Brooke Knows Best
Brooke Hogan, daughter of legendary wrestler Hulk Hogan and co-star of reality MTV show, "Hogan Knows Best", just released her debut album, Undiscovered. The 18-year-old statuesque blonde's aspirations of pop stardom come in the form of a contemporary mix of pop, R&B and dance songs. Zeeks finds out what it's like to be daddy's not-so-little girl.
Zeeks: You've been playing the piano since age five, why didn't you consider making a singer-songwriter album?
Brooke: I could have definitely done that kind of Joss Stone or Alicia Keys thing, but one thing I couldn't give up was my dancing. Everybody said you will be taken legitimately right from the start if you can just sing and play piano, but I just have so much more to prove."
Zeeks: Is it advantageous to be Hulk's daughter, or are people quick to dismiss you?
Brooke: I've found it's a double-edged sword. My dad can open up a lot of wonderful doors for me, but at the same time with those doors comes people criticizing and trying to see if you're the real deal. People say, 'Can you sing? Prove it to us.'"
Zeeks: You sang the National Anthem at the Stanley Cup in 2004. Do you think you'll do other things like that to prove you can sing?
Brooke: There's been a lot of different times, where in the studio, people wanted to slap on auto-tune on my voice. I would rather sit here for another eight hours and rerecord it than auto-tune it because once it's on there, you've taken the easy road. I'm a hardheaded person. I'm not satisfied until I actually do it myself and prove to people I can do it. And I don't like going out and not singing live because if there is that one slip-up, you're screwed. So why not just do it?
Zeeks: Growing up and seeing the absurdities that went along with your dad's fame, what did you think?
Brooke: It was a lot to take in as a kid because I couldn't understand why all my friend's dads didn't have people running up to them and wanting them to sign a paper. A lot of my friend's dads didn't look like my dad or didn't have the same kind of job. But when I got old enough, my mom explained it to me and it got easier. He is a really cool dad. He stayed home and made breakfast and took us to school."
Zeeks: Do you enjoy and welcome fame?
Brooke: Yeah, I definitely love the love from the fans.
Zeeks: Have your fans been significantly impacted by you?
Brooke: A little girl actually ran up to me and started crying when she saw me. I almost started crying because I was that little girl who ran up to *NSYNC, Backstreet Boys and the Spice Girls and was like, 'Oh my gosh,' freaking out. And she came up to me and said, 'Brooke, you're such a role model and I love you so much, and I even had my dad find the exact same purse for me that you had on your show.' I was like, 'Oh my gosh, they look up to me about fashion and morals and everything.' It's amazing that you can have that impact on somebody so young and change their life for the better."
Zeeks: You turn 19 in May, but a lot of underage musicians and actors in the public eye in Hollywood are allowed to drink in clubs. When you hear from kids that you're a role model or based on your upbringing, how do you feel about that?
Brooke: I've never done drugs and I've never smoked or anything, but I'm not going to lie, I think every kid has had a sip of their mom's wine or something like that. I don't even like the taste of alcohol. With drugs, I'm too much of a scaredy-cat to even try anything. I would much rather sit home and eat some chocolate cereal and watch the television than go out."
Zeeks: You look like you're in great shape from the photos I've seen. Are you influenced by you dad in that regard?
Brooke: Yeah, our whole family is very athletic and eats well. We take care of our bodies. The one thing I have to watch out for is my dad eats Hulk-sized portions and I'm not Hulk (laughs) so it's kinda hard to watch everyone in my family eating like horses, especially my brother and my dad and then I have to remember, 'Oh, yeah, I'm a woman and I don't need that much food (laughs).'"
Zeeks: You're dad is over-protective and strict on the TV show, but the photos of you on your album are very revealing. How does he let you do that?
Brooke: He's definitely right there. In his business, it's an art to have a beautiful body and tan it and bronze it and show it off and pose with it. But I think there's a difference between sensuality and sexuality. I'm not on a bed, trying to provoke people. I'm not trying to be trashy. I'm not on a bed posing in lingerie or…or anything. I'm standing there in a bathing suit with beautiful hair and make-up done, and that's what it was for me. I've seen Vogue magazine do bathing suit shots like that."
Zeeks: On another note entirely, what are your plans for the new year?
Brooke: I'm definitely going to tour and promote this album, and put out a new music video. (I'll) probably release one more single, and then probably start working on the second album. I already recorded a couple of songs for it. I want to get a head-start on it and really put it together and make it complete. This one was kind of rushed, so I didn't really get a chance to put final touches on it, but the second one I want to.