Just ask the 20,000 disco albums that got thrown into the Comiskey Park bonfire in 1979… Here in America, the country that invented rock ‘n’ roll machismo, dance music has always had a difficult time proving itself as a legitimate genre. Whenever a dance album becomes successful, the artist (and producer) behind it deserve some extra credit for beating the odds.

Recording artist Erika Jayne deserves extra special credit. Her single, “Rollercoaster,” reached number-one on the U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Club Play Chart in 2007, and her single “Stars” reached number-one on Billboard’s Hot Dance Airplay Chart in 2008. And that’s just stateside; the two singles have also achieved major international success as well. All of this acclaim before her debut album has even been released. Pretty Mess, Jayne’s first full-length effort (which includes both singles) is scheduled to hit stores in January 2009, and its production and collaboration credits include legendary producer Peter Rafelson, red-hot R&B producer Jahi Lake, and ’80s icon Sheila E., just to name a few.

I sat down with Erika Jayne to discuss her reaction to the club-grown mega-success of her two singles, her hopes for Pretty Mess, and her feelings about dance music as a genre.

Kelly Wiles: How did you come up with the name for your album, Pretty Mess?

Erika Jayne: Peter Rafelson and I wrote the song ["Pretty Mess"]…it’s a personal song, and we were talking about all the different roles that women play. Some days you feel pretty and some days you don’t. Some days you’re a princess, some days you’re a doormat. Some days you’re a diplomat, and some days you’re not. [The song] spoke to me personally, and I think it’s why I choose that as the album title.

KW: You wrote a lot of the songs on the album…

EJ: I wrote a third of them, yes.

KW: Do you have a favorite, or is that like a Sophie’s Choice kind of question?

EJ: Oh, yeah, that’s like a choosing children type of question –- they’re all fabulous. [Laughs]

KW: The list of collaborators on this album is really impressive (Peter Rafelson, Eric Kupper, Sheila E., Jahi Lake, etc.)… 

EJ: Right?

KW: Does everyone get free reign on the particular song that they’re contributing to, or…

EJ: Sure, well, the way I like to work is I let… Well, for instance, I’m not gonna tell Sheila what to do. [Laughs] Sheila’s amazing, and she, and everybody really, are all such professionals that you just let them do what they want, and if it’s way off track, then you say hey, let’s try and focus it back this way…Everybody just came in [as different artists] and it all just kind of [fit together].

KW: I love your new single, “Stars.” I just watched the video, and it seemed to be an Alice in Wonderland theme, with the checkerboard grass and such…

EJ: That’s exactly right.

KW: Scott Speer directed it.

EJ: Yes.

KW: What was it like working with him?

EJ: It was wonderful. He really cares about the artist — he really cares about what you want. We really went on a journey together for that video, and I think he has a big career ahead of him.

KW: As a performer, how would you say the energy you use when shooting a video differs from the energy you use on stage in a live performance?

EJ: Well, you’re missing an element, when you shoot a video, and that’s the audience. I always have one of my friends on the other side of the camera. It’s just different. You’re bigger on stage.

KW: Do you prefer one or the other?

EJ: Oh, no, I love ‘em both. [Laughs]

KW: Your last single, “Rollercoaster,” and your new single, “Stars,” are both already huge hits on the dance charts. All of this success before your album, Pretty Mess, has even been released. Do you think the club scene is responsible for this pre-album success?

EJ: Yeah, I think both records grew out of the clubs.

KW: What do you think makes dance music different from other genres?

EJ: Dance music is a worldwide presence. We’ve had [a lot of success] all over Asia, over Europe…

KW: Europe is known for -– at least stereotypically -– being more accepting of dance music than America.

EJ: That’s right, I mean, the urban centers — New York, Miami, Chicago, Las Vegas [are accepting], but you go into middle America and it’s tough. I know that from my MySpace and my FaceBook profiles that the European fans are both males and females, which is really cool.

KW: You’re a Southern girl…

EJ: I am.

KW: You grew up in Atlanta and went to a performing arts high school. How did you get into dance music?

EJ: As a kid [growing up] in musical theater, you’re very connected to Broadway. You have all the soundtracks, you know all the songs…so there was that, but then when I went to high school — performing arts high school — it was an inner city public high school.

KW: Like Fame in the South…

EJ: [Laughs] Yeah. It was an amazing experience and it had a different flavor — it was more urban, it had a different sound and, you know, that was great. After that, I moved to New York. I would stand by the DJ booth at nightclubs and really got to see what that was like. The records I liked the most were the ones that caused emotional involvement, where people would put their drinks down and… “Ooh, girl, that’s my song!” you know? I’d think, wow, someday I want to be making a record like that.

KW: What do you see yourself doing in the future, musically? Do you want to keep making dance records, or is there some other genre that you want to explore? Are you going to be like Madonna and pick up a guitar?

EJ: I’m not gonna get a guitar, no. That’s not me. [Laughs] But I do want to explore musically. I’d like to try to bring in a broader audience to open it up — more guys, more moms, more kids…

KW: Right, because dance music is not on the radio sometimes as much as it is in clubs.

EJ: Yeah, if you’re ten years old and you don’t know what a nightclub is, then you may not hear my song. I want to reach the ten-year-olds, the [older people too]. I wouldn’t mind having a broader audience.

KW: Has the club scene or dance music in general changed since you started?

EJ: Dance music is going to always be around. No matter what we’re going through, in hard times like in these times right now, people always want to kick off their heels and have a good time.

You can check out more on Erika Jayne on her website and her myspace.