Today we are happy to bring you an interview I did with Lori Martini who wrote the lyrics and music for the song “Believe” and Nick Javas who is featured in the song.
It’s their rallying song dedicated to the New York Mets which you can listen to here.
Lori, a die-hard Mets fan, will be at Citi Field on May 27th vs. Phillies. She’ll be on the field, with Kassy K and Nick Javas who will be performing the song.
To begin, tell us a little bit about yourself and how you came to be a Mets fan?
Lori: I was born and raised in Brooklyn, NY. I’m the oldest child and only daughter and my dad is a rabid sports fan, so he taught me how to play ball etc. Ironically he’s a Yankee fan, but he’d switch back and forth through all the games. I can’t fault him, he arrived in 1958 from Italy and the Yanks were the only team in town at the time. I found it more exciting to watch the Mets. The Yankees announcers always seemed dull to me. I didn’t attend my first game until 1981 during a class trip. I was actually hand-selected by Sister Lawrence to go to the game. She was a Die-Hard Mets fan until she passed away in 2007. From going to class trips annual since 1981 and growing up around the 1985-88 Mets team, that pretty much solidified it. I swear you barely saw a Yankee fan show their face or act all proud. It was a Mets town. I have been a season ticket holder since 1999. A full plan since 2000, but alas I had to give them up because I simply couldn’t afford it. I do coordinate group outings and such. I go to about 40 games a season. In fact I’ve been to every MLB stadium. It started out following the Mets on the road in 2000 and then I just decided I wanted to visit all of them. Next year I plan on seeing the Mets vs. Marlins in FL.
Nick: I’m actually a Yankee fan first, but I always support the home team…unless of course they’re playing the other home team.
When did music start to become important in your life?
Lori: The earliest I can remember is loving “That’s The Way Uh Huh, Uh Huh I Like It” by KC and The Sunshine Band (so about 5 years old) and I loved Elvis. I also loved all the 80s music. Madonna, Prince, Duran Duran, George Michael/WHAM! etc. In fact, George Michael was my biggest influence in songwriting. He just has this way of touching on emotion lyrically and vocally. It has depth. I started writing poetry when I was 12. I took drums lessons from Ron Negro (now an understudy in Rock of Ages) when I was 19. I didn’t connect with my producer, Anthony Mazza until 2005. I met him through the drummer for The Nelsons (Matthew and Gunnar Nelson, sons of Rick Nelson). Anthony is amazing and has had cuts on albums such as Orianthi etc. and I’ve had pending deals that just fell through. The business is extremely fickle. So once you finally break through, you have to run with it.
Nick: Music was important in my life as far back as I can remember. As a little kid, we would drive down to the Jersey shore and listen to my dad’s Doo-Wop tapes along the ride. I probably know the words to every Oldies song ever made.
What compelled you to produce a song dedicated to the Mets and give us some of the back story?
Lori: I’m a huge Mets fan and every time I’d turn on the radio, all I would hear is all these people writing music about the Yankees. The Mets are always undermined, even when they were a winning team. The few songs that did come out always referenced a specific team/players and as you know that can easily get outdated. I pitched the idea to Anthony and he was all for it because he’s a big baseball fan as well (albeit a White Sox and Angels fan) and told him what I wanted as far as sound and then I had written the lyrics and melody to it. I had a demo vocalist cut the track, as I want it to sound as professional as possible. I felt it needed a rap, and that’s where Nick came into play. I know his friend, Dave Catalano who was producing Nick’s NFL Rhyme Reel that got picked up by the NFL and Pepsi Max. Nick is SO pro and he knows his sports, so I didn’t think there’d be anyone better suited for it. I approached him about it and he knocked it out of the park.
Nick: Our mutual friend Dave Catalano was promoting my NFL Rhyme Reel and Lori enjoyed what I was doing because of my ability to translate sports knowledge into rap lyrics. Lori approached me about writing and recording a verse on “Believe” and so it began.
How have your songs been received and have they generated any excitement with your fans and Mets fans in general?
Lori: It has generated a very positive response not only through Mets fans, but across the board. I’ve been diligently promoting the song to anyone who’d listen and I’ve been getting amazin’ feedback. In fact, Mike Rooney, who’s family owns the Pittsburgh Steelers heard it and loved it so much that he bought it off iTunes. Evan Roberts emailed me and said it’s pretty darn good. Jay Horowitz, VP of Mets Media Relations really liked the song and hopefully he will make it the 8th inning song. Darryl Strawberry’s Restaurant loves it and wants us to come do a live performance there as well. I’m so excited about the upcoming Citi Field performance. The Mets have worked with me to make this happen. A dream come true. They’re always helpful and very fan friendly including the Brooklyn Cyclones who just gave us the OK to perform there on June 20th. Might I add that they have the best promotions as well!
Nick: Apparently it’s been causing quite a stir on the internet. We’ve been getting not only a positive response from Mets fans, but sports fans across the board. People who don’t even like pop or hip hop were sending tweets, emails, and facebook messages expressing how much they love the song.
If you can pick any former or current Mets player to be in a music video with you, who would you pick and why?
Lori: Yikes. How many am I allowed? I have a lot of favorites. The entire ’86 team; Mike Piazza; Jose Reyes; David Wright; Johan Santana; Dan Murphy; Cliff Floyd; Jay Payton (he’s such a cool dude); Art Shamsky (I met him years ago and he made me laugh); Tom Seaver; Nolan Ryan; Ron Swoboda and heck, throw in Ralph Kiner. I used to always watch Kiner’s Korner after the game. Oh and I know Tug McGraw’s son, Mark, though he seems to be more of a Phillies fan these days. He’s also busy doing commentary with CMT. We actually plan on shooting a music video after the performance.
Nick: I guess I’d have to say Gooden, Strawberry, Cone and Randolph since they were all members of both the Mets and the Yankees.
How can fans learn more about you and your music and get a hold of your CD or download some of your music?
Lori: My music is available on www.cdbaby.com/cd/lorimartini or just look up Lori Martini on iTunes. I’m also an actress. They can also become fans/mailing list on www.reverbnation.com/lorimartini. My regular acting site, www.lorimartini.com is also accessible. I just need to update it. Nick’s website will be up and running May 27th and his mixtape will be available for sale on that date as well.
Nick: I will be releasing a Summer Mixtape called “DETOUR” on Friday, May 27th. It will be available for download at nickjavas.com, and I will be dropping my debut album entitled “Destination Unknown” this fall under Year Round Records.
Do you have any exciting future plans that you want to share with our readers?
Lori: I am continuing to write, but I’d like to get my music out there and hope things go well with the song so that we can get further bookings and such. I also have a short film that I wrote, produced and acted in called, CAUGHT, which revolves around softball. It’s hitting the film festival circuit and it debuts at the Staten Island Film Festival. CAUGHT is nominated for Best Drama; Best Actress (myself) and Best Director (Elizabeth Page). You can become a fan of it on www.facebook.com/shortfilmcaught I’ve produced a few commercial specs that can be seen on www.youtube.com/007martini.
Nick: I’m excited about performing in New York City throughout the summer since I was overseas for the majority of last summer. My website will be consistently updated with the dates and details of those performances. Then as the summer comes to a close, I’ll be gearing up for another great season of NFL Rhyme Reel!
Thanks guys for sharing some of your time with us, and we look forward to seeing you at Citi Field next weekend against the Phillies!
