m possibly going to be doing and then I don’t know if you know what “Rock Your Fashion” is but its like all different fashion lines mixed with music and there’s a bunch of different artists on there. There’s three artists. I can’t really say the names yet until the press release comes out but I’m really excited to be doing it with them. And I’m going to be doing international tours as well and I’m going to be a on the campaigns and stuff for rock for fashion as their junior so I’m really excited about that. And also I don’t know if you knew, but I’m going to be doing a new movie called Jump Off. Its’ with Cedric the Entertainer, Wayne Brady, D Woods from Danity Kane and Drew Seeley from the High School Musical tours. And we start filming that at the end of September. It’s a musical so I get to sing dance and act and my song Turn It Up with Flo Rida’s going to be in that as well and on the soundtrack so I’m really very excited for that.
Q: Who is your biggest inspiration?
A: I think I definitely look after, how they model their careers, Jennifer Lopez and Beyonce because I think they’re very, you know, especially Beyonce, you never really hear any bad things about her ever. And you know they’ve really kept themselves grounded and there’s a lot of artists that come out with just one song and then they’re done. They, both of them, have had acting careers, singing careers, dancing careers. They both have their own clothing lines. Like all that, I really want to get into and pursue and keep doing this for the rest of my life so I really really model after them.
Q: As a triple threat, which do you prefer: dancing, singing, modeling or acting?
A: You know what, everybody always asks me that and I really can’t choose like I just love them all. I think dancing is, I don’t know because I’ve been dancing the longest, but I just love them all. I just love performing and being on stage. That’s singing and dancing and I get to act too, so it’s kind of like, I like them all.
Q: What advice do you have for other teens out there who want to become successful in the entertainment industry?
A: You know what, just believe in yourself and your dreams really can come true and just focus on what you have to do. Keep your head straight and if someone tells you that you cant do something, don’t listen to them and just follow yours dreams and reach for the stars.
Q: Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
A: I see myself, well I hope to see myself just keep, I guess building and doing movies and hopefully by then have a fashion line and clothing line because I think there’s not really a clothing line out there, I mean there is ones for teens and kids, but they are literally for younger ages and you can either do that or you can do the older lines. a lot of kids want to wear their older lines, but they don’t really have a teenager that’s like that edgy style and I think that’s kind of my style so I think it’d be really cool to come out with a teen line that’s more edgy. So I hope to do that.
Q: Do you have any upcoming projects on the way?
A: Well definitely my song with Flo-Rida, Turn It Up, is going to be released on Itunes and everywhere on September 23, so make sure everyone goes out and gets that. And then like I said, I’m starting to film the Jump Off, so that should be coming out sometime next February / March around there and like I said that’s with Cedric the Entertainer, Wayne Brady, Drew Seeley and D Woods. And I have a leading role in that, singing dancing and acting. So other than that, and also Rock Your Fashion
check out her song "Turn It Up" ft Flo-Rida!
Here is my article that was published in YOUTHINK
Read it @
http://www.youthink.ca/yt/music/interviews/montana-tucker-takes-step-dance-floor
-Christina :)
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