Article: Time Out – London

Leisha Hailey, the pin-up star of ‘The L Word’ talks to Time Out about her band Uh Huh Her – which is in danger of eclipsing her acting career
The L Word’s Leisha Hailey: interview

It’s the thing every band dreams of: more fans than a multi-limbed geisha in a heatwave. I caught up with indie electro-pop hybrid Uh Huh Her, comprised of Leisha Hailey from glossy LA lesbian drama ‘The L Word’ and multi-instrumentalist Camila Grey, to find out if there was a specific moment they knew their project had such serious legs.

‘We’re flabbergasted that we’re selling out these venues,’ says Leisha, sounding more girl-next-door than AfterEllen.com’s hottest lesbian pin-up. ‘It is really exciting, but scary on the other hand, because usually when you’re a baby band you have at least six months to play out before people start showing up, y’know? We can’t believe it; we’re just thankful that anyone’s coming to see us at all.’

Neither girl is a stranger to the musical limelight. Hailey was a member of cult alt-pop band The Murmurs prior to her ‘L Word’ fame, and Grey has played bass, synth and performed backing vocals for the hip hop glitterati: Dr Dre, Busta Rhymes, and, er, Kelly Osborne. But, as this is her first foray into life as a frontwoman, does she have a way of overcoming the pre-show jitters? ‘I do this little, weird dance and I start running round like a crazy person, because I get really anxious… like a little jog so that I get pumped up.’ Like a war dance? ‘Exactly.’

She may fret, but there’s really no need. To date, Uh Huh Her’s handful of gigs have all received rave reviews and their single, ‘Say So’, landed them a Top 30 hit on the iTunes pop chart. As such, the future is looking blindingly bright for the duo and, with plans to recruit more band members soon, who would be their fantasy dream team? Leisha, who refers to early influences Sinead O’Connor, 10,000 Maniacs and Björk as being ‘kind of like [her] girls’, is seemingly more in touch with her inner rocker when it comes to choosing a new bandmate, calling on Axl Rose. Much on the same wavelength, Cam pulls in Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham from beyond the grave, although her first preference is actually Jonny Greenwood of Radiohead. ‘He’s a multi-talented guy,’ she says, demonstrating her musical pedigree. That said, we won’t hold the guilty pleasures of her youth against her: Kris Kross and New Kids On The Block.

Future plans aside, it’s just Uh and Huh on the road for the foreseeable, so what do they enjoy doing when they’re in London? ‘I went to this bar,’ Camila says, recalling a previous trip where she erred on the typically British. ‘It was really cool, like a hole in the wall… and we had a pint and watched a really good football game.’

On the subject of the beautiful game, I can’t help asking Leisha about being a Man United fan. ‘Yeah, I don’t know where that rumour started. I was a soccer star… I was a goalscorer, but then I busted my knee out and my whole career ended.’ So, in a parallel universe, we could’ve been cheering her on in an LA Galaxy shirt alongside David Beckham? ‘Exactly,’ she says, laughing. The girls are playing Blackpool after the ‘L Word’ convention and Leisha says they’re in need of some post-gig inspiration. I feel duty-bound to suggest something for them to do among the Kiss-Me-Quick hats and old-man pubs and propose a round of ‘shag, marry or push-off-a-cliff’.

‘We totally have a game like that,’ Leisha says, when I start by nominating Victoria Beckham, Tyra Banks and Miss Piggy. Of course, I nearly fall off my chair when she says she’d shag Posh, but it’s only when I explain Victoria’s status as chief WAG that she gets it. ‘Ah, that’s so funny,’ she says. ‘She’s like super-hip over here.’ Camila rather more wisely decides to send her off to meet her maker. At least they’re united in their love of Miss Piggy. ‘Oh, I’d marry her,’ says Leisha. ‘ I love her’. So, if you find yourself in Islington this weekend and you happen to come across a drove of karate-chopping pigs in long blonde wigs, you’ll know why. Now where did I put my snout?

(@Time Out London)