Janice Dickinson – America’s self-proclaimed frst supermodel was born in Brooklyn, N.Y. in 1955. She’s best known for conquering the covers of Vogue magazines worldwide and judging on America’s Next Top Model for four seasons. She is a fxture in the reality TV world with her Oxygen network series, The Janice Dickinson Modeling Agency, which documents Dickinson’s efforts to staff and operate a Hollywood modeling agency. After decades in the entertainment industry, Janice is now embracing a dynamic path in the music scene. While her debut single, “I Coined It” back in 2022, showcased a unique punch of dance/pop designed for the dance foor, her newest single “Firestarter” marks a powerful shift into classic rock territory, proving Dickinson’s versatility and ferce artistic spirit.
1. What sparked this powerful shift into the raw energy of rock and roll with Firestarter?
I had to make a switch because it was all beginning to be just too sweet, from sweet and sassy and ferce. I was born to a rock and roll song. I married my ex-husband, who was a piano player for BB King, and I was on the road with him for three years, watching BB and his band go through the entire circuit, and I sang for BB and I sang for Muddy Waters who slept over at my house in the living room. And he said, “You really got a voice, girl.”
2. Does holding a microphone feel like a different kind of power than owning a runway?
On the runway, I don’t have accessories. But singing, I have the guys in the band. I really count on them. And I really get a power surge when I hold the mic. I know Janice Joplin really loved it.
3. They say rock and roll is about rebellion. What societal norms or expectations do you feel Firestarter is kicking down the door of?
I was a ballerina, always moving, always having a good time. You know, not take no for an answer. I want to bring that back.
4. Beyond the blazing guitar solos and ferce vocals, what’s the vibe you want people to feel in their bones when they hear “Firestarter”? Is it strutting down a catwalk or tearing up a stage rock and roll?
I bring a lot of energy and people will be able to pick up on that and they will dig it.
I want them to think, Jesus, she’s 70 and she’s still rocking, look at her.
5. If you were putting together a supergroup band who are the legendary musicians dead or alive, you’d recruit to perform “Firestarter”.
I’d recruit Mick Jagger to sing backup, Jimi Hendrix to play guitar and David Sanborn on sax. I love the saxophone. I want to hear an organ. I want saxophone and trumpets. I see it as a fully orchestrated song.
6. What is the most surprising or unexpected reaction you’ve received from people who have heard “Firestarter”?
They’re shocked, because it actually sounds really good.
7. You’ve mentioned in past interviews a love for rock and roll. Were there any specifc artists or bands that infuenced this song specifcally?
No. I have always been my own biggest infuence.
8. If you could choose one word to describe the feeling you get when you listen to “Firestarter”, what would it be?
Sensational.
9. Firestarter implies ignition. What internal spark or long burning ember fnally erupted into this rock and roll sound. What was the match that lit it?
I think the guitar player I had on this song, Adrian Gurvitz, who used to play with Hendrix.
I told him, I want you to play like Hendrix would have and he did.
