I have the advantage of many perspectives as someone who has lived in different kinds of communities: as a woman, as someone who previously identified as a lesbian, as someone who is a person of color. I’ve had a lot of life, so that informs what I do.
Lupe Velez was way before me; Dolores Del Rio was way before me, so I had no one. So the only one I could think of that I identified with was this gorgeous creature named Elizabeth Taylor, so she became my role model.
They sign a bunch of women, and they call it a movement. I don’t like the way women in music have been identified as women first and musicians second.
I think part of my reputation has to do with the difficult roles I’ve played. Actors do tend to get identified with their characters.
At the onset, I decided to name my brand LVL XIII – which means Level 13. The number 13 identified within the name and concept of the brand references throughout history that every creation begins at the level of thought and idea.
