How time flies! The one and only Macy Gray has announced a celebration tour of Australia in July to mark the twenty fifth anniversary of the release of her critically acclaimed debut album, On How Life Is. The name Macy Gray is synonymous with incredible music. The musical bodies of work Gray has produced throughout her career are a testament to her exquisite vision and unyielding devotion to her craft. Her sleek, sultry and mature take on R&B draws from decades’ worth of history, yet her ability to still sound forward-thinking and fresh is what reaffirms and reasserts her as a signature rarity in music who millions continue to treasure.
These concerts will be a celebration of the twenty fifth Anniversary since Gray broke into the music scene in 1999 with the release of her debut, triple-platinum album, On How Life Is – the album that spoke to a generation. It turned Macy Gray into a household name, and Ms Gray into a powerhouse of R&B and Soul. Macy talks to Hi Fi Way about the tour.
Great to be talking to you must be really excited about coming back for another Australian tour?
Oh yeah, we’re gearing, we’re trying to figure it all out.
What is it about Australia and Australian audiences that you love and keeps coming your back?
Uh, well, you know, when my first record hit, that was the first place I got a plaque from, for gold records and platinum records. I don’t think they do them anymore, but that was the first place I got a plaque from. It had six platinum vinyls in it. They look platinum, I don’t think they’re platinum!
Can you believe that it’s the twenty-fifth anniversary of On How Life Is and how time has passed?
I know it goes so fast, back then I wasn’t thinking twenty-five years from now, but it’s cool that album still has a big audience and people want to hear it again twenty five years later, it’s good news.
Do you get nostalgic when you think about the album, the success and the good times that you had with that album?
Of course, that was the really life changing time for me because I was doing what I wanted to do, I was making actual money for once. I never really made a lot of money before, I was seeing the world and guys were sweating me. It was totally different than what I was used to for sure.
Are you blown away continually by the legacy and the power that these songs and this album has and continues to build?
Yeah, it’s cool because I listen to a lot of old records, so it’s cool that like my record is now old record for sure. So, it’s just cool that people still dig it. You know, I still have a lot of you know fans that weren’t even born then. It’s really interesting to see it all and how it all plays out as the life of the artist cause. I listen to a lot of records that are way more than twenty-five years old, they’re still really fresh and new to me. I think every artist wants that. You want to be rich and famous, but you want to be remembered. I think you want people to still be listening to you ten years, twenty years from now. That’s the ultimate, so you know, so far, so good. It looks like I won’t be forgotten right away!
When that album came out where there any significant moments that still stand out for you?
I remember really vividly when I got my plaque there. I remember the first time I played live there, I remember the first time I went to London. No, we went to Japan first I think! Ah. I do remember being invited to Japan and London was really wild to me because I had never even thought about going. That’s the one thing I really didn’t think about was travelling the world. Sony was really big on that at the time. They were really pushing their artists globally. That was a huge deal, those were things I just had never really thought about when I was dreaming.
On this tour, are you looking to play the album in full start to end?
It’s not exactly in order, but yeah, we do all the songs we have just put a record out so we’re going to do that. There’s a few songs from my other albums we’re going to play. It’s going to be a wild night. It’s going to be fun. You know, we’re just going to play music. We’re going to celebrate the album. It’s going to be really a big party.
On reflection when you look at your career is there anything that you would do differently if you had your time over or are a believer that things happen for a reason?
Oh yeah, of course, when you start, you don’t really know how it all works. Well, I didn’t know. So if you’re lucky, you have a really good mentor or a manager or somebody who really has your back and knows how things work. I didn’t really have that. I think I had it, but I ignored everybody I thought I knew everything and I didn’t listen, so that would probably be it that I just wish I had listen to people who were trying to steer me the right way. I made a lot of mistakes and had to learn the hard way. A lot of stuff, but you figure it out but I just wish I had listened, that’s all.
Have you been stoked with the reaction to your latest album The Reset?
Yeah, it’s a very nerdy musician album. It’s like four musicians, I think that album got ten million streams, so it’s cool when you see it go over pretty well commercially. I know like in the scheme of things some people do a billion streams in one day but I was actually really proud that album did as well as it did. I think it could do better. We are actually planning on remixing some stuff off of that and putting it out, but I’m at a stage where I do what I want musically and you hope that people dig it. You want that because otherwise there’s no point. You could just make music for yourself, put on your headphones. It’s kind of nerve wracking when you put it out and as much as you know that you didn’t make it for commerce, you still want it to do well, so that’s kind of where I’m at these days.
Are there plenty of ideas in mind for your next album?
Oh yeah, I was just in the studio and we’re working on The Reset deluxe, we have four new songs coming and we’re attaching it to that album. I’m always constantly in the studio. That’s all I really do. I have no life, you know!
Interview By Rob Lyon
Catch Macy Gray on the following dates, tickets from macygraytour.com
Wednesday, 3 July 2024
Festival of Voices
Odeon Theatre, Hobart TAS
Friday, 5 July 2024
Hindley Street Music Hall, Adelaide SA
Saturday, 6 July 2024
The Fortitude Music Hall, Brisbane QLD
Sunday, 7 July 2024
Hamer Hall, Melbourne Art Centre, Melbourne VIC
Tuesday, 9 July 2024
The Star Theatre, Gold Coast QLD
Wednesday, 10 July 2024
The Arthouse, Wyong NSW
Thursday, 11 July 2024
The Playhouse, Canberra Theatre Centre, Canberra ACT
Friday, 12 July 2024
Anita’s Theatre, Thirroul NSW
Saturday, 13 July 2024
Enmore Theatre, Sydney NSW
