Just Dance Tonight!

Today we celebrate the anniversary of Lady Gaga's Just Dance performance on the Tonight Show, which began airing on January 8, 2009. Just Dance had then just gone to no. 1 on the Billboard chart, where it had entered at no. 76 on August 16, 2008. Gaga's website post of the show and Facebook note are still available. This performance greatly helped to popularize the single, as reported in Billboard. It also had a role in this website.

Click for the video and an mp3 audio of this and other TV shows of Just Dance.
Here is info on the musicians who accompanied Lady Gaga at this performance
of Just Dance, her first time performing with a live band.

The musical director of the show is Walter Millsap, for whom this was his first assignment working with Gaga. Millsap is primarily known as a producer and is presently working with Mindless Behavior. In an online interview, Millsap said that after the Tonighst Show performance, "it got bizarre... We got American Idol and Dancing with the Stars, and then we headed overseas, where she was doing massive shows. I was mixing, putting music together, playing. She had the idea of bringing in her friends to play in the band, because she wanted to pump up the image thing a little bit, so I helped put that together." Millsap's mention of Gaga's friends refers to her band on the 2009 world tour with Nico, Tommy, Andreas, and Brian. Millsap is on twitter.

 

The guitarist at the show is Matt Haze (Roberts). Matt studied music, focusing on jazz, at the University of Southern California, where he also founded the New West Guitar Quartet. He then worked with many artists in all kinds of different genres ranging from pop to r&b and jazz, such as Solange Knowles, Katharine McPhee, Chick Corea, Stanley Clarke, and Jesse McCartney. He has founded his own project, Generation Maze, a rock band that features cello and piano. Most recently, he worked with SoMo and with his new band ElectroFunk. Matt mentioned the Gaga show in a facebook post. He is online via his website, FacebookYouTube, Twitter, and instagram. I was pleased to meet Matt in 2015.

The bass keyboardist on the show is Jae Deal. Jae hails from Baltimore, Maryland, where he studied mathematics at the Baltimore Polytechnic Institute and became well versed in bass guitar and keys, especially in the world of gospel. After moving to LA, he began working for a great many artists in pop and r&b, including Diane Warren, Queen Latifah, Ne-Yo, Jessica Simpson, Elton John, Jill Scot, Snoop Dogg, and Janet Jackson. He also performed with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. Jae has a wiki and is on twitter and instagram.


The drummer is Joey Bumpus. Joey has been playing the drums since the age of five. He first played in the San Francisco bay area with several local gospel artists, upon which he moved his artistry to the bigger popular markets, where he has since worked with many famous performers, including Samantha Mumba, Chante Moore, Peaches and Herb, El Debarge, Kenny Lattimore, Ciara, and Brandy. He has been seen on televsions shows such as Americian Idol, Dancing With the Stars, 106 & Park, and more. He plays Shine drums and Paiste cymbals. Joey can be followed on Twitter and is also on Facebook.

One of the keyboard players is Nelson Jackson III. Nelson is the organist at West Angeles Church of God In Christ in Los Angeles. He has recorded with Norman Hutchins, Al Jarreau, Jeff Lorber, and others. He has most recently played with and produced Mindless Behavior. He has appeared on BET’s 106 and Park and elsewhere. You can check a video of Nelson playing and listen to an audio interview. Nelson is on Instagram.

The other keyboard player on the show is Pete Kuzma, who was also the keyboardist on the Monster Ball theatre tour. Pete is from Philadelphia and has been playing since childhood, especially focusing on jazz, in which he holds a Masters Degree. Besides playing in many jazz clubs, he also played in a wedding band while in graduate school. Later he recorded with Jill Scott and became her musical director for six years. Thereafter Pete played professionally with many other artists such as Akon, Danity Kane, and Kanye West. Pete's 2012 album Equilibrium is available on iTunes. Pete is on TwitterInstagram, and Soundcloud.


Monet Monico is one of the singers. Born Monet Tatianna Lerner on May 2, 1990, Monet was a child actress and performer, who opened up as a solo singer for Jesse McCartney and appeared on The Suite Life of Zack and Cody and Zoey 101. She was also on P. Diddy's Starmaker. Sadly, a few years later, she was featured on the Dr. Phil show as she had become a drug addict. She has since, however, recovered. As Monet Lerner, she has recently starred in a musical. Monet's performance on Lady Gaga's Tonight Show appearance was announced and discussed online (listen below). You can check her updated video reel on her YouTube account. Monet has (old) webpages on FacebookMyspace, and a (now hacked) Twitter. There are various videos about her on Youtube.



Zshatwa is another one of the singers. Born and raised in L.A., she became a singer and dancer from an early age. She attended Bancroft Middle School, a performing arts school, after which she attended Alexander Hamilton Music Academy. Zshatwa¹s song “Fresh” featured MC Lyte, and she has released two mixtapes, Diary Of A Skater Chick & The Fresh Campaign. Zshatwa has also appeared in videos with Missy Elliott, and danced with the Pussycat Dolls. Several of her songs can be seen and heard on Youtube. She has one son. Zshatwa has her own website and is on Twitter, Instagram, TumblrFacebookYoutube, and Soundcloud.

And who is the third background singer?
I really don't know! So if you do, get in touch!

Check the other site posts on the gagafrontrow pages: