Macy Gray
One of the world’s most celebrated singer-songwriters, American R&B/soul artist Macy Gray has not only enjoyed an illustrious career spanning more than 20 years, she has also worked with countless names in the music industry. The multi-platinum and Grammy-winning songstress talks to Andrea Lo about her musical career ahead of her one-night-only performance in Hong Kong.
HK Magazine: What inspired you to become a singer?
Macy Gray: I was in a band in college, and we used to just do it for fun. I took piano lessons so I’ve always been around music, but it was really all an accident. I didn’t really get into singing until I was in my early 20s.
HK: Over the years, what have been some of your musical influences?
MG: When I was [an up-and-coming artist] a lot of people were listening to hip-hop and plenty of old jazz music, [such as] Frank Sinatra, Billie Holiday and Nina Simone. I listen to all kinds of stuff from everybody, like Prince, Nirvana, Kanye West and The Notorious B.I.G.
HK: Having worked with so many talents in the music industry, is there anyone else you would like to collaborate with?
MG: At this point, yes. I’ve collaborated with a lot of people, but I’m open to different things. I think it’d be cool to do something with Jakob Dylan from [alternative rock band] The Wallflowers—I really love his voice. I’m also a big Jay-Z fan; it’d be an honor to work with him.
HK: Is there a performance that has particularly stood out for you?
MG: Probably when I did Glastonbury—I headlined it a few years ago. That was just amazing. The amount of people there was ridiculous. There were about 3,000 to 6,000 people there; that was the largest outdoor concert I had ever played up to that point. I will never forget that.
HK: What project are you currently working on?
MG: I have two new albums coming out next year; and of course, I have [a cover of Stevie Wonder’s original album] “Talking Book” out right now. I’m working on a couple of movies. I’m doing all kinds of stuff; I want to put out as much music as I can next year.
HK: What advice would you give an aspiring singer?
MG: Really master your craft and get good at what you do first. Once you’re excellent at what you do and people come to you, a lot of things just fall into place because you’re so good. I would say do that first before going out to the world and trying to show off—just make sure you’re confident.