Slashin' Statements

"Some fans who've followed me for years thought it was weird, having Slash on the record and in the video [for 'Street Child']," says Elan of her last album's guest guitarist. "But I grew up on hard rock; the first rock concert I ever saw was Guns 'n' Roses in Guadalajara, when I was, like, eight years old." Elan says the Velvet Revolver guitarist "definitely likes to drink beer, he's into it! He always had one in his hand." Self-written and recorded on Elan's Silverlight Records ("a home studio in my apartment in La Jolla"), the Street Child CD (sung in English) earned the 22-year-old two Rolling Stone en Español awards in 2004.

With her new album, London Express, Elan gave fans another reason to cry "what the...?"; on the cover is a photo of her with her long blond mane shorn down to jawline-length. "Some people act real upset. They say, 'How could you?'... I get insane fan mail. I got a letter about a pink jacket I wore to an awards show in Mexico, and it was practically a death threat if I ever wore it again. I don't want to get strangled over my fashion choices."