Michael Fredo: I'm putting my glasses on. Hey, guys. I'm so happy to be with you on this very special night. Romantic thoughts and Valentine dreams. Most of my answers will be directed towards girls tonight.
Question: Michael, who or what inspires you to write your music?
Michael Fredo: Children and playing in schools at this point, at least as far as this week is concerned, inspires me the most. Also true life experiences that happen, my sorrow, happiness, anger, and just being chilled out all comes together in my songs.
Question: You’re doing a SADD tour. Could you explain a little more about that?
Michael Fredo: Students Against Drunk Driving is a very special organization to me. My dad, of course, died because of his car accident while being intoxicated at a party that night. I feel that if he didn't get into his car while being intoxicated, he would still be with me and my brother and my mom today.
Question: Who did you look up to as a child (idol)?
Michael Fredo: I looked up to my dad a lot, because we were very close in age. When I was born, he was only twenty. We always hung out together, and my brother Joe and I would always wait for my dad to get home so we could go out and have fun. He would take us to arcades and Disney World. It's just so sad that people lose very close family members due to stupid actions such as drinking and driving.
Question: At what point in your life did you decide to do music as a job/living/hobby?
Michael Fredo: I decided to start singing at age 11, and I got my record deal when I was 18. Quincy Jones has been my teacher for the last two years, and he produced my album. He has meant so much to me, because he is a living legend. My favorite singers include salsa recording artist India; Michael Jackson has great dance moves, and Marvin Gaye's voice is from heaven. India is a great female vocalist, and she sings salsa music. Her album's name is "Sola."
Question: I was wondering where we could get the list of where you are performing for your SADD tour.
Michael Fredo: My website, Michaelfredo.com, has all the tour dates on it. It should also be on mikefredo.com and yourmom.com. This is so much fun to be hanging out with so many beautiful girls that I can't see. Especially since I don't have a Valentine tonight. Why have one when I can have five thousand? LOL. JK. "JK" means just kidding, if you don't know. I would like to give a big shout out to all the people I've talked to in the last few days from my apartment. Your letters mean the world to me, and I will try my best to write back to every single person, because you are all my very close friends.
Question: How did you come up with the song "This Time Around"? Because I love it.
Michael Fredo: "This Time Around" is my first single, and my producer wrote that song for me to celebrate my breaking up with my girlfriend of three years. Free at last! This is so hard to communicate through keys on a keyboard. I wish we had an interactive, real-life Microsoft-looking helmet I could wear to get in touch with you so we could see each other.
Question: Hi, Mike, I was wondering, what advice would you give to some who would like to start a musical career?
Michael Fredo: For those interested in starting a musical career, my best advice is to not care what anybody says. You can make it if you have it. If you have soul and confidence in yourself. Try to record a song and send it to me via Warner Brothers, and maybe we could work something out.
Question: You've done modeling and music so far. Any plans to go into acting?
Michael Fredo: No. Acting is something that I do everyday when I associate myself with the world offstage. As far as modeling goes, I've never really modeled for anybody except Tommy Hilfiger. I did Coca-Cola when I was really little. I modeled their clothes. That was the aluminum can line. LOL.
Question: What do you look for in a girl?
Michael Fredo: I look for a sensitive girl who needs someone to take care of her, and she has to have a good sense of humor and put up with all my temper tantrums. Because it was hard for my girlfriends in the past to put up with all my crazy vocal warm-ups that I do. Because I'm always worried about my voice. 'Cause I want to keep it good and new.
Question: Do you think the Hilfiger commercial gave you a bit of a boost in your career?
Michael Fredo: Yeah, but it was just a filming of one of my concerts in New York. I was singing my song "This Time Around."
Question: What is the best thing you ever got from a fan?
Michael Fredo: The best thing I've ever received from a fan is a fan. An old Japanese-style fan someone gave to me in Singapore.
Question: Hey, Michael! I was wondering if anytime this year after this SADD tour, are you gonna open or do a tour on your own. I met you last year and really wanna see you again! Luv ya!
Michael Fredo: Love you too. Yes, I will do a tour around March, hopefully in Singapore and Indonesia. I'm doing my own tour February 22nd for 6 weeks in junior high schools. I'm going to try to play some clubs on the way. Or shortly after.
Question: Hi, Michael. If you were ever going to do a duet with anyone else, who would it be?
Michael Fredo: It would be India. Again, you guys have to check her CD out. It's Spanish music called salsa. It's tropical sounding, but her voice is unbelievable. She's up for a Grammy this year for tropical music.
Question: Hi! I was just wondering, how did it feel to be able to tour with Britney Spears?
Michael Fredo: Hi!. Touring with Britney Spears was a lot of fun, because it was my first pop tour and I got to bring my brother along with me, and we stayed in hotels together and stayed up really late and laughed a lot in thinking about old times. Also, Britney was really cool, and she welcomed me into her tour with "Open Arms."
Question: Mike, what's the craziest thing that a fan has ever done to meet you?
Michael Fredo: Come to my apartment. They showed up in my lobby until I came home and security notified me that there were three sweet girls about 17 in the lobby that wanted to meet me. So I took them out for ice cream and we had fun. I'm really happy to be hanging out with you all tonight. I just wish that we could see each other. This is so primitive.
Question: When will you be going to Elmira again?
Michael Fredo: I won't be going back to Elmira for six weeks because I will be on tour, but I will play Ernie Davis Jr. High School, which is in Elmira, at the end of my tour. I went tanning today. I was getting too pale in the studio. So I went for twenty minutes under the tanning bed. It was fun. And then I went swimming at the pool. I worked out and did mad pushups. I also drank two smoothies with passion fruit in them.
Question: If you were stuck on a desert island and you could bring only three things, what would they be?
Michael Fredo: Three things I would bring if I was stranded on a desert island would be... a satellite phone, my guitar and some paper. I would send a message in a bottle and see if Christina Aguilera picked it up.
Question: Mike, did you get your mom anything special for today?
Michael Fredo: Yes. I got her flowers and a box of chocolate, and also I called Domino's Pizza and told them to carve a heart out of a pizza and deliver it to her at work.
TV Guide Online: Thanks, Michael, for talking with us tonight! We had a great time, and please come back soon!
Michael Fredo: You guys, thank you so much for hanging with me, but hopefully we will all make sure we can hang out in real life. This computer stuff is great, but real life and/or video is way better. I love TV Guide, and my favorite issue is the one with Michael Jackson on the cover... I have that in my house. Again, if you want to ask me any other questions, then just call me. Love you, Mike.
