What does "Fame" represent to you? For Harlemm Lee, formerly known as 80's recording artist Gerry Woo, "Fame" represents a chance to showcase incredible singing and dancing talents to the rest of the world. With his recently released album "Introducing Harlemm Lee" and his nationwide tour, this issue of A-Profiler, thanks to World Daily News reporter Dominic Lee and his guest Maa Lee, brings you into the life and background of TV show "Fame" winner Harlemm Lee.

Your Site URL
http://www.harlemmlee.com

You said it has been a very hard road for you. Would you mind describing how hard?
I am 36 years old. When I was 17 I had been doing a lot of singing and dancing in high school. I told my parents that I wanted to move to Los Angeles. They were very discouraging because I had always done well at school. Always got good grades. They wanted me to go to college and become a doctor. My dad is a doctor. It's very much a part of the culture that you go to college, you get a degree, you have to have certain status in terms of your job in life. I was always watching TV and watched other singers and dancers and I decided that was what I wanted to do. Of course, they were very, very discouraging. They said "please go to college, get a degree, and we'll talk about that later." I ended up getting accepted at UCLA. Originally I was going to become a doctor. I ended up getting a degree in Liberal Arts.

That was a long time ago. It was almost over 18 years ago now. So, we came to a compromise.

I said "can I go to Los Angeles, work on my music, and I can still go to school." They supported me through school. I continued to do my music but 20 years later I am still trying to make it in the business. My parents have really been very understanding considering I am in my 30s and I am still trying to live my dream.

Did your parents change their mind on your performing career?
Even now my dad is still saying that "you know you can always get your job back." He is very traditional. I love my parents so much because they do keep me very grounded. They don't want me to be disappointed because they know, even now, it is hard business. Just because I won the show "Fame" does not necessarily mean that I have it made. I still have a really hard road trying to become a success as a singer. My parents told me that you can always get your job back if you want and that's a stable life for you.

They must be very proud of your achievement.
Yes, they are very proud of me. I am really glad that I was able to be on TV. My parent could come and watch and see that it was really true that I really did have the talent that people really enjoy what I do. That was a very happy time.

Do you have a big family?
There are four kids all together. I am the oldest one. Our whole family loves to sing. Even my parents enjoy singing. They are in the church choir. My brother and sisters all love singing and dancing for fun but I am the only one in the family who wanted to do it.

Do you have a Chinese name?
My birth last name is Woo, first name is Gerry, I don't have a Chinese name.

Do you know how to write Chinese Characters?
I wish I did. My grandfather is Chinese on my father's side. He passed away when I was three. I never had the chance to meet him. I was in the U.S. I only knew he was from the south of China. He spoke Cantonese. He had a Chinese restaurant north of Manila.

Have you ever been in China?
No, I really have never been overseas that much. I had only been in Philippine twice when I was only like seven years old.

In your future plans, are you going to travel to Asian countries?
I hope so. I'd like to. That's my dream. But whether or not it happens...

You look very Chinese!
Ever since I was a kid, everyone just assumed that I was Chinese - even my Filipino relatives. They always called me Chinese.

So, it is a natural response when you said "a short bold Chinese guy" in the show?
Yes, because that's how people perceived me. Also, because I am part Chinese that's just how I was perceived. Me and my youngest sisters are most Chinese looking while my other brother and sister are very Filipino looking. we all just got different parts of the genes. I think I definitely got my grandfather's genes.

Do you sing Filipino songs?
No, I don't know any Filipino songs.

Can you speak the language?
No, I can't. My parents speak Tagalog all the time. I can understand it but I never quite picked it up.

I think the fact that we live in Detroit, which is basically an all white neighborhood, it was just about assimilating and making sure that we fit in.

Do you still have contact with the finalists like Raymond, Serena, etc.?
Yes, it is hard because I'm always on the road. I can't talk to them every day but we do keep in contact all the time. Ray and I got really close at the show. We, like all the Asians in the cast, really supported each other. We understand how hard it is to make it in this business. Ray has a very supportive family. Ray and I always have conversation about our parents and our dreams.

I really want to thank Debbie Allen because it is really hard for Asian Americans to get a break in terms of entertainment. Most casting directors, agents, and managers, many whom I met through auditions, they are like "you are not marketable because you are Asian." Whereas Debbie Allen was very embracing, she didn't look at the color. She said, "Okay, Raymond Lee he is a great talent, I am going to put him on the show." The same thing with myself, Jamisen and Judy. That was a really great thing. Four contestants were Asian out of twenty four. Most casting directors wouldn't do that. The great thing I can say about Debbie Allen is that the whole time, even on the very initial audition where hundreds of people on call, I really gained so much respect from her. The very first day because the audition was like 12 hours long, all day, and not once, out of all the people, did I ever once hear her say that person was horrible or make fun of anybody. Even when somebody was having hard time, she would say "Oh honey, try that one more time with more energy." That made all of us feel so much welcomed and really made us really feel like a family. As soon as I get back to L.A. and settle down, I will start to take the dance lessons from her for one year.

How many more stops are you having?
I don't know. The schedule is constantly changing. I'm going to Florida, NY, Detroit, Iowa. They want me to hit every major city and meet all the fans.

How long will your trip last?
It just never end. It never ends. I'm getting new calls, saying "okay, next week now we are going to do this."

How is Johnny [Wright]? Are you satisfied with his management?
I am a hard sell. I am not your typical recording artist. He is overseeing the whole thing, the promotion, the management, and the record. I think it was a surprise for everybody that I won. I think there are a lot of challenges ahead. My whole life in the past 20 years, very prominent people in the industry basically told me to give up because they thought I would never make it. I really appreciate Johnny's effort because he realizes it is a challenge have to work to someone like me. He is doing the very best he can.

Is it that hard to get you on a national talk show?
Yes, it is hard to get onto the national talk shows. It is the busy time of the year. There are a lot of reasons why.

It makes me realize that just because you win a show like "Fame" it doesn't necessarily mean suddenly other doors are open. All the same issues I have been dealing with my whole life in this career hasn't changed just because I won the show. I thought that I proved by winning a popular American vote that people all over the country are ready for someone like me to succeed in the recording business. I could do this promo tour for a whole year and go to every single city in the universe and sing my heart out but that doesn't mean I am going to be a big star.

About the album, what markets is it targeting?
I am just the artist. I don't have the strategy for it. It's really up to the record company and the management people to decide how they are going to promote me. Johnny put this record together and made sure this album was done by September. Normally it takes about a year to do an album - writing songs, putting new material together. Because we didn't have the luxury of all that time, we decided to do songs from "Fame" and do versions for the fans. We figured that the fans were going to appreciate it. That's why the album is called "Introducing Harlemm Lee" because it really does give a small taste of what I do. It doesn't have all the flavors and all the dimensions of what I do totally as an artist. I think it has the best of the best in terms of what I did on the show.

Why did you choose to do "Jasmine Rain?"
"Jasmine Rain" is actually a song I wrote before "Fame." I wrote it maybe three years ago. I gave Johnny a whole bunch of songs that I have written. He liked all of them pretty much. We decided to put that one on the record. It gives people a little taste of what I do as a writer because eventually I do want to move into writing. I want to write for other artists. I want to learn how to become a producer and not just be a recording artist on my own but actually have a broader career in the industry.

You are wearing a T-shirt with Bruce Lee in front. Did you learn Kung Fu?
When I was in high school, I took martial arts. I am not like a black belter but I had training. It is something that I really love. When I was in Detroit I was very lucky to have a really great teacher there. It's really hard to find a good teacher. When I moved to L.A., I couldn't find the right teacher because in Hollywood it's just all about fighting and about looking good. My teacher in Detroit came from a very spiritual place. His work was about the soul of martial arts.

Do you think your dream has come true?
Being on "Fame," I don't want to say winning "Fame," really was a dream come true. I mean I didn't even think I was going to get on the show. I wish you could have seen the auditions. They went to 4 cities. They went to Los Angeles, New York, Chicago and Miami. And in each individual city, there were hundreds upon hundreds of people lining around the block. Even in the audition, out of all those hundreds of people each person is so talented. I would look at them like "wow, they are so good" and most of them didn't even get to the final call back. In each city they picked about 15 finalists, which is like 60 total. But even out of the 60 that they picked around the country, only 24 of those actually were on the first episode.

I remembered that I was telling my brother "gosh, I don't think I am going to make it. But if they show my audition, I would be very happy." That's the best I was hoping for. When I finally got on the show, it was really like a dream come true because it was NBC. It was prime time television. It's the chance I wanted for my whole life to finally be seen on TV. I have been struggling so many years just to be on TV for 2 seconds. Being 36, just knowing that I look different, and I am different, I never expected to win. All of this is beyond my comprehension. It really is a wonderful thing.

What has your team done to promote you in the Asian American communities?
They are doing a lot. Actually in every city they make sure that I have been meeting with local Asian American press. It's hard to get everybody. It's fine even if we can get one newspaper. I also have been visiting local high schools. To me that is one thing in the promo tour that I am the most proud of because I realize that I really want to be a resource to the kids that are coming up. I know when I was growing up there wasn't anybody in the industry that was Asian that I could look up to. Even though I haven't got there yet, and I don't feel like I have made it, I still feel that I have had enough exposure where people can say "wow he auditioned for a show and he made it. Maybe I can do it too?" They work hard. They practice. I talk about that a lot when I go to the high schools, I say "make sure you keep going to the auditions. Keep practicing. Make sure you take classes and get better."

Do you know about 2nd Generation? It's an organization which has been promoting Asian American Broadway shows. Some of the fans think you may have a career in it.
I have heard of it. I am at the age now where I'm basically re-examining my idea of success. Because the truth is, again, I see the writing on the wall, I don't necessarily know that they are going to give me a chance but at the very least, even when I was hungry, and even when I was struggling at my lowest, I was still happy. I can honestly say that I was happy because I kept my dream in tact. I kept my integrity in tact. And I kept my feeling in tact. I think it is important for me not to grab at success because success is not necessarily measured in how many CDs I sell, or how big a name I can become. It is being contended what you have. Even if this does pan out, it's okay. It really is because I look back at some of the tapes I did on "Fame" and I say "you know what, I did my best." Whether I won or lost, I knew when I was on that stage, I did my best and I know I entertain people. Every city when I do this, people introduce themselves to me and they tell me how they were touched by what I did. That's enough. It really is.

I do feel I belong to Asian American communities. We have to prove to the industry that we are a sales power. That they market to our communities and we would return by buying the product they market. Whether it is my CD, or things like this (pointing to a flyer about the "Concert of Excellence" by 2nd Generation), I hope the Asian American community really goes out and supports things like this because that is how we can prove to the industry that we are a big enough audience.

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This month's A-Profiler is brought to you by the very gracious
World Daily News reporter Dominic Lee & his guest Maa Lee.