A Capitol Fourth 2024: Darren Criss, Alfonso Ribeiro, Sheila E, Sister Sledge & More!

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In this episode of Pop Culture Weekly, I am live from the West Lawn

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of the United States Capitol in Washington, d C. For A Capitol Fourth,

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twenty twenty four. I talked to
host Alfonso Robero and so many more

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of the performers. Let's go Welcome
to pop Culture Weekly with Kyle McMahon from

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iHeartRadio your pop culture news, views, reviews, and celebrity interviews on Fall,

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the Movies, TV music, and
Pomp Culture U Crab Weekly. Here's

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Kyle McMahon, No, No,
No, Hello, and welcome the Pop

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Culture Weekly with Kyle McMahon. I
am live once again from the West Lawn

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of the United States Capital in Washington, d C. For PBS's A Capital

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Fourth, twenty twenty four. It
is always an amazing show and this year

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is going to be no different.
I'm here at rehearsals. I've been watching

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everybody perform and rehearse for the big
show, and it is just an awesome

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celebration of America and independence and our
freedoms. I speak with Alfonso Roberto,

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who hosts this year once again,
and Sheila E, the iconic Sheila E.

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I talk with Darren Chris Broadway,
Glee, and everything else, Chloe

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Flower, the Wonder Kid pianist,
Fits In a Well from Fits in the

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Tantrums, Sister Sledge featuring Sledgendary,
Lauren Alrid, Shan Johnson East, the

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US Olympian, and more. So
you know it's a great show. Oh.

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Also some other people that are performing
Fantasia Hot off of the Color Purple

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and the Icon Smokey Robinson. So
let's just hop right into our interviews.

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We're going to start off with Lauren
Alrid, who you may know I've talked

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before. She's the voice of never
Enough from the Greatest Showman, one of

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my favorite movies ever. Such a
good movie. Let's talk with Lauren and

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see what she's up to. Hey, I am here once again with the

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amazing Lauren. Already you have done
an amazing rendition of Somewhere Over the Rainbow,

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which is hard to do, I
imagine. But what's that like for

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you to do that song for the
fourth of July at Washington d C.

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Oh my gosh. I mean,
you know, it's a song that I

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grew up loving and everyone knows this
song and I was so lucky to perform

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it on America's Got Talent and just
being able to take it here, you

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know, on the fourth of July
is so special to me because it's a

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song filled with hope and I think, you know, we could use it

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right now. There's a lot going
on, so it's just a privilege to

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be here and perform that song.
And this is not your first time with

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Capitol. You performed was it two
years ago? Yeah? So so now

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you're back. Obviously you had you
enjoyed it the first time and everybody loved

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you. So what's that like?
Oh yeah, when when PBS called me

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to do a Capital fourth the first
time, I was just over the moon

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because I grew up, you know, watching the show every Fourth of July

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and to just be asked a second
time is crazy. I mean, just

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to be in front of the Capitol
and especially perform with this orchestras is so

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special. I'm really excited. And
you have been busy the last two years

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with appearances with David Foster and Bocelli. What is that that's had to be

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in a whirlwind for you? Oh
my gosh. Yeah. As a singer,

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you know, you just think if
if David Foster were to just hear

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me sing, then I will have
made it and it's really true. He

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has just taken me under my wing
and that led to being able to sing

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with Andrea but Shelley, which I
mean when I look over at him,

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I really can't believe it. It's
like I'm in a dream. And you

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know, just coincidentally, I'm walking
off this stage on the fourth of July

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and getting on a plane to London
to sing with him in Hyde Park.

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So it's just back to back,
you know, dreams, dreams are happening.

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Yeah, and then finally, what
can we look forward to next for

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you? What's on your slate for
coming out? Yeah, I have a

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whole project coming out. I just
released a single with Scott Hoying from the

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Pentatonics and there are more duets from
that project coming with some of my favorite

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voices in the industry. And I'm
opening up for Pentatonics this fall on some

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select dates, so you know,
come out, I'll see you there.

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Awesome. When can we expect your
album? Is their release date yet?

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We're shooting for the fall, right, Yeah, we're just wrapping up all

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the mixes, but I'll let you
know a release date soon. But singles

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monthly coming up? Sweet? Thank
you so much. Capital fourth. Lauren

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alright, Lauren Alrid. She's great, and she's from Pittsburgh, so I

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feel like she's a neighbor, even
though she doesn't live there anymore. And

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I don't live in Pittsburgh or Pennsylvania, but I'm right next door to Pennsylvania.

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Anyway, Let's keep it going.
Chloe Flower, she made a huge

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splash playing on the Grammys with Cardi
B playing piano, and she's all over

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every who's who in hip hop and
pop and everything else, and she's a

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fashion icon. So let's talk with
Chloe all right. First of all,

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welcome, This is awesome. I
saw you rehearse, which you were amazing.

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Of course, What is it like
for you to be performing that song

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here at Washington DC for fourth of
July. I mean, it's such a

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complete dream come true. Like I
never thought I'd be playing with the National

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Civity Orchestra, but on fourth of
July Gershwin's hundreds anniversary. I mean,

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it's like, come on, And
I heard that you grew up watching Capital

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for It. I did you know? Actually I wanted my parents to come,

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and they're like, no, we
have to watch it at home the

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way we used to watch it.
When we were little, when I was

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little, So they're not coming,
They're gonna watch it on TV like our

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tradition. I love that. That's
like a cool Like they were like,

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no, we're not gonna come and
do the VIP thing. We're gonna watch

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it the way we always ask exactly
exactly I'm my sister's coming. But yeah,

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my parents want to watch it on
TV. So that's cool. Yeah,

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you blew up, you know.
I mean, obviously you've worked hard

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for your entire life, but you
really blew up with your performance at Cordy

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B just put you to a totally
new level. What has life been like

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for you since then? You know, I think it's been really amazing.

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I think one of the biggest accomplishments
I feel like coming from that performance was

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all the little kids who want to
learn an instrument, who want to learn

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piano. Now, that was so
rewarding for me. I had like hundreds,

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maybe even like thousands of kids and
parents who wrote to me saying that

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their kids want to learn an instrument, even they want to learn an instrument,

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So that was really amazing. And
who for you? Was you for

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them? Who was me for them? Oh? My god? You know,

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actually, I really when I was
younger, I loved Vanessa Ma.

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Vanessa May was a violinist and Asian
violinist from the UK, and she it

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was the first time I had seen
like a violinist or any classical musician kind

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of do crazy things like, you
know, not the traditional typical look.

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So that was that was really inspirational
for me. Cool. And finally you

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have this iconic fashion style which I
mean obviously same same in my Walmart shirt.

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Oh good, looks like praduct the
bargain product. What uh? What

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is inspiration for you fashion wise?
Why do you choose what you do?

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You know? Oh? Wow,
okay, should I keep talking? You

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can hear. Yeah. Liberachi was
like another person I really looked up to

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more as an adult, and he
had this flare that he would wear feathers

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and crystals and kind of defy the
classical look. So I think I love

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fashion. My mom and I we
like. My first book I ever read

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was the magazine though, like but
Harper's Bizarre orv Magazine. Yeah, so

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you know, I've been looking at
fashion and loving fashion since I was a

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baby. And you just wear what
you feel or I think, So I

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think like you know, it depends
on the song. If I'm playing something

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like edgy with like a rapper like
Cardi, sometimes we actually want to wear

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a gown, you know, like
on stage because it's like cool for them.

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But you know, when I'm at
home, I'll wear like leather corset

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and you know, whatever I think
helps them. Because my music doesn't have

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lyrics, so the fashion sometimes helps
express the song and the moo. I

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never thought about that. It's really
good. Yeah, awesome, Thank you

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so much. You rocked it.
I can't wait for everybody to see you.

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Thank you for the yes. Thank
you, same to you. Chloe

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Flower such a great girl. She's
so cool and like just the fashion.

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Yes. So all right. Next
up we have Sean Johnson East, the

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US Olympian who you know. She
was on that show what is it?

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Oh, Dancing with the Stars if
you've never heard of it. She's also

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a huge vlogger, best best selling, yeah, best selling author, and

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all around great persons. Let's talk
with Sean. So, first of all,

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what does it feel like for you
to be you know, here West

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Lawn in the Capitol an Olympics year
for fourth of July. It's a pinstream

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moment. For sure. I still
keep looking at my husband and being like,

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oh my gosh, this is one
of the greatest honors. It feels

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like I'm competing again and wearing the
red, white and blue. It feels

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so patriotic and it's just an honor. And what's cool is you are here

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with a posse I don't know,
like a posse of Olympians for this year.

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What is that Like, That's got
to be a pretty cool moment for

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you. It's so cool. It's
it's this weird full circle. Like I

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remember getting ready to leave for Beijing
for my Olympics and seeing them. I'm

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just in awe of them. I
want to know everything. I want to

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like interview them, be like are
you okay, you're feeling okay? Do

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you need anything? But it's just
exciting. It's the beginning of their dreams

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coming true. And it's it's just
special. It's so special you have you

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have that like big sister vibe with
them. Yes, more like mom,

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I feel like, I mean,
my Olympics is a long time ago,

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so I'm just like, are you
good eating? But I think it's having

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three babies at home to you.
I'm in the motherly world so yeah,

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And what can we expect from you
next? I mean you you were like

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vlogging, You've got all kinds of
stuff going on. What what? What

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can we what's next for you?
We're headed to Paris right after this to

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be big cheerleaders and help kind of
team USA. So yeah, cool,

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Thank you so much. Sean Johnson
E such a delightful bundle of joy.

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She really is just so fun.
All right? Next up Sister Sledge featuring

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Slegendary. They're like the original Jonas
Brothers. It's all family, which is

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ironic or not maybe ironic good fitting
since you know we are family. We

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are family, all right? Anyway, here they are Sister Sledge featuring Legendary.

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All right, First of all,
you guys were incredible in rehearsals.

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Of course. What is it like
for you to be performing some of these

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classic American songs on the West Lawn
of the Capitol for fourth of July?

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It feels great, It feels like
home. Actually, they've heard it since

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they were born, and I've been
doing it for before they were born.

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And how about for you guys?
Honestly, it feels surreal, like it

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didn't really set it until yesterday.
When we rocked up and the orchestra was

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playing, it sound like a movie
soundtrack was going on. I was like,

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oh, this is magical. So
in one word, I would say

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magical absolutely, And for all of
you, you are literally family. Is

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there ever like I feel? I
know with my family, probably probably not

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work out as well as it has
for you? Guys? How do you

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handle family issues when you're also working
together? Everybody gets jokes like you,

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nobody's safe, especially if you get
mad. You're getting clown from the mad

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jokes. Mad jokes. Please get
mad. Yeah, I feel like we

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don't really got any lot of issues. We just laugh a lot. We're

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always together. It's always a good
time with us. So it's just family,

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you know. Yeah, and as
we'll deal with them, normal family

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stuffy. She's very she came very
very quiet at the end. That's kind

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of scary, I said, let
me see how they answer that. From

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wedding. We we were just saying
that you probably love this. Because there's

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so many rehearsals and run throughs.
We don't say the our word around her

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because then we have to rehearse.
If we say rehearsal, we're rehearsing that

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day we're calling a rehearsal right now, and we're all like, you love

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this, don't you. Finally,
what can we expect next from you guys?

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You know where where can we What
can we expect? So we're working

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on music, Yes, we're looking
forward to Uh, we've been on a

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very long tour, so we're working
looking forward to a little bit of time

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off to work on the music.
And we've got some things in the works.

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Yeah, nice boys, Yeah exactly. We got some new merch coming

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out to look out for the Sledge
Boys stuff. Yeah, it's gonna be

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yeah, yeah, yeah. And
what else that with new music CDs,

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DVDs. Yeah, I've heard.
I've heard a little bit of their stuff

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and I'm very very thrilled to see
what they're doing because it's really I'm very

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impressed, awesome. And now are
you're going to be putting that into the

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live show as well? All of
these music? Yeah, yeah, we're

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all going to start putting out.
We all have solo projects, We all

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individually do solo projects, especially this
one. And like I just got through

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uploading some stuff to my BMI today. I'm so excited about my new music

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that's coming out. I'm like Hashtego, I'm just shameless plug in here now.

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I have an album out called street
Lights and Lullabies, and we're releasing

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like a second leg of that album
pretty soon. I don't want to say

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dig can I look? I'm like
I know. And we also released recently

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a recording called free So and that
was reaming everywhere, and now there's some

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remixes being made of it, some
dance remixes. It's really fun. Yeah,

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thank you all so much. It's
a pleasure to watch you perform.

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I can't wait for everybody to see
you live on PBS from a Capitol for

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Thank You, Thank You, Sister
Sledge featuring Sledgendary. I love that they

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are able to tour and work together
and yet they're all family. That seems

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really hard to me, but maybe
that's just me. In any event,

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we're going to take a short break
to pay the bills sixty seconds. When

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we come back, I'm going to
talk with Fitzen Nowell from Fitz and the

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Tantrums, Alfonso Robero, the host, Sheila E and Darren Chris. Be

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back in sixty all right, thank
you for allowing me to pay the bills.

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You hanging in there and supporting our
advertisers supports me and us to do

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this show to bring for you each
and every week. So I appreciate you,

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and I appreciate our advertisers. All
right, Next up, we're going

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to talk with Fits and Noel from
Fits in the Tantrums. They were just

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rehearsing and handclap is now permanently etched
in my head. I mean, I

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love that song anyway, but now
it's just like not getting out of my

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head. So let's talk with them
Fits in Nowell from Fits and the Tantrums.

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All right, First of all,
you guys are amazing. You just

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came off stage. You did a
mashup of Sway and hand Clap. Why

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to I'm curious. I mean,
I love both of them, but I'm

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curious, why how do you even
pick? That's hard? I think you

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know, Sway is such a summer
song and we're kicking off the summer here

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at the Capitol fourth of July.
And Hank clap. You got to give

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the people what they want. They
want to cut their hands, you know,

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and for you, you know,
you guys are here for fourth of

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July at the Capitol, Washington,
d C. What is that like for

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you to perform, you know,
such cool songs in this cool stage setting,

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and it's an honor to be asked, you know. For one,

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it's just and also everybody that's performing. I grew up with all of these

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artists, so it's just an honor
to even share the space with them,

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and to do what we do and
do what we love in the country that

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we love. I'm just blessed to
be here. And i mean, come

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on, look at where we're performing
in front of it. It's not bad.

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It's not too often you get access
to like perform right in front of

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the Capitol, right. We tried
once but we got shut down. Kidding,

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we didn't drive it. And what
can we expect next for you guys?

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From you? We're on the road
all summer. We're actually coming back

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to DC and Merriweather later this summer, but yeah, we're hitting the road

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hard this summer for like seven weeks
straight. Awesome. And where are you

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looking forward to most on your tour? That's hard because being on the road

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and in front of your fans,
it's really hard to choose. You know.

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It's really who screams the loudest gets
the award at the end of the

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tour, and I always say that's
not the big cities, the smaller cities

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always lot. Those are honestly my
favorite. Thank you both so much.

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I really appreciate it. You can't
wait for everybody to see you guys.

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Thank you Fits all from fitsing the
tance frooms. Come make your iron clap.

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That wasn't a handclap, that was
a tongue click. But you know

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semantics, all right. Anyway,
Next up the host of A Capital Fourth

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on PBEs. This is his second
year hosting and he's always enjoyed it.

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Talk to so let's jump in to
it. Alfonso Roberto. All right,

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I am here live at the US
Lawn for the Lawn of Fateful Death.

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Thank you, thank you very much. This is why you're hosting things.

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You need to know where you at. We in DC. You need more

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than that. So this is your
second time host thing. Yeah, my

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second year hosting the show. It's
an incredible show. I mean to be

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able to be here, and you
know, all of our military veterans that

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will be here. We've got great
Olympians that are going to be here,

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that are going over to our Olympics
and in Paris and such incredible acts that

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are going to be here. It
is. It's gonna be a great night.

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00:18:41.799 --> 00:18:45.400
It's gonna be a lot of fun. Yeah. And you I heard

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that you prefer to travel by r
V. Is that right? Well,

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I wouldn't say prefer to travel.
I do travel in my RV with the

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family. Uh. We just like
to do trips around the country and go

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see this beautiful country, right like
you, you don't need to travel else

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where. We've got great mountains and
plains and you know, the canyons and

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and the and the forest. I
mean, you can go to any kind

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of climate you want in America.
And so we love going around and seeing

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this country. But I'm really good
on a plane. You know when I

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gotta when I gotta fly from LA
to to d C. No, that's

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a long trip into r V.
You know, we're not preferring. You

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know, there's no one Reatha Franklin
up in here where I gotta I gotta

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do that. No, no,
no, I will. I will plane

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it up. And what is uh, what is fourth of July mean to

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you? Well, it's a celebration
of our country, right, It's a

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celebration for me. It's all of
our birthday. Right, We all Americans,

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and we all are part of this
country, and so this is our

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birthday, and so it's you know, everybody loves a birthday, right,

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come on. I mean, I'm
waiting for my cake. But but it's

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but honestly, it's really just you
know, it's a time in our country

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right now where there's a lot of
separation, and I feel like this,

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this time, this holiday is about
coming together, being together, setting aside

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our differences and loving one another and
saying happy birthday to all of us.

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I love that. Finally, what
would you be doing if you weren't here

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in d C for Capitol fourth?
Oh? Man, I'd be playing golf.

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That's what I always do. Let's
you know, if I'm not if

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i'm not if i'm not working,
I'm playing golf, baby, So you

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know, I'd probably be at the
home course, getting in the getting into

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eighteen, you know. And and
but no, I'm here much happier being

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here, being able to do this
celebration with all these amazing artists and great

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people. You know that they've been
doing this now for forty four years.

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It's it's just absolutely fantastic, awesome, Thank you, Alfonso you're the man.

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I appreciate it. Alfonso Abero,
he is just a you know,

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he's made for being a host,
unlike me. Who you know, I

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woke up with a burrito in my
pocket, So there you go. I'm

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such a great guy. Anyway,
Next up, we are going to talk

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with the iconic Sheila E. I
saw her, you know, just a

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little bit ago in rehearsals, and
she is just her rehearsal. Watching her

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rehearsal made me tired. She is
just like an energizer bunny. So let's

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talk to the iconic Sila E.
Whoa. I am here at the West

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lawn of the US Capital for PBS
is a capital fourth with the iconic Shila.

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How are you? I'm fantastic.
How are you? I'm doing well?

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00:21:32.279 --> 00:21:36.759
Thank you? You killed it in
rehearsals. I can't wait to see

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everybody with the live show and you're
doing your things for you What is it

300
00:21:45.240 --> 00:21:48.759
like to be here, you know, doing this on the fourth of July

301
00:21:48.880 --> 00:21:51.839
giving a killer set like that.
No, it's amazing. This is such

302
00:21:51.839 --> 00:21:53.720
a blessing to be here, and
this is my first time ever doing it

303
00:21:55.400 --> 00:21:57.559
on this particular day, so it's
very special to be here, and especially

304
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with all the amazing their talent that's
here. They're all my friends, so

305
00:22:00.839 --> 00:22:03.799
where it's like one big party,
one family. That's what it is.

306
00:22:03.880 --> 00:22:10.519
Yeah, as we just heard,
you released a salsa album. I saw

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that you did. I love Gloria
Stefan. I've interviewed her a number of

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times and she's spoken so highly of
you. You did an event with her

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to kick that off. What was
that like for you? It was insane.

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It was my first time ever playing
with the band. Uh. Some

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of the band members I had never
met until two days before that actual show.

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We rehearsed two days barely, and
yeah, it was. It was

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incredible. It was very emotional all
that went into production and putting it together

314
00:22:36.920 --> 00:22:40.759
and getting there and it's it should
be a movie what we went through.

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00:22:40.799 --> 00:22:44.519
But it was well worth it.
And Gloria, as always my sister,

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killed it. Yeah, and what
does salsa mean to you? You know

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00:22:48.039 --> 00:22:52.519
you released an album Centator around it, so also means everything to me.

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00:22:52.559 --> 00:22:55.880
I mean I grew up as a
Latin jazz artist like my dad, and

319
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he used to play all the salsa
music in our home and then when we

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00:22:59.839 --> 00:23:03.440
met a lot of the salsa icons. You know, these musicians and artists

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would come to our home. I
didn't know who they were because I was

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young. I had no idea.
But later on being able to Tito print

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they be, and my godfather and
him taking me in under his wing,

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00:23:12.079 --> 00:23:15.440
and you know, and my dad
and I to his events and letting us

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sit in and play with you know, sell your cruise and Cacao and of

326
00:23:18.759 --> 00:23:23.279
course Tito and Eddie Palmery. It's
just been amazing so too. I wanted

327
00:23:23.319 --> 00:23:27.599
to get homage back to for Sell
your Cruise and Tito. And there's a

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00:23:27.640 --> 00:23:32.799
song I did, Chelle Feliciano that
Reuben Blade saying, and it just killed

329
00:23:32.839 --> 00:23:37.839
it. It's just amazing so and
Salsa's passionate. It's music that has a

330
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lot of passion and soul. And
it's about community, you know, it's

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about people and the culture. I
love that. And finally, what can

332
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we expect next from you? There's
so much going on. It's just got

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00:23:51.839 --> 00:23:55.599
unfold as it unfolds and yeah,
yeah, awesome, Yeah, Chila E

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00:23:55.880 --> 00:23:57.960
the Icon, thank you so much
for speaking with me. I appreciate it.

335
00:23:57.960 --> 00:24:04.480
Thank you. She let love love, love love love her and I

336
00:24:04.519 --> 00:24:11.279
can't wait for you to see her
performance on a Capitol fourth twenty twenty four.

337
00:24:11.720 --> 00:24:15.759
She's just so amazing, and her
band is amazing and she's just awesome.

338
00:24:15.880 --> 00:24:19.240
Love her all right, Last,
but not least, you may know

339
00:24:19.319 --> 00:24:27.119
him from Glee or so many Broadway
shows or American Horror Story or what's the

340
00:24:27.160 --> 00:24:32.799
other show he did with Ryan Murphy. Not Oj Simpson, I forget what

341
00:24:32.839 --> 00:24:34.200
it's called. No, not Oj
Simpson. Oh, who's in Hollywood?

342
00:24:34.200 --> 00:24:41.920
I forgot about that Versace American Crime
Story Versace where he played Andrew Kunanan who

343
00:24:42.599 --> 00:24:45.960
I won't give that away, but
well, I mean it was, I

344
00:24:45.960 --> 00:24:49.400
guess I'm not giving it anything away. It was like forty years ago that

345
00:24:49.440 --> 00:24:55.039
it actually happened. But in any
event, again, this is why Alfonso

346
00:24:55.720 --> 00:25:00.079
is a host, and I'm relegated
to here with my I'm burrito still in

347
00:25:00.160 --> 00:25:03.400
my buck. All right, I
love you all. Anyway, let's speak

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00:25:03.440 --> 00:25:08.799
with the one and only Darren Chris. First of all, thank you so

349
00:25:08.920 --> 00:25:15.079
much for speaking with me. I
really appreciate it. You put on an

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00:25:15.079 --> 00:25:19.240
incredible show. You were here what
two years ago? My memory is flexible.

351
00:25:19.359 --> 00:25:22.519
I think it's about two years ago. Yeah, all right, so

352
00:25:22.559 --> 00:25:23.960
you were here two years ago.
Third though, because I did Yeah,

353
00:25:25.200 --> 00:25:30.240
because we did it in twenty again, flexible memory here, But twenty twelve,

354
00:25:30.240 --> 00:25:32.039
I want to say, or something
like that, that was the first

355
00:25:32.039 --> 00:25:34.039
time. So yeah, they keep
they keep having me back. So I'm

356
00:25:34.119 --> 00:25:38.440
very very pleased to oblige. Well, and what's cool is that, you

357
00:25:38.440 --> 00:25:41.880
know the last time you were here, I mean you were running up and

358
00:25:41.920 --> 00:25:45.599
down the aisles, you were everybody
was going wild, like the crowd.

359
00:25:45.640 --> 00:25:48.720
You just have this you know,
charisma with the crowd. It's a deeply

360
00:25:48.799 --> 00:25:53.680
concerted effort to distract you from the
quality of my voice. You really feel

361
00:25:53.680 --> 00:25:57.680
that way. Uh, it's not
a feeling, it's it's it's a fact.

362
00:26:00.440 --> 00:26:03.839
Yeah, for sure, I mean
you your voice is to me,

363
00:26:03.880 --> 00:26:07.559
it's absolutely incredible. But is that
that's kind of no, tell them that.

364
00:26:07.599 --> 00:26:10.240
Let's add so let's feed let's feed
that, let's feed that flame.

365
00:26:11.359 --> 00:26:15.680
But you know, I'm I think
I'm a showman. First. I don't

366
00:26:15.680 --> 00:26:18.200
think I've ever said that in my
life. So I'm even even saying that

367
00:26:18.440 --> 00:26:22.839
sounds weird and feels strange because I'm
hesitant. But you know, I'm in

368
00:26:22.920 --> 00:26:26.400
the performing arts and always have.
But so I never thought I would ever

369
00:26:26.480 --> 00:26:30.400
be like these in quotations here,
but a singer per se, I'm like,

370
00:26:30.680 --> 00:26:33.960
I'm an actor. I'm a performer
and a storyteller, and so you

371
00:26:34.000 --> 00:26:40.440
know, if the character of the
song is excitement and energy, which is

372
00:26:40.559 --> 00:26:44.359
of course more than appropriate for an
event like this, then then I step

373
00:26:44.359 --> 00:26:45.799
into that character. And not to
say that it's disingenuine or that I don't

374
00:26:45.799 --> 00:26:48.960
have energy. It's it's it's there, But I look at it very much.

375
00:26:49.720 --> 00:26:52.319
I'm trying to serve. I'm in
the service industry, right so I'm

376
00:26:52.359 --> 00:26:57.000
servicing the song with people, and
I'm just there as a as a vessel

377
00:26:57.079 --> 00:27:02.680
to get people excited about something I
love that's bigger than me and bigger than

378
00:27:02.680 --> 00:27:06.640
them. I love that. That's
really fascinating to me. And what what

379
00:27:06.680 --> 00:27:10.079
can we look forward to next?
From Darren Chris? You always have so

380
00:27:10.160 --> 00:27:12.200
many things going on. What's what's
nan? I'm heading back to the old

381
00:27:12.240 --> 00:27:18.119
Broadway, back to the great Way
way of the boards doing a you know,

382
00:27:18.160 --> 00:27:22.279
I've been very blessed with my Broadway
shows for those that are listening that

383
00:27:22.359 --> 00:27:26.720
are Broadway nerds, but if you're
not in layman's terms, I've done a

384
00:27:26.759 --> 00:27:30.319
lot of popular shows that had nothing
to do with me being in them.

385
00:27:30.319 --> 00:27:32.400
They're pop before then, like Wild
have been, whether or not I was

386
00:27:32.559 --> 00:27:33.920
a part of them. When people
ask me about them, I can just

387
00:27:33.960 --> 00:27:36.960
say a show and they go,
oh, yeah, of course. And

388
00:27:37.000 --> 00:27:40.160
this is the first time I'm doing
something that is completely new and original,

389
00:27:40.519 --> 00:27:42.440
and I have to do what ninety
percent of artists have to do, which

390
00:27:42.480 --> 00:27:47.039
is explain what you're talking about.
You know, I've been so spoiled with

391
00:27:47.160 --> 00:27:49.680
not having to do that. But
it's a brand new show called Maybe Happy

392
00:27:49.759 --> 00:27:55.640
Ending, directed by Tony Award winning
pal of mine, Michael Arden. It's

393
00:27:55.640 --> 00:28:00.000
a wild success in Southeast Asia.
It's been running very discuss fully in South

394
00:28:00.079 --> 00:28:04.480
Korea, in parts of Japan and
China, and this is its American Broadway

395
00:28:04.559 --> 00:28:10.400
debut, And so it's It's Me
and Some It's a forehander, a small,

396
00:28:10.480 --> 00:28:14.880
small little show, but a big, big spectacle. It's a very

397
00:28:14.920 --> 00:28:18.279
intimate, epic show. Epic intimacy, I think is the word. But

398
00:28:18.839 --> 00:28:22.880
you know, it's a it's a
sci fi story about robots in the future

399
00:28:22.920 --> 00:28:27.000
trying to discover what it is to
be human, which you might sound like

400
00:28:27.000 --> 00:28:32.160
a fun sci fi concept, but
we you know, if I said AI

401
00:28:32.240 --> 00:28:37.519
to most people nowadays, that isn't
a strange term. It's very in vogue,

402
00:28:37.519 --> 00:28:44.039
and so there's a lot to be
thought about and discovered by people I

403
00:28:44.079 --> 00:28:47.160
think cross generationally. It's not just
some sci fi content in the future.

404
00:28:47.200 --> 00:28:49.480
It's a very real thing. So, like I said, sci fi original

405
00:28:49.559 --> 00:28:55.640
musical starring me and a young new
star and hell and Jashon. So people

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00:28:55.759 --> 00:28:59.000
come see the show to see a
big spectacle, an original musical and a

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00:28:59.000 --> 00:29:03.000
star being born. It's not to
come to Broadway for I'm loving. I've

408
00:29:03.039 --> 00:29:06.079
never been to a Broadway show,
so maybe that'll be my first. What

409
00:29:06.400 --> 00:29:10.200
I know, it's not crazy.
It's not that crazy, really no,

410
00:29:10.440 --> 00:29:14.319
because it's possible. It is.
So it's feel like everybody in our you

411
00:29:14.720 --> 00:29:17.680
know, I'm just interviewing talent all
the time, and it's just feel like

412
00:29:17.720 --> 00:29:19.640
it's so like, oh man,
what's art to that. I'm like,

413
00:29:21.119 --> 00:29:25.799
yeah, it's uh. It will
choose wisely, my friends, I would,

414
00:29:25.920 --> 00:29:30.279
I would recognize, I recognize,
recommend maybe happy ending it's an appropriate

415
00:29:30.319 --> 00:29:34.279
title. Maybe it'll be happy Are
Thank you so much, man, I

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00:29:34.319 --> 00:29:41.200
really glad to thank you. Thank
you, Darren Chris. I'm excited that

417
00:29:41.240 --> 00:29:45.880
I might get, uh, you
know, maybe happy ending with Darren Chris

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00:29:47.039 --> 00:29:48.799
if you know what I mean,
and what I mean by that is his

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00:29:49.000 --> 00:29:53.480
new show coming to Broadway. In
any event, PPS is a Capital for

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00:29:53.599 --> 00:29:57.319
them Exhausted. I've been out here
for like twelve hours in the heat,

421
00:29:57.400 --> 00:30:02.799
and you know my brain, So
thank you for hanging out with me.

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00:30:03.079 --> 00:30:07.799
PBS is a Capital. Fourth airs
live on Independence Day, fourth of July

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00:30:08.079 --> 00:30:14.160
today, or if you're listening to
this later. First premiered on fourth of

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00:30:14.240 --> 00:30:21.599
July eight pm, seven EASTERL EASTERL
eight pm Eastern, seven percent Oh my

425
00:30:21.680 --> 00:30:29.240
goodness, eight pm Eastern, seven
seven Central. Check your local listings.

426
00:30:29.319 --> 00:30:33.359
Check your local PBS listings, but
it's around eight or maybe seven depending on

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00:30:33.440 --> 00:30:37.759
where you are. And ninety minute
show, wall to wall fun, celebration

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00:30:37.839 --> 00:30:45.559
of America and honoring our brave men
and women who defend our freedoms every single

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00:30:45.640 --> 00:30:48.680
day, both here and around the
world. A great show as always,

430
00:30:48.839 --> 00:30:53.880
Capital Concerts. The production company who
puts this on every year is so amazing

431
00:30:55.279 --> 00:30:59.599
and I'm so honored to be here
and I love doing it and bringing you

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00:30:59.759 --> 00:31:07.519
all all the good interviews. So
also it'll be streaming on YouTube and Facebook

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00:31:07.039 --> 00:31:15.359
Live and for two weeks following,
so if you can't make the premiere Watching

434
00:31:15.440 --> 00:31:19.400
a Capital Fourth, then you can
catch it in the following two weeks and

435
00:31:19.440 --> 00:31:23.440
you really really really should. It
is so awesome. All right, I

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00:31:23.440 --> 00:31:27.480
will see you next week. I
love you. We thank you for listening

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00:31:27.559 --> 00:31:38.839
to pop Culture Weekly. You're all
the latest at popcultureweekly dot com because that

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00:31:38.920 --> 00:31:41.319
can make your done. Click