This week’s Delicious Diva has played with Billy Corgan of The Smashing Pumpkins, performed on both Leno and Letterman, and hung out with the likes of David Bowie and Robert Smith of The Cure.

But the L.A.-based singer shunned Chrysalis Records, abandoning a publishing development deal citing artistic differences. Now she is looking to push her latest EP independently.

Linda Strawberry (real name Linda Michelle Rowberry) is proof that a performer doesn’t have to intentionally try to incorporate sexy in order to be sexy. She simply is a hot lady and a terrific talent, a creative tour-de-force who we hope to see on stage for years to come…

Savvy: Linda Strawberry has a catchy ring to it. How did you come up with the name?

Linda Strawberry: I started going by the name of Linda Strawberry in 2000. Strawberry had always been a nickname since I loved strawberry shortcake as a child and my last name was Rowberry, but it really stuck when Billy Corgan introduced me as “Linda Strawberry, a pop star in Romania” my first time on stage at a rock show when I sang “To Sheila” at the last Smashing Pumpkins show with James Iha at the Metro in Chicago in November 2000. I go by “Strawberry” to my friends. So Linda Strawberry is a combination of my first names.

Savvy: Interesting. You were born a Mormon. How did you become a crazy rock chick with blue hair who writes songs with titles like “Fuck You I’m Beautiful”?

Strawberry: (Laughs) I was raised very Mormon and so really, according to statistics, I should be married and have four kids even though I’m in my mid 20s. I guess it goes to show you can be anything you want to be. Just because you are raised a certain way doesn’t mean that’s your destiny.

Savvy: Do you have any rock star eccentricities?

Strawberry: I don’t drive and I hate cell phones, but I’ve killed two cell phones by throwing one out the window on the freeway and one in the river in Wyoming.

Savvy: What can you tell us about your record, “The Lost Record EP”?

Strawberry: I released it on iTunes and other digital stores about a month ago. I am going to release the artbook CD in 2 weeks with 8 pages of beautiful art that will be available for order through my websites.

Savvy: Why that title?

Strawberry: I called it “The Lost Record” because it really was almost lost in the record business chaos with everything changing right now. In 2005, I signed unique publishing development deal with Chrysalis Music. It led nowhere. I was afraid that I had lost my record entirely when we parted ways in 2006. I was devastated. This year, in May, I realized that I could move forward and release it myself so I created my own label, LOVELY CHAOS, and got to work.

Savvy: You’re probably going to see more and more self-publishing in this digital age.

Strawberry: I love doing whatever I can do myself. I was an engineer from 18 to 22, working on records by Marianne Faithfull, the Dandy Warhols, Zwan, and Sara McLachlan to name a few. I love making records. In 2005, I also saw the world with Billy Corgan’s solo tour and got to be on Leno and Letterman.

Savvy: That’s impressive. And you didn’t even have to turn yourself into some sexed up bubble gum pop star to do it.

Strawberry: It’s sad that the industry is so unfriendly to real artists. They have a hard time just letting you do what you do, and they ruin it when they start trying to change it just so they can fit you into a mold. I want to be a good example of what a young smart artist can do by working as hard as possible.

Savvy: That’s cool. What about your future plans?

Strawberry: I have a LOT of unreleased songs that I would like to get out. I also have been writing like mad for a year. I think my next release is going to be a piano record because I want to make something very intimate and passionate. After that, I will get back to rock.

Savvy: How have your struggles with the recording industry affected you as an artist?

Strawberry: The industry has made me very strong by making it very difficult for me and helping me grow thick skin to be able to stand up for my artistic integrity without batting an eyelash now. I think the way they think and do business is archaic. I wish they would embrace the new changes in the way people want to find and buy music. Everyone loves their iPod and it can hold 10,000 songs, but who can afford to buy 10,000 songs?

Savvy: Some people just buy Limewire instead.

Strawberry: It’s only natural that people are downloading. People own more music than ever, so its sad that the old greedy fossils that run the record labels are still in a fantasy world where charging $16 for a mediocre CD makes sense to them… I want to help change this by making good music and good art for a realistic price. I don’t care if fans download my music for free by trading it. Most of them are broke kids. I’d rather they have it on their iPod than not have it. And if they want to order the CD, I want to make sure that its worth their hard earned money.

Savvy: You were critical of the music industry for trying to “fit you into a mold,” but what genres do you fit within?

Strawberry: I think my music can fit into several genres. I’ve never felt the need to label myself. It’s the same with acting. I welcome any chance to be creative.

Savvy: What do you attribute your success to?

Strawberry: I’ve done some cool things in my career so far. I owe them all to being confidant and working as hard as I could and having a lot of talented people believe in me. I am most proud of the fact that I have my own label and that I feel really excited about all the stuff I want to make in the next 20 years. Music/art/film.

Savvy: Any regrets along the way?

Strawberry: The only disappointments I have ever had were times when I second guessed my gut feelings and went along with suggestions I didn’t agree with. The worst was when Chrysalis made me go try and co-write a “hit” with this and that writer. It was so insulting to me. And it was an example of the desperation people feel trying to please higher-ups at record labels that don’t know what they are doing anymore. I should have said no to that charade from the beginning. It ended with me leaving Chrysalis feeling very, very, very discouraged. I know a lot of talented artists that are being dropped from labels right now after similar circumstances. It’s such a mess. The music is lost in the shuffle when it should be the focus. I only regret not leaving sooner. And I am determined never to get stuck like that again. It was an important lesson.

Savvy: I guess the challenge then becomes getting your music out to as many people as you can reach without a major label pushing it. Right?

Strawberry: I’m ready to kick and scream and shout. I’m determined to succeed so I can keep doing what I love. And keep being a crazy blue haired artist making music that gets better and better with every release. In the long term, I always want to be putting my imagination to use. I want to create until I die. But I can see myself producing other artists as well.

Savvy: When and where can our readers see you perform?

Strawberry: I’ve decided to put together a piano tour for early next year. I would like to make it unique and intimate. Maybe I’ll take a lighting board and a projector and redo all the songs on piano and guitar. I will be playing around L.A. very soon, trying out songs I want to record for the piano record. I will build up the show from there.

Savvy: What did Billy Corgan do to inspire and motivate you?

Strawberry: I definitely got a lot of help from Billy. He really helped me believe in myself and what I am capable of. He has never been easy on me and has always thrown me directly into the fire but with full confidence in me. When I was 18, we recorded a soundtrack for the movie SPUN. He would teach me a song and I’d have to record it perfectly on the first take. Then once I flew into Chicago and he brought me right on the set of the last bozo show and I learned the song in 10 minutes.

Savvy: Pretty cool.

Strawberry: It was my first time on TV. I also worked for him on the Zwan record doing vocal production and editing. We rehearsed for only two weeks in 2005 before we toured the world for his solo project. He’s been a great mentor. Some other artists I really admire are PJ Harvey, Annie Lennox, Cyndi Lauper, Bjork, The Cars, The Cure, Steve Reich, The GoGo’s, Depeche Mode, Marianne Faithfull, and Joy Division.

Savvy: Where do ideas for your songs come from?

Strawberry: My songs are directly about my life mostly. I have been through a lot of hard things that I can only talk about in song or poem form. About being in an abusive relationship, unrequited love, Hollywood dysfunction, drugs and alcohol, self destruction, and hope. I write everything myself. I do give a lot of credit to Dan Burns for helping me become the artist I am. He picked me up at my lowest point when I was barely alive and kept me writing and recording. I also owe a lot to Julie Mitchell who plays a lot of the guitars on my record. She’s really talented and has really contributed to the sound.

Savvy: You do have the “blue-haired rebellious rock star thing” going on. How important is the image part of being a performing artist these days?

Strawberry: It’s really important. Especially since people want everything all of the time. They want updates and pictures and new songs constantly. The attention span has shortened so much. So I feel the need to move really fast to keep up. I LOVE making photo art with Kristin Burns. I’m a total camera whore. I’ll admit it. (Laughs) I also love to wear crazy makeup and get really creative with my look. It’s a lot of fun.

Savvy: Awesome.

Strawberry: The only part of that that I don’t want to encourage is how the media makes everyone feel they need to be at an unhealthy weight. I have curves and I love them. I work out constantly and eat right. Beyond that, I’m never going to destroy myself for a meaningless standard. I almost lost everything to anorexia in 2002. It was really hard to get healthy again. I want to look like pure sex, not a bag of bones.

Savvy: Good for you! Do you have any funny/interesting/scary stories about touring and interacting with fans or people in the recording industry?

Strawberry: Well, I have some stories from touring. When I met Robert Smith, it was when I was in London on tour with Billy. He took me to lunch but didn’t tell me Robert was coming so he could shock me. Suddenly in the parking lot, Bob comes walking towards us wearing an amazing old sweater and orange lipstick. I thought I was gonna faint. (Laughs) Then he played songs to us in our dressing room while we got ready. That was amazing.

Savvy: I bet!

Strawberry: Also, I had a picture of Bowie doing his makeup on of my lyric books for a long time, and when we were in New York on the same tour, Bowie walked in and sat down to tell us about cool new bands while I did my makeup. It was so surreal. I was so excited. Leno and Letterman were surreal too. I’ve had fans find my address and send me bizarre gifts. That’s a bit weird. But my favorite was a cut up paper robot that I still have.

Savvy: Anything you want to share that we haven’t asked you about yet?

Strawberry: Well, I love large apple filled pancakes and fried chicken and the color red, and I wear stilettos as much as possible, and that show “Extreme Makeover Home Edition” makes me cry like a fool, and I paint large nudes on pieces of wood in acrylic, and I stay up til four o’clock in the morning almost every night watching silent movies and reading classics. (Takes a breath) I love vodka and sometimes I drink too much of it and chase it with cheeseburgers in the middle of the night. And if you are on Myspace, add me as your friend so you can get my weird bulletins. (Laughs) And I guess that’s all I can think of for now!

Savvy: Thanks, Linda.

Strawberry: Rock on!

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On the Web:

Strawboard (Message Board)

Her Official Myspace Page