Samantha cutting a Dash for rock fame

Jewish Telegraph, January 2005

HIP-hop maestro Damon Dash obviously has a lot of faith in singer-songwriter Samantha Ronson.
Dash — who was linked musically to Victoria Beckham last year — made 25-year-old Samantha the first rock signing on his label Roc-A-Fella Records.
When one considers that Samantha’s step-father is Foreigner’s Mick Jones and her brother Mark is a top DJ, it’s amazing to find out that she only discovered her musical talent five years ago.
Until then she had always wanted to be a teacher.
“Eventually I still want to be a teacher,” Samantha said. “I’d love to teach kindergarten age kids.”
London-born Samantha — whose father is Lawrence Ronson — spent much of her childhood on the road watching Foreigner on tour.
Her first trips to America were with stepfather Mick’s band.
“As I got older I’d go for weeks at a time to America,” she said. “I was obsessed with middle America. It was real fun. I wanted to be around music or in the studio, watching them.”
Samantha now lives in New York, where she and her fashion-designer twin Charlotte are regulars on the gossip pages of the city’s tabloids.
She started writing the songs for her debut album, Red, around five years ago after a nasty break-up.
“I listened to the album again this week and I’m very happy with it. I’m proud of it and I’m willing to let go,” she said.
Red will be released on Roc-A-Fella Records this spring.
Samantha originally struck up a friendship with Dash through the New York club scene, where she was a rising DJ.
One night she played him some of her unfinished demos on an iPod and Damon signed her up.
Does she feel that Dash is taking a risk by releasing a rock album on his ultra-hip label.
“Well, I’d hate to think that my music would damage his credibility,” she laughed. “It would have been a risk for me to do a hip hop album. I’m a white English Jew so it would be strange doing hip-hop.”
Written almost entirely by Ronson, Red features co-writing and production help from heavyweights like Damon Elliott (Pink, Destiny’s Child), Duncan Sheik, Dallas Austin (TLC, Monica, Brandy), and her brother, Mark.
Samantha met Elliott in a Los Angeles recording studio. They co-write the track Cadillac, and he lent his production skills to Fool. Dallas Austin produced seven songs on the album, including the first single Pull My Hair Out, Built This Way and Cigarettes.
Brother Mark, who was finishing his own album, Here Comes The Fuzz, produced the track Don’t Care Anymore.
“There are billions of people I want to work with, like Eve and Sheryl Crow,” said Samantha, who is also heavily influenced by Nick Drake, Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan and other singer-songwriters.
“I like anything lyric-based. I know most people listen to melody first, but I’ve always liked Dylan, Mitchell and Stevie Wonder.”
Samantha was given a huge boost when the track Built This Way was included on the Mean Girls soundtrack.
Last year she gained further exposure by appearing on the Rock the Vote tour.
Samantha, herself, is anti-Bush, but admits that John Kerry was not a strong enough personality to beat him in the recent election.
With such a successful family, does Samantha feel any pressure or rivalry?
“Not at all,” she said. “It’s the British press that makes a big deal of my family but there is no rivalry. I work with my brother and we are happy for each other
Samantha is very proud of her religious background.
“My mum, Anne, was brought up religiously,” she said. “We kept kosher at home until I was around six. I attend synagogue on all the major festivals. I fast on Yom Kippur and try to do what I can.”
Her brother was barmitzvah but her sister decided that they didn’t need a batmitzvah.
“I love Judaism more for its traditions than its practices,” Samantha added. “I’m proud of being a Jew and I love the fact that it brings the family together.
“I will definitely bring my children up Jewish.”
Samantha also has a great love of Israel, revealing that she used to spend a lot of holidays in Eilat with her father Lawrence.
“I’d love to go back again,” she said. “Actually, I’d love to perform there as that would be a great excuse to go back.”
Samantha is currently spending a lot of time in the studio writing new songs, but she is all geared up for the promotion of Red when it is released.
She added: “The music business sucks, but I love music so I take the good with the bad.”