A good 20 years ago or so, Hulk Hogan espoused the virtues of training, saying your prayers and eating your vitamins ? when he wasn?t leg-dropping someone?s head as one of pro wrestling?s all-time biggest stars.
His daughter Brooke, when she isn?t touring as a rising pop star, espouses the virtues of eating right, saying your prayers and ? when her mom gives her wrong directions in their new home of Miami ? having a good GPS system on her cell phone.
While fans of the WWE have been following her father?s exploits on the big and small screen and idolizing “Hulkamania” for decades, watchers of the VH1 reality series “Hogan Knows Best” have seen the 18-year-old Brooke Hogan?s efforts to become a pop star, alongside her family ? dad Hulk, mom Linda and little brother Nick.
But what they haven?t seen is the fact that BrookeHogan has been taking piano and vocal lessons, and the effort both her and her dad ? a bass guitar player in his pre-wrestling days ? have put in to find the right producers and songs that resulted in her debut album, “Undiscovered” (SoBe).
“It?s been a really, really long road but it?s all been worth it,” says Hogan, who moved with her family to Miami from Tampa, Fla., five months ago. “If I got to this point without working, I would feel bad about it. I?m just excited that it?s finally happening because if you work at something hard enough and long enough, it?s bound to happen.”
Along with learning much more than she wanted to about patience ? “I thought records were supposed to sell out immediately and I guess it takes time in order to get a platinum record,” she says with a chuckle ? Hogan found a work ethic she never knew she had.
“Once I get started in something in this business, like once I am in the studio, I just can?t stop,” she explains. “It?s 8 o?clock in the morning, people have to drag me out of the studio. And once I?m dancing or signing autographs, it?s just addictive.
“I went from school, which is you do what you?re asked to do ? homework and stuff ? but that?s about it. And I got into this and it?s like a test of strength.”
Her muscular father has been more than just a terror for any guy she?s wanted to date. He?s also been her biggest influence when it comes to entertaining ? Brooke Hogan says it?s inspiring to see how many people come up to him and ask for his autograph.
“Naturally, I have like a mothery kind of nature ? I have that maternal instinct. Anybody who needs help or any kind of influence I can have on somebody, I love having the power to change people?s lives and make their lives better,” Hogan says. “If I can influence little girls away from this crazy Hollywood stuff that?s going on and I can show them what a good role model is.”
Hogan Holiday
Brooke Hogan is excited about Christmas although she may have to work on the actual holiday. “We?re gonna try to have Christmas maybe a day before,” she says. “Everybody?s just kind of excited that my career is finally working so they?re just all like, ?It?s cool.? We?ll all be together.”
