The American singer and actress Macy Gray is one of the referential voices of the female artistic scene in her country. The powerful artist, whose opinion tends to have a lot of echo not only in her professional circles, is presenting her new album The reset on half the planet, and she is doing it accompanied by her own band The California Jet Club.
In Barcelona it will do so today, Saturday, in the Sala Apolo (8pm) as part of the Mil·lenni Festival. Gray spoke a few days ago with La Vanguardia from Los Angeles, practically on the eve of starting his European tour. La Vanguardia subscribers have a 15% discount on the price of tickets, as long as they buy them at Entradas de Vanguardia.
What do you expect from this tour that has just started after the pandemic bans?
The truth is that I am very excited. We present some new songs, we will play songs that everyone knows and also some interesting covers. It will be a good night, no doubt.
How do you choose those versions that you are going to perform every night?
We change them a lot from concert to concert, I'm especially interested in those that have lyrics that touch my heart. Lyrics that I can translate to the public that comes to see us and listen to us
What is the idea behind the album you just released?
A rethinking of my priorities, of what you consider important in your life, a rethinking of a series of basic things in your existence, a quite marked rethinking, of course, due to the pandemic and its effects on all aspects, such as confinement, not seeing the people you love, the death of important beings in your life, and also not being able to transmit things and sensations due to restrictions on concerts. I think The reset is a very interesting and refreshing album.
What priorities are we talking about?
For example, in music. There is so much music and so many spaces, that it is about thinking and looking for what really is the space that interests me, in order to continue inspiring people and feel fulfilled as an artist. I think this is because I've been going in the same direction for a long time as an artist that suddenly I haven't been able to say where I was.
When you look back at your early years and compare yourself to who you are today, what do you think, what do you feel?
Well, I want to be a better singer, a better artist, I want to be remembered when I leave, for people to listen to my records... Because I think I still haven't managed to do a work that can be considered one of the favorites of the people. Some single songs maybe, but I don't think I've got it yet. I want to go down in history as one of the greats.
And when you are doing a concert, what is the most important thing for you?
People are always priority. A concert is not an act of reaffirmation or personal enjoyment, but it is a moment in which you give and transmit to those who have come.
Last July they did an interview on television where he said, speaking of trans athletes, that one cannot always be what they want to be or think they are, and that an operating room is not enough to turn a man into a woman. There was a lot of controversy, you were accused of being transphobic, and a few days later you apologized.
There was a misunderstanding between me and the interviewer. As a result of that, I spoke and listened to many people from the LGBTI and gay community and I learned a lot. What I said in that interview was wrong, it was incorrect. If I had had all that information, I sure wouldn't have said what I did. I don't think anyone is transphobic, what happens is that there is a lot of ignorance. I have to say that you can call yourself whatever you think you are and nobody can dictate that to you or take it away from you.
Did he rush then?
A great lack of information, I tell you. But what I know now is that being a woman is something that I am very proud of and something that I appreciate very much. I believe that if you feel in your heart that that is who you are, then that is who you are regardless of what anyone says or thinks. I've learned a lot and I'm glad I did because now I know and I accept it.
Do you think there is a growing intolerance in your country?
I don't think it's just in the US. In Spain there is no discrimination and various phobias? I think there is an access to social media that is not necessary. Anyone thinks yes, but it is not healthy as it is sometimes done. Because we need to be honest. And in this sense I don't need to know what the others do down to the smallest detail, already knowing their names and where they live and so on.
