May 3, 2009

 

Gone are the days of musing whether “He loves me, he loves me not.” This time, Daisy De La Hoya’s doing the plucking.

“I just wanna curl up into a ball and eat a lot of ice cream.” So said the wilted Daisy De La Hoya last spring—minutes after being dumped on national television.

 

But just like those playful, petaled, white flowers with soft yellow centers that mark the season of spring, this Daisy is in bloom again. Musically and romantically. She’s returned to the spotlight with a new gents on her new rock-Bachelorette-style show Daisy of Love, which debuted April 26 on VH1. She’s fired up with a new sexpot-burlesque look and sound, a prelude to her forthcoming album and tour (in the works for late summer or fall).

 

Daisy blossoms when you ask her about the musical part.“I’m doing more, like, pop-rock,” she says in her signature California Valley Girl voice, probably gesturing her hands on the other end of the telephone as she further explains what she means. “You know. Like Lita Ford. Newer of course. Motley Crue’s a huge influence to me, as is Poison and Guns ‘N’ Roses and stuff. And I totally love Madonna.” 

 

Yes, gone are the days of Daisy Graves, the goth-industrial band where she got her start as a backup dancer, then bassist and co-vocalist. Yet her path to music—and Rock of Love—turned out to be more like navigating a valley of thorned roses than frolicking through a field of flowers.

 

Little Daisy, now 26-ish, started off the usual way, by making tapes of herself singing. As a kid in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s, she would get metal magazines and plaster pictures of rock stars—like Ozzy Osborne and Bret Michaels—on her wall. “I was literally like 8 years old,” Daisy recalls. “I didn’t think of it as sexual thing. I just thought of it as a rock star.”

 

But when Daisy would sing, mom would only discourage her, Daisy recalls, by telling her she had a crappy voice.And though she received first guitar at age 10, it wasn’t the hot electric monster she wanted. “My uncle got it for me for christmas, and I was disappointed at first. As a child, I was like, ‘this is stupid, I don’t like country.’”

 

And so ventured in to dancing and art instead.

 

Things started shifting back to music at 18, when Daisy met her infamous ex-boyfriend Charles (that kinda burly dude who briefly appeared on the Rock of Love 2 episode that featured the finalists’ former flames). When they met, he already played guitar in an established goth-industrial band.

 

“So I started out as a stage performer, a dancer in his band,” Daisy recalls. “Then I don’t know how it happened, but I was like ‘I should play bass for his band.’”

At first, “I totally bluffed it. But he let me try it. I played a song a day.”

 

A few months later, as the band toured more, she started contributing vocal help. Being in the band taught her a lot about the music industry, about touring, and about what it’s like to be a musician.

 

We all know what happened next. In 2007, the 20-something blonde bombshell’s tattooed-Barbie Doll looks and charming ways won her a coveted slot on Rock of Love 2, which aired in 2008. She won Bret’s heart and made it all the way to the end, losing to career-bound and non-stripper rival Ambre in the final round. Bret’s rejection ended up being a big blessing (keep this in mind, ladies, next time you get dumped by a rocker man). Daisy stops short of admitting Rock of Love 2 gave her the career break she needed—but who would deny that the show gave her the fans that helps one get shows and sell records? That said, it’s Daisy’s charming and adorable demeanor that keeps fans interested long after the show aired.“I feel really lucky and blessed to be part of an amazing show,” she says. “I was surprised what an amazing fan base I had. I LOVE my fans. They are so awesome. Some of them say the most amazing things like ‘you’re my idol, you’re my hero.’ My goal is as an artist to help change peoples’ lives, to inspire them the way they’ve inspired me.”

 

For the next few months, Daisy’s the rockstar calling the shots, doing all the plucking. And she definitely has a better sense of what she wants out of a man post-Bret.

 

“The main thing that I was looking for was someone that has their life together in some sort of way, because I have my life together in some sort of weird insane way,” she says. “And I really like someone who thinks outside the box. Someone who’s crazy, fun, and charming. And I think those are things that attract me after I see them.”

 

Though she started off scared (“I have to be in control of 20 dudes!”), doing Daisy of Love went above and beyond her expectations. “It was amazing,” Daisy says. “And I learned something along the way. About myself. It was a new experience for me because I’ve never really dated. I’ve had just long-term relationships. There were some really good guys out there.”

 

Now that the show’s airing, Daisy can once again turn her attention back to her music and publicity as she sits back and relives the experience. With a new single out now already, Daisy working hard on the rest of her album with a team of amazing songwriters.

 

Daisy’s easy to love, on and off the air. But any gal musician’s gotta wonder: How much does being a hot woman in her 20s influence success? Were Daisy a 40-year-old rocker chick with a smaller bust, would she still have a chance in to make it as a musician?

 

“Definitely in the industry, age is a factor,” she admits. “But look at Joan Jett, Pat Benetar and Lita Ford. They’re older and they’re sexy as hell.”

In Daisy’s book, being sexy is just a state of mind. And it’s just one part of a bigger package.

 

“Always always always no matter what, believe in yourself first,” Daisy says when asked to give her best advice to aspiring rockers. “That’s all that really matters. And also, enjoy the ride always. Because you never know what’s gonna happen in your life. If you believe in something, get up and shout and say it. Don’t just follow.”

 

 

 

 

From NY Daily News Online, Daisy dishes with Vh1 about her time on ROL2 clears up some things (and for the record, my connection can't access VH1, so yeah, this is second hand): 

 

April 14, 2008

 

In a new interview, Daisy clears up a few things about her appearance on "Rock of Love 2," namely that she didn't even sleep with Bret until their last night in Cancun.

 

"But before that, we had intimate…moments at times."

 

Ha! OK, OK, I'll bite. Let's read the whole interview Daisy did with VH1's Celebreality blog together:

 

VH1: At this point, about five months after filming, are you over Bret?

 

Daisy: After I came off the show, it was really hard. It took me a good two months to recover from everything. Not just Bret, but everything that happened. I kept replaying it in my head, wondering what I did wrong and thinking why. I felt like if he didn’t like me, if he wasn’t making the connection with me, I almost wish he would have eliminated me a long time ago. Am I over him? Yeah. Every time I see him, it brings back those really emotional feelings. But I don’t think that Bret understood that there’s not going to be any type of physical

relationship with him unless we’re in a relationship. That’s just how I work. He’s a rock star and used to having free relationships and sexual contact with girls, but I am not that girl.

 

VH1: At the same time, it was pretty open that you did have sex with him on the show.

 

Daisy: That’s the thing, though. I fully thought that I was working toward us having a relationship. If I didn’t think that there was a strong possibility that I would walk away having a relationship with this person, then absolutely not. I would never, ever, ever have done that. Sex to me is a very emotional thing. I connect with someone like that. Whenever that happens, I become attached to them. I’m emotional, and I can’t just not have feelings for them after that.

 

VH1: How did sex in the house work logistically?

 

Daisy: We weren’t being filmed. We actually didn’t officially have sex until the very last night, and that’s what hurts my feelings. Of course, Heather just wants to make me look bad and make up s*** or whatever the f*** herproblem is. But the fact of the matter is that we did not have sex until the end. During the last elimination, he knew that I was very emotionally attached to him because we’d been physical, and I just thought it was really uncool. It was very selfish almost in a way. But before that, we had intimate…moments at times. And the cameras just went away.

 

VH1: I didn’t know if you had to shove yourselves into a closet because of the cameras or whatever.

 

Daisy: Well, yeah. Pretty much.

 

VH1: In an online extra posted with you, Stephanie and Bret…

 

Daisy: …Yeah, when he says we had sex in Vegas. We did not have sex. That pissed me off. I was going to make that comment to Stephanie about not being a promiscuous person, because I’m not. I come across like I’m wild, and I am, but there’s also a huge part of me that’s super f***ing prude and conservative. I don’t throw my heart around like that. I don’t give out my emotions like that because I don’t want to be hurt. Nothing hurts more to me than a broken heart. That’s the worst thing to me. I’d rather have a broken arm than a broken heart. So it upset me when he said that. We had sexual contact, yes. But intercourse? No. I feel like I’m the president right now. “I did not have intercourse!” (Laughs.) I don’t know why I didn’t say anything then. I guess I just wasn’t paying attention.

 

VH1: Is that why you took it so hard when Ambre and Bret were talking about you leading with your sexuality?

 

Daisy: If that’s what I do, that’s what I do. But I don’t do that intentionally. You’re either sexy or not, and that’s the bottom line. Apparently, much to my surprise, that’s what I am. And I’m comfortable with my sexuality, and I’m comfortable with my body, but that doesn’t mean I use that in any way. And if I do, it’s not consciously. I’m not that person. In fact, I’m a really shy individual that has a really hard time communicating and being in crowds and going up to people and talking to them. It’s just not me. If people don’t believe it, I don’t really care. I

don’t have anything to prove to anyone. I know who I am and I know who I’m not.

 

VH1: You got into it really deep with Ambre in Cancun. What are your thoughts on her at this point?

 

Daisy: Watching the show and seeing how she behaved during moments when I wasn’t around sort of surprised me. She went from the girl who was going to go home on the first day to being the back-stabbing, I’m-gonna-throw-you-under-the-bus-and-do-whatever-I-have-to-do-to-win girl. I’m not that person. I had one issue with one person. That was Kristy Joe, because she was married. The only time I had issues with anyone or threw anyone under the bus or did anything mean was after everyone attacked me. I felt like I had the right to then not be their friend. Ambre was upset about this: “Well, I don’t understand you’re being different now.” Dude! You attacked me in Vegas. You’ve called me a stripper. You’re just being a f***ing bitch. I don’t have to be your friend. We don’t have to get along. Ambre was the girl who’d yell at everyone, but then five minutes later, she’d feel bad about that. I thought that was really lame. It’s like, if you feel a certain way, stand by it. The whole thing where she lied about her age and then posted a thing saying that she didn’t lie about it, that her voice was dubbed, it’s like man, come on. Own up to it. If you lied about your age, you lied about your age. I think that’s

really lame. At times, she was a nice person, but I think she was just in it to win it and not because she wanted to be with Bret. I watched her audition tape and she said that she hoped the rock star was Tommy Lee because

she wanted to see if his penis was really as big as it was. I had already fallen in love with Bret’s character from the first season. You can’t just come on this show, like, “I’m gonna fall in love with Bret!” That’s so unrealistic.

 

VH1: You also got into it with Destiney. Where are you with her?

 

Daisy: Me and Destiney clicked immediately because we’re alike. We’re rocker chicks, we know the dudes in the band and whatever. We’re wild and everything. It was really lame that she did that in Vegas and it really hurt my feelings. I knew things about Destiney that I didn’t reveal because I didn’t think it was any of my business. I didn’t think I needed to expose things and tear her down. I thought it was really lame that she attacked me and was ultimately weak because of Heather. In my opinion, she wanted to be Heather or something. We sort of

made amends at the reunion show [which taped two weeks ago], and then the next night we went out and partied all night long. Who knows if it’s all good? But I tried, and I wrote her recently to say that I hoped that we could be friends.

 

VH1: Why did you get mad at Ambre for calling you a stripper? Are you a stripper or not?

 

Daisy: I am a dancer. I think that it was a cheap shot. I’m not going to apologize for who I am. I’m a dancer, I’m an entertainer, I’m a musician. I’m many things that have to do with entertainment. When she said in Vegas, “Are you looking for a way out?” it was like absolutely f***ing not. I have a kick-ass life. A way out of what? I’m really happy with my life. It’s exactly on track to the things and the goals that I want. She’s the TV host that has to lie about her age with a resume as long as god and no one knows who she is. She made this comment to me: “Well, I live paycheck to paycheck.” Well, Ambre, if you live paycheck to paycheck, are you the one that’s looking for a way out? I don’t live paycheck to paycheck, dude. I go to work once a week and make loads of money. The rest

of the time, I’m focused on doing what I want to do with my life. So I think she should have been the one questioned about all that stuff.

 

VH1: How is it dancing now that you’ve been on the show?

 

Daisy: I have been trying to not dance at all. And it’s not because I don’t like it. I do. And the places that I dance are like my family. Those people have supported me more than anyone ever. They are so proud of me that I’m on the show. I do have social anxiety, so when I do go there, it’s awkward. I’m an entertainer and I’m damn f***ing good at it. But it is awkward when people come in. I’m in a different state of mind at work. I’m there to make money and I’m there to play the game or whatever, of that business. When people recognize me, I think it’s

awesome. I love it. But at the same time, it’s weird. I don’t want people to look at me, like, “Oh she’s just a stripper.” Because I’m not. I’m a dancer and there’s a lot more to me than that.

 

VH1: Where are you with Charles?

 

Daisy: We do not live together. We were in the process of moving out and figuring out what was going to happen during the time of the show. But I put my life on hold to be on this show and meet Bret and start some sort of connection with him. I thought it was unfair of Bret. There’s more to my life and there’s more to Charles’ life than just sex. I thought it was so lame that everybody was so upset that, basically, I have a roommate who’s a male. We were in an awkward situation because we both travel a lot and we were both really busy. I’m not a

millionaire. Moving takes a lot of time and energy and money. At that moment, everything was coming to this big change in my life that equaled up to this show. The bottom line is that when Charles walked into the house, I could have said, “We don’t live together.” And Charles would have backed me up. But I didn’t. I chose to open up to Bret. I’m a really honest and open person and it’s a good thing, but at the same time, it’s a bad thing.

 

VH1: How open are you about plastic surgery?

 

Daisy: Obviously, I’ve had my boobs done. I’m 5’3”, 100 lbs. I had big boobs to begin with, but I got those boobs because I wanted them. If anyone has a problem with it, f*** off. Apparently, not everyone in this country has a problem with it because it’s one of the No. 1 surgeries in America and over 300,000 people get plastic surgery a year. Yes, I’ve had some work done on my nose. And as far as my lips go, I just want to clarify that they are 100 percent real. I’m Spanish and German. I have big features. I have pictures from long, long ago that will show

everyone that I have naturally big lips and if you don’t like it, f*** off. I don’t care. Don’t look at me then, you know?

 

VH1: What’s coming up for you career-wise?

 

Daisy: I’m in the process in setting up a store for my site, which isn’t officially up yet. You’ll be able to purchase my EP and get pictures or whatever. I’m in talks with someone in the music industry, and I don’t want to say his name because I’m not sure if I should. But we’re going to collaborate and I’m really excited about that. We’ll see where that goes. I’m just going to keep writing. “Save Me” and “Pretty Messed Up” are my feelings about what had happened on Rock of Love. I felt really inspired after my time on the show. That’s pretty much my focus now, writing music. I also want to write a tell-all about my time on Rock of Love. That’s my goal. There’s so much s***. And not anything about 51 Minds or VH1, but just the show and my experience and funny stuff and bad stuff and just the whole 9. I’m working on a clothing line, too. I do have another project that involves TV, but I don’t know if I can talk about that.

 

VH1: What did you think of your portrayal on the show?

 

Daisy: A lot of what was on was edited to make me look a certain way, and that’s fine. It is what it is. But there’s so much more to me than a lot of people will ever know, or whatever people will want to know. People want to see me as sort of this dumb, ditzy, plastic surgery blonde. And that’s fine, but at the end of the day, I’m a human being, I do have intelligence and I am doing s***. Sorry if you confuse funny with being stupid. That’s just whatever, you know? I’m fun and I’m having fun and I don’t take everything too seriously.

 

VH1: Ambre and Bret: will they last?

 

Daisy: Man. In my opinion, I don’t think so. I don’t think Ambre is aware of who Bret truly is. He is a rock star. He’s been a rock star for 20-plus years. He’s never going to change his ways. He’s never been married for a reason. He is a fun, awesome, great guy. He’s so amazing. He’s really kind-hearted. He’s been in this industry for a long time and he’s used to having whatever he wants, whenever he wants, however he wants it. I could be wrong. Maybe he’s at a point in his life where he wants something serious. I hope it does work out, but in my opinion, Ambre’s not ready to handle that sort of thing.