W.I.T.; Yellow Ties: Gone. Reagan: Out. The '80s sound? Coming back big-time

Interview, March, 2002 by Jonathan Moskowitz

"We're not going to let integrity get in the way of our careers,' says Melissa Burns, front woman of electro girl group W.I.T. (Whatever It Takes), and it's easy to imagine her flipping her feathered blond hair to add emphasis. A pop art project built out of hairspray lipgloss and chutzpah, W.I.T. add a dose of candy-coated sexiness to New York's electroclash scene. W.I.T. is Burns (a model who's appeared in over 30 music videos, including clips for Elton John, Whitney Houston and Bryan Adams), Jessica Lawson (a cheerleading champion and choreographer) and Christine Doza (a former prom queen from Nashville). Their cover of The Cars' "Just What I Needed" (Mogul Electro), the first single from their as-yet-untitled debut album, is all cheesy drum beats, '80s synthesizer blips and naughty schoolgirl vocals. The result is affably unprofessional. "I was really into hardcore during my wasted teenage years, as were the other ladies," says Burns. "We don't sound like punk, but we have that DIY attitude. We're not mus icians per se. We're three cute girls and we want to have fun onstage."

Jonathan Moskowitz is a frequent Interview contributor.