Beautiful, talented and known to get more than a little flirty with her female fans, Sabina Sciubba, the lead singer of Brooklyn-based band Brazilian Girls, is much more than just a pretty face. She’s got one of pop music’s sultriest voices and sassiest lyrics—you may have heard her crooning in Brazilian Girls’ most popular song, “Pussy,” a slow, dreamlike tune that’s equal parts poetry and depravity. If that’s not enough to intrigue you, the Rome-born, Munich-raised Sciubba is a classically trained pianist, an outspoken politics junkie and sings and writes in five different languages. While in the process of recording the band’s third album (which they hope to release this spring), Sciubba’s also co-writing a pilot for Current TV called Smart Ass, which will give viewers practical advice for green living. She took a break to chat about upcoming projects, crazy costumes, politics and the good life.

You’ve lived in a few different countries. Which one do you most feel like you’re from—where is your hometown?

I have to say, there is none. I think if I knew I would probably live there. If I am in New York that’s probably because I don’t feel like there’s another hometown. I love Rome because I was born there, but right now I don’t really want to live there. I like Germany and I’ve lived there for a long time, but I don’t want to live there either. I’ve lived in France, and France is a country that I really take a lot of sympathy to, because it’s a bit of a middle way between Germany and Italy. You know, they’re more anal than the Italians but they’re more relaxed than the Germans.

Could you see yourself living in the United States for the rest of your life?

With difficulties. I miss Europe, and I would love to spend more time there again. I think that the one thing that always strikes me the most is the quality of life, and the priorities—which are not work, you know? In Europe, family and quality of life is more of a priority than ambition. And I have a feeling that in America, and in New York especially—I’m speaking of New York, that’s the only place I’ve lived in the States; I’m sure it’s very different in—what’s the place I always hear of, that I was always curious about, where the good weed comes from? [Laughs] Some state near California. The state that I hear of where the life quality is supposedly the best life quality in the United States. Oregon? Yeah, I think so. It’s Oregon. Obviously I only know New York, and New York is a very ambitious and very fast city. It’s a city of social climbers. You can’t really compare it to any European capital, [where] people have a lunch break of two hours.

Let’s talk a little bit about your costumes. You have some great ones. How do you come up with your ideas?

It depends. Recently, I’ve been starting to collaborate with a woman called Gemma Kahn. She’s a really great Korean designer. I basically make a drawing, then I send it to her and she makes a realistic assessment of what’s possible, and then we sort of make the outfit together. The last couple of outfits I had, we did together. Before that, a bunch of outfits I just did myself, sometimes with the help of a friend here and there, but usually I just put them together according to how I feel, and many times, very shortly before the concert.

Are you interested in fashion when you’re not performing, or is it just when you’re on stage?

I’m definitely more interested in fashion when I’m on stage, but I love fashion when it’s good. I guess I see it as an art form. I think that if it’s well done, it’s art. I have a lot of clothes—I won’t deny it—but everything in moderation. I do not buy Gucci sunglasses.

Are you more of a thrift shop girl?

Yeah, I don’t think I spend a lot of money on clothing. The most money I spend is probably on shoes. I have a bit of the Imelda Marcos complex. She was the wife of the Philippine president, who had such an obsession with shoes that I think she had a closet with 200,000 different pairs of shoes, while essentially the Philippine people were starving and dying of hunger.

Do you get recognized on the street in New York?

Well, you know I always cover my eyes on stage, so I don’t get recognized at all.

You always cover your eyes? As a rule?
Well, I have so far, but I think I’m probably going to stop with the next record. It was sort of a metaphor, though it’s very subconscious. If we speak politics, in a way, then maybe I was covering my eyes just not to see the shame in world politics. And hopefully, next year this is all going to change. I believe it’s going to get better. And then I won’t cover my eyes anymore.

Are you very interested in politics?

Yes. Honestly, living in New York in this era, I don’t think you really have much choice.

Having lived in a few different countries, do you feel like your values are more in line with how people live in Europe or in the U.S.?

Social structure, politically speaking, is clearly better in Europe: health insurance, social support for poor families, etc., because there’s less fear of the socialist approach, you know? People are not so paranoid of the idea of communism, which is something that always freaks Americans out. But unfortunately, I think Europe is trying to imitate or emulate the American [system], which I hope is not going to happen. The politicians that are now coming to power in Europe in the biggest countries, like Germany and France, are clearly people whose priorities are of an economic nature. For example, in France, with Sarkozy in power now, he has already changed a couple of things, and he’s really trying to make France a more capitalistically efficient place. And people are going on strike, you know? Very much so, and that I think is very positive. That’s what the people should be doing here, too. But because there are so many immigrants here, and because this is so known to be a capitalist high fortress, I think that a strike is very difficult to do. Right now the stagehands of Broadway are striking, which is a big deal. I think that’s a good thing because that’s the only way to make conditions change and make sure that the bosses in their ivory towers are not making millions.

So who would you most like to vote for in the next election?

I think Hillary maybe is the best. Actually Barack Obama is definitely the person who I feel ideologically the closest to, but I don’t know how realistic it is that he wins. So I think Hillary is the next best option. I hope the devil’s offspring, Rudy Giuliani, is not coming in. That would be really a nightmare. I don’t know anyone who supports Giuliani.

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