Here is the English translation BY ROMAN SOMOL (shortened):
Q :You are recording a new album in Prague. What it will be like ?
A: It will be a symphonic one. Libor Capek made arrangements of songs I like. Some of them I sang already, I was looking forward for the others. Unusual symphonic arrangements allow me to sing differently and also a different repertoire than with Boney M. I even atempted a Czech classic Christmas carol.
Q : You were born in Jamaica and live in England. How did you become a singer ?
A: When I was 11 my parents sent me to my grandmother in England
because thay thought that there was a better life there. I attended
school and did not exactly now what I would do. One day I was in a
caffeteria singing along a song Shake with the jukebox (it was a
great hit by Sam Cook). I was 15. A man , whose name I do not
remember, came to me as he was interested in my singing. He invited
me to a studio where I sang backing vocals for his records. A music
agent in the studio took my phone number. And nothing happened for a long time.
Q: But then it started to happen...
A : She called me when I was 17 and she told me that there would be
an European version on Hair musical. I won the casting and then I
played both in London and in Berlin productions.
Q. Berlin was quite important for your career.
A : An English organist , composer and arranger Les Humphries
noticed me. At that time he created in Hamburk an international group
combining pop, rock and gospel. I accepted his offer and became a
member of Les Humphries Singers and experienced having real hits for
the first time . Mexico, Mama-Loo, Carnival....
Q : How long did you sing with Les Humphries
A : Two and a half years. One of the managers disappeared with all
the money, I even could not pay the rent and it looked I would not
earn my living. I was in several nameless groups and the I returned
back to England. I wanted to marry, have children and a family. I
thought my music career had ended.
Q. But it had not...
A : A German manager called me and invited me to Munich. For a
presentation show of a new group Boney M which a solist Claudija
Barry left before the premiere. They were desperately looking for a
replacement. They promised to pay , so I went. Just after our show in
the Berlin club Eden a producer, composer and arranger Frank Farian
offered me a position of a soloist and Boney M were created. Nobody
knew that the disco legend was born.
In 1978 I met my husband and the current manager Thomas Pemberton. We married a year later. We have three children - 2 boys and 1 daughter. The older one is 22, younger one 19 and the daughter is 15.
Q : Why Boney M music is still so popular in the whole world ?
A : May be we invented some happy formula that works regardles of the time .
Q. Boney M sold unbelievable 150 millions of albums, your old
recordings are still being released over and over. What do you say to
that ?
A : Of course I am happy. When we sold 100 millions of records our
record company celebrated the success and gave us a present. Each
group member received a massive gold chain with her/his name. But
they pinched me as I had only three letters on it - LIZ. And my name
is Elizabeth (laughter).
THANKS TO: ROMAN SOMOL