George Lamond to Headline Queens Pride

You grew up in the Bronx and Puerto Rico, but the borough of Queens (where you will be headlining Pride this year) shows you mad love. What are some of your
favorite places to visit in Queens?
I’m a straight up Mets fan. I love to visit Citi Field, which will always be Shea Stadium to me. I love to cook. That is my second passion. I used to go to culinary school. I enjoy going to Amore in Whitestone. They have the best thincrust pizza. I love Flushing Meadow Park. They have great concerts there. I take my kids. I also
love to rollerblade there as well.

Your rendition of “Don’t Stop Believing” blazed the airwaves a few summers ago. How did the idea of recording it come about? What made you choose that particular rock song to turn into an awesome dance anthem?
I was in the studio recording with Lucas Prata, and while I was there, the producers played a dance version of “Don’t Stop Believing.” They weren’t satisfied with the person’s vocals on it. I am a Journey fan, and so I already knew the
song and lyrics. They recorded the track again using my vocals within two hours. We got it signed to Robbins Entertainment. I performed at the DJ Times Convention a while after, and KTU picked up the track right away, and then Z-100 as well.

You have successfully transitioned into various genres of music, from freestyle to pop to salsa. What music direction will your next upcoming project be?
I will always record freestyle. That’s what made me who I am. I enjoy pop and house as well. As far as a new direction, I am going to keep it a secret, but it is based on a dance craze in Europe. I want to keep it a surprise. To be continued!

You’ve collaborated with several artists throughout your career, including Brenda K. Starr and Lucas Prata. Who would you like to collaborate with in the future?
I would love to collaborate with Anastacia, Cynthia, Tito Nieves – I’d love to do a salsa record with him. We are both Nuyorican New Yorkers, and I think the combination would be great.

As a former freestyle artist, I have mentioned you as one of my influences in interviews. Who are some of your music influences past and present?
Thank you for mentioning me as an influence. As for me, I have a lot of influences. It is intricate and difficult to just name a few. Growing up, it was Michael Jackson, Peabo Bryson, Luther Vandross, The Gap Band, The Commodores, Hector Lavoe, Menudo. One of the present artists who I like is Eric Benet. He has a lot of soul.

As the headliner of Queens Pride this year, tell me about your experiences with fans in the gay community.
Being from Flushing, I have done a lot of concerts with the gay community in the past.
The gay community is very expressive, eccentric, open with their style and their music, free, loyal and outspoken. It means a lot to me. A few of my friends in the industry have headlined Queens Pride in the past, and they all have had a lot of fun.

You’ve had a lot of great singles (“Bad of the Heart,” “Without You,” “No Matter What,” “Where Does That Leave Love?,” “Don’t Stop Believin’”). Is there one album track that you wished would’ve been released as a single?
“Someone Like You” (can be heard on my SoundCloud), which is a take off of “Look Into My Eyes” and “Where Does That Leave Love.” It is also on my hits album. Who knows? Maybe I will re-release it as a single in the future!

You have toured throughout the world. What are some of the favorite places you have been to?
Mexico, Costa Rica and Hawaii are my favorites. I lose myself in them, and I can see myself making a life there and wanting to learn more about the people and their culture. Of course, my hometown, New York. If you can make it
here, you can make it anywhere.