Hanging out with the chicest doll in disco: Kimberly Davis

VIVA Ems | 30th November 2017

It’s not every day you get a phone call saying: “Hey Ems do you want to come hang out with Chic’s Kimberly Davis for the afternoon in Liverpool before her gig with Chic and Nile Rodgers then come watch the gig in the evening”. Hell yes!

 

Kimberly Davis is the vocalist for disco’s greatest American band Chic, which started the craze in 1976 when two of the music world’s biggest hit makers, guitarist Nile Rodgers and bassist Bernard Edwards, got together. The rest is hit tune after hit tune history.

 

Roll onto the seventies, eighties and nineties to good old 2009 when Kimberley’s good friend and Chic drummer, Ralph Rolle, told her that they were holding auditions for the band and she should come along. After singing her favourite Chic song at the audition “I Want Your Love” the manager passed her the itinerary for the rest of the tour.

 

Kimberly, who’s voice has been compared to Witney Huston’s has now also started a very successful solo career with latest single ‘My Fire’ produced by Tony Moran featuring Nile Rodgers hitting no.5 in the UK and number no.1 in America. The word on the music street is she is very close to getting a Grammy nomination.

 

It’s midday Thursday and feeling excited for the afternoon ahead I jumped into my Enterprise Car Club Renault Clio and off I sped to Liverpool to meet disco’s hottest diva. I had actually danced beside Kimberly on stage when Chic and Nile Rodgers played at Parklife as well as at Chic’s concert a few years ago at The Manchester Apollo, so I was looking forward to talking to her this time and maybe bagging another little boogie woogie!

 

I was also meeting up with my good friends Jacky Carroll who is on tour with Chic and photographer Elspeth Moore, who was shooting a fashion spread with Kimberly that day too for designer brand Kevan Jon.

 

Another little ‘Brucie bonus’ was meeting Brett Dearden from Creative Head Space, he had brought along some custom made accessories for the shoot which included these fabulous shinny silver disco ball style head pieces. And it just so happened that I had also been dancing with him before as well, at the Refuge Manchester Gay Pride party this year!

 

Hanging out with the chicest doll in disco: Kimberly Davis

Photo by Elspeth Mary Moore

I met the team at Liverpools Hope Street Hotel, we sat for a while downstairs in the hotel having a bit of catch up over a glass of Rose. Then the star of the moment Kimberly came through the door with her larger than life smile and bubbly personality, handing out the hugs to everyone. My first thoughts of the Chic lady was how warming and welcoming she was and that today was destined to be a lot of fun!

After a good hour of trying on dresses and discussing how great Kimberly’s ass looked in every single design, Chic’s leading lady headed upstairs for make-up and invited me to have a chat with her about everything Chic, her solo career and working with Nile Rodgers…

VIVA Ems: So after stalking you online last night I read somewhere you litchally learnt the lyrics to your latest solo track ‘My Fire’ on the way to the studio the day of recording?

Kimberly: Ya Tony says I want you to learn a song and I’m like ya ok and I’ll let it sit then get in my car and play it on the way to the studio because I don’t require a whole lot of time to learn any song and then we’ll record it one time and it’s done, so everyone loves that about me!

VIVA Ems: That’s talent!

Kimberly: Ya one hit wonder over here! Why are we in the studio for hours lets just hit it!

VIVA Ems: So it must have been pretty cool working with Tony and Nile on this track are you going to be working with them more on any of your other solo stuff?

Kimberly: Tony defiantly, Nile will always offer his famous guitar riffs, that’s my dude he’s got genuine love for me and appreciates me. But I want to collaborate with others, I want to do some urban mixes, duets with guys and girls, just want to cross over with lots of people.

VIVA Ems: Have you got anyone on your hit list at the moment you want to work with?

Kimberly: Yes we do have a few but I don’t want to jinks that, but….. one would be Skepta!

VIVA Ems: Owe yes, the Grime scene is absolutely massive at the moment what are your thoughts on Grime?

Kimberly: Well we don’t really have a Grime scene in the USA but I would defiantly like to collaborate with some of the UK Grime artists.

VIVA Ems: Can we go back to the beginning to where it all started, you grow up in Brooklyn with your Mum who was a singer and your Dad was a saxophonist.

Kimberly: Yes that’s right!  Then the minute I started talking I started singing! The story is my Mum tried to hide me in the hospital visiting a friend and behind the curtain I started singing to the radio and got everyone kicked out!

My cousin used to laugh at me when we would watch TV because I would be singing the commercials, she’ll be like you sing commercials too, I’m like ya I’m down with anything musical!

Hanging out with the chicest doll in disco: Kimberly Davis

Photo by Elspeth Mary Moore

VIVA Ems: Can you remember that life changing moment when you thought this is it, I’m living the dream I always wanted?

Kimberly: I was 16 and in a girl’s group called Petite, we were singing in clubs and at weddings but still working a regular job, then my friend Ralph who is Chic drummer said you got to be in the band I’m with, you need to come and audition. I had never audition before so I turned up all friendly and he was like no this is serious. So I sang ‘I Want Your Love’  in the audition then they passed me the itinerary for the rest of the year.

I went back to my job took down all my papers and stuff off the wall and said right I’m outta here, see ya’ll all later its been a good 17 years bye!

VIVA Ems: We have quite a few young readers wanting to follow their music dreams like you did, what advice could you give them?

Kimberly: First of all I would tell them, do what you do, everyone has their talent it’s not about what other people are doing, your talent is not someone else! Be secure in yours and work on your talent and make it grow!

It’s not about competition, there’s enough people in the world for everyone of us to have a million fans. Don’t get discouraged that she sings better than me, she dances better than me. Don’t give up and pursue it!

 

I’ve actually hosted open mic nights and I’ll start the night off with a song, they are walking in ready to sing then be like I don’t want to sing after her, but I’d say don’t worry about me, just do what you do! So I spend a lot of time telling the girls and the guys don’t let that distract you! You say I can do just as good and get up there and do your thing!

VIVA Ems: Sounds like you had an epic tour with Earth Wind And Fire!

Kimberly: It was one of the craziest tours ever! First of all we love them, they are like family. Nile actually got sick whilst we were on tour, so that was a big deal! And he missed the show which he was devastated about. But Earth Wind And Fire were so good about it, they said you guys can still play! When we finished the show everyone was crying, it was one of those tours where everyone eats together, we hang out it wasn’t a distant thing, I loved it!

 

Hanging out with the chicest doll in disco: Kimberly Davis

Photo by Elspeth Mary Moore

 

VIVA Ems: Right let’s talk about Nile Rodgers it must be absolutely amazing being on tour with that ledge what have you learnt from him over the last few years?

Kimberly: Nile is the king of story telling, every time you see him he has a story for you. First of all he is so cool, you don’t need to walk around him on pins and needles, he’s totally cool he jokes around, and I love that fact there’s no airs, he’s like so what we doing, where we eating, what we wearing and he calls the chicks in the band biddies, he says “what are the biddies wearing tonight!”

It’s just an honour to work with him, and when I asked him to play on ‘My Fire’ he said ya just send me the stems what’s the big deal, so I was like yaaaaa, as he wouldn’t do it for just everybody.

VIVA Ems: What’s your favourite Nile Rodgers stories?

Kimberly: It’s got to be the Freak Out one. The whole reason the name of that song is Freak Out, it was initially F Off! This was because they met Grace Jones and she loved them and invited them as guests to Studio 54. So they went to the backstage and the bouncers said what do you want? Nile said “we are guests of Grace Jones”, the bouncers said “no no guests” and they slammed the door. They knocked again and said “we met her and she told us to come right here.” The bouncers were like no get away from the door! So they were like F OFF Studio 54 and sang it all the way home then it turned into Freak Out!

VIVA Ems: New Chic album coming out soon, word on the street is there are a few collaborations by the names of David Guetta and Nicky Romero and Polama Faith and you’ve got lead on quite a few of the tracks too.

Kimberly: Yes the album will be out next year and the first single out will be ‘I Believe In Music’  which I will be singing on.

VIVA Ems: Chic has been going as a band since the 70’s and has had quite a few previous members including Luther Vandross, Raymond Jones, Jocelyn Brown. If there was one current singer/musician you would like to recruit now who would it be?

Kimberly: Demi Lovato I love that girl she sings her face off! She’s my kind of person!

 

Hanging out with the chicest doll in disco: Kimberly Davis

Photo by Elspeth Mary Moore

 

VIVA Ems: Back to the solo stuff. ‘My Fire’ isn’t your first solo song, one that springs to mind are ‘With You’ I love the DJ Escape remix of this, plus I read somewhere that “60 Seconds” portrays your true love romance which changed your life! Tell me about this, I love a good love story!

Kimberly: Thats how I met Kevin Adams my husband. I’m always busy and flying around, when he saw me he said can I just talk to you for a second, whenever I see you, you’re buzzing around, and I was like ya I’m busy, but ok you can have 60 seconds.

I gave him 60 seconds and now it’s been 17 years!

VIVA Ems: Ahhh that’s amazing!

What have you got in the pipe line leading up to Christmas?

Kimberly: We are going to finish up this tour, then as soon as I get home we shoot a video for the next up coming song that I have coming out, and collaborations and recording, I’ve got a whole bunch of songs lined up, one being with Bobby Brown and one with American rapper Ken Ross.

I’ve also been invited, by LeBron James to sing the national anthem at the New York Knicks/Cleveland Cavaliers basketball game at Madison Square Garden. Nile will be supporting on guitar.

And then just enjoy being at home because next year we are going to be doing it all over again!

Hanging out with the chicest doll in disco: Kimberly Davis

VIVA Ems: When you do have some spare time what do you like doing, have you got any crazy hobbies?

Kimberly: I am a coach potato! I’ll watch 13 hours of Columbo and be happy!

VIVA Ems: I’ve got this habit at the moment of when I’ve had a few drinks I will order strange stuff online like an LED light for my loo! Whats the latest thing you bought online after a few cocktails?

Kimberly: I’m a shoe whore, it’s so bad, right now there are 3 pairs of shoes being delivered to my house.

VIVA Ems: If there was a Kim D Fest who would you have headlining on the Friday / Saturday and Sunday?

Kimberly: The Weekend on The Friday I like what he’s doing at the moment. Jason Derulo on the Saturday night, he’s got a lot of energy on stage. I need a hot chick for the Sunday??? It’s got to be Lady Gaga.

VIVA Ems: Ok you got one slot left on the Sunday before the headliner Lady Gaga who would you chose to put on out of Liam or Noel Gallagher?

Kimberly: Neither I’d put Johnny Marr on he’s my favourite Mancunian, he’s the bomb, we always have a blast with him when he’s been a guest at our shows. I just love him.

VIVA Ems: Ace! I can’t wait for Kim D Fest!

 

Hanging out with the chicest doll in disco: Kimberly Davis

Photo by Elspeth Mary Moore

After more chat and giggles we headed to the spectacular Grade II listed Victorian building called The Florrie for Kimberly’s photo shoot. In true Chic stye Kimberly worked it in front of the camera.

Just before heading back to the hotel I played Kimberly a cheeky little remix of ‘My Fire’ that myself and my Twisted Twin Neil Rambo had produced which you will be hearing me play in my E.M.A DJ sets over the next few festive months.

Of course it started raining cats and dogs outside, so we ran to my car and headed back to the hotel. Having a right old giggle on the way back with Kimberly and Jacky about ‘Free Boobing’ (you’ll have to ask Kimberly about that one) and ‘Shift Sticks’ which I learnt that day, is the American term for a gear stick in a car, Kimberly went on to tell us about life on the Chic tour bus. She said “all the guys snore but they all snore in tune!”

Much to my disappointment I couldn’t stay for the Chic gig that night in Liverpool as I had a gig myself in Manchester but I heard from the others it was an absolute belter!

Keep upto date wth everything Kimberly Davis, Chic and Nile Rodgers on these links below…

www.kimberlydavisshesangz.com

nilerodgers.com

FULL GALLERY PICTURES BY ELSPETH MARY MOORE…

Album 1

Hanging out with the chicest doll in disco: Kimberly DavisHanging out with the chicest doll in disco: Kimberly DavisHanging out with the chicest doll in disco: Kimberly DavisHanging out with the chicest doll in disco: Kimberly DavisHanging out with the chicest doll in disco: Kimberly DavisHanging out with the chicest doll in disco: Kimberly DavisHanging out with the chicest doll in disco: Kimberly DavisHanging out with the chicest doll in disco: Kimberly DavisHanging out with the chicest doll in disco: Kimberly DavisHanging out with the chicest doll in disco: Kimberly DavisHanging out with the chicest doll in disco: Kimberly DavisHanging out with the chicest doll in disco: Kimberly DavisHanging out with the chicest doll in disco: Kimberly DavisHanging out with the chicest doll in disco: Kimberly DavisHanging out with the chicest doll in disco: Kimberly DavisHanging out with the chicest doll in disco: Kimberly DavisHanging out with the chicest doll in disco: Kimberly DavisHanging out with the chicest doll in disco: Kimberly DavisHanging out with the chicest doll in disco: Kimberly Davis

VIDEO BY ELSPETH MARY MOORE…