Lion Babe On New York Dive Bars, Vintage Shopping And Why Kanye's All About His Craft

Hip New York R&B duo, Jillian Hervey and Lucas Goodman, release their new single Impossible next month. We caught up with the pair who chatted about their favourite bars, hand-me-down furniture from Ugly Betty's Vanessa Williams and why Kanye West is all about being an artist...

Lion Babe Jillian Hervey Lucas Goodman

Hip New York R&B duo, Jillian Hervey and Lucas Goodman, release their new single Impossible next month. We caught up with the pair who chatted about their favourite bars, hand-me-down furniture from Ugly Betty's Vanessa Williams and why Kanye West is all about being an artist...

Lucas Goodman: 'Monday is the night to go out. We go to the Bowery Electric in the East Village every week; it's so old school, the DJs are alwas spinning hip hop, funk and soul records. Last time, we ran into Beyoncé and Jay-Z's producer.'

Jillian Hervey: 'I love vintage clothes; anything Naomi Campbell wore in the 90s, and all the classics like Vivienne Westwood, Chanel and Balmain. But I also take inspiration from the 70s - Bowie, Chaka Khan and Prince all had that statement look. ' LG: 'I've had the same Banksy helicopter print on my wall since I was 12. I didn't know who he was. I just thought it was cool. Some of my posters I've had since I lived at my parents' house.'

(Image credit: Sipa Press/REX)

JH: 'Home is my sacred space. When I moved into my first apartment, my mum [Ugly Betty star Vanessa Williams] passed down all these great pieces of furniture that I'd always wanted. I was like, 'Oh man, I finally get this couch!' I love my bedside table, it's like my Zen area, where I keep crystals and a tiny statue of the Egyptian goddess, Sekhmet.'

LG: 'There are all these stinky little bars where we live in New York and, while I wouldn't recommend them, I'll go there with my friends. We like them because they're crappy. There's also a rum bar called Miss Lily's that we like...'

JH: 'Pretty girls - that's why he likes it! The guys are like, 'Ohhh, we should go there for a drink,' and I'm like, 'OK!'

LG: 'I really resonate with Kanye West. As much as he gets a lot of slack, he's all about his craft. There's a big difference between wanting to be an artist and wanting to be a celebrity, and he definitely always wanted to be an artist.'

JH: 'Sade is a straight-up icon. Coming from a family that's in the music industry, I appreciate that you don't have to get so crazy to keep people engaged.'

LG: 'I swear by just using face soap to stay clean. I use Kiehl's face soap - that's my main fancy kind-of-thing.' JH: 'I'm reading Yes Please by Amy Poehler. Tina Fey's Bossypants, and books like that are good for when you're on a plane and you don't wanna think about anything, you just want to laugh.' You can read our full interview with Lion Babe in the August issue of Marie Claire, out now. Lion Babe's latest single, Impossible, is out August 28 and available to stream now on Soundcloud.

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