Windy City Media Group Frontpage News

THE VOICE OF CHICAGO'S GAY, LESBIAN, BI, TRANS AND QUEER COMMUNITY SINCE 1985

home search facebook twitter join
Gay News Sponsor Windy City Times 2023-12-13
DOWNLOAD ISSUE
Donate

Sponsor
Sponsor
Sponsor

  WINDY CITY TIMES

NUNN ON ONE: MUSIC Mary Lambert tells her 'Secrets'
by Jerry Nunn, Windy City Times
2014-10-08

This article shared 6600 times since Wed Oct 8, 2014
facebook twitter pin it google +1 reddit email


The bipolar lesbian who rocks mom jeans is at it again with a new album. Lyrics from the latest single "Secrets" tell all with a description of the personal things that make her unique—including the characteristics mentioned in the opening sentence.

The massive hit "Same Love" took over the airwaves with her guest vocals on the Macklemore & Ryan Lewis track that proclaims it's okay to be gay and not change. Our Seattle sister then took her section and formed it into a new song called "She Keeps Me Warm."

During the 56th Annual Grammy Awards, "Same Love" was featured during a public ceremony of 33 couples where Queen Latifah officiated and Madonna joined her in singing the chorus.

Lambert's debut album Heart on My Sleeve debuts this month. We spoke to proud Mary about new music and more in this interview by phone.

Windy City Times: Hi, Mary.

Mary Lambert: Hi, Jerry!

WCT: I saw you play at [Northalsted] Market Days not too long ago.

Mary Lambert: You did? I loved that show.

WCT: You basically played in a parking lot and somehow made it into an intimate concert.

Mary Lambert: [Laughs] Good. I'm glad it translated.

WCT: Are you heading out on tour again soon?

Mary Lambert: Yeah, I am about to release the dates for my Heart on My Sleeve Tour. I'm real excited. I think that there is a Chicago date.

WCT: There better be.

Mary Lambert: I can't remember. I am terrible at this. The toughest place to play will be Utah—I'm kidding!

WCT: You have such a talented family with Miranda Lambert and your gay brother Adam Lambert.

Mary Lambert: I know—we are all related! [Laughs]

WCT: Seriously though, what was it like growing up in Seattle?

Mary Lambert: I was born and raised about 20 minutes north of Seattle; then I incrementally moved closer to downtown, where I went to school at Cornish College of the Arts. I just moved to the East Coast, where I am at now.

Seattle is always a part of me and part of my artistic identity.

WCT: So you have a whole new life now.

Mary Lambert: Yeah, things have changed very rapidly. I can't imagine being that far from Seattle for that long. I imagine I will be back soon.

WCT: You were raised by a lesbian mother. Was your mom always very supportive of you?

Mary Lambert: My mom and I are pretty much best friends. It is funny when I came out—she said, "Mary, I think if you are going to experiment you should wait until college!" She was just really scared that I was going to get beat up or hate-crimed. I could understand her protection. She wasn't too happy with the idea of me being gay but after a while she accepted it. I think she was just happy that I couldn't get pregnant.

WCT: Did you think you would then turn into a champion for gay rights?

Mary Lambert: I don't know. I always wanted to be a leader and a healer. That has always been a part of me. I guess I just have really strong opinions. I believe in equality for all people. There are a lot of social justice issues I have in my head that I want to be a part of and impact change in the world.

I was an activist at a young age so I think that is what I always hoped for. This gift of my career and "Same Love," what it has privileged me to do is unfathomable. It is what I always hoped and dreamed but never actually thought could happen since I was like 17.

WCT: It must have been wild when that hit song took off. What is one "Secret" about Macklemore?

Mary Lambert: I think he always has a peanut butter-and-jelly sandwich!

WCT: How was it performing that song with Madonna?

Mary Lambert: Madonna was incredible. She's such an icon. To even work with her on the song was an experience that I will never forget. She wiped a tear off my face at one point. She was very sweet to me.

The gravity of the performance was what really did it for me. I was definitely excited about it's movement in my career and the implications of what this performance meant. Above all, it rocked me to my core as a lesbian. If I could separate myself from my career and my ego and the production of it to see it for what it was, that's when I broke down crying because it meant so much to me being in the gay community that this performance happened.

WCT: The new single is called "Secrets" and I loved the remix by the Jump Smokers. Did you approve this version?

Mary Lambert: Yes, I approve them all. I liked it. I love all of the remixes that are out there. I think they did a great job.

WCT: Is it a liberating song for you?

Mary Lambert: Totally. I believe in living openly and saying "fuck you" to guilt and shame. I think those things are useless and they inhibit a lot of people from living fully. I know it did that to me. I wanted to write an empowerment song because I felt that would make me really happy. It is about freeing yourself from stigmas. I wanted to turn the lens on myself to invite others to do the same.

WCT: You hit a lot of different topics.

Mary Lambert: Sometimes I feel I walk around and I am a walking stigma. I could just hide in a hole somewhere and be miserable. I think I did. I went into a really dark place. I think because of that extreme sorrow my capacity for joy is exponential. Going through that process of healing and learning how to rid myself of guilt and shame, living unapologetically, learning what self care is and what body positivity is has been very important to me.

WCT: Is "When You Sleep" the next single?

Mary Lambert: No; it was just a track for people that pre-ordered the album. I love that moment on the album. It is such a deeply personal song.

WCT: What music are you listening to right now?

Mary Lambert: I love listening to Spotify's top new songs but, of course, the Sam Smith record. Echosmith's album I love. Always London Grammar—they are amazing!

WCT: I was wondering if you are into this Meghan Trainor song "All About That Bass," with her body-empowerment lyrics.

Mary Lambert: Totally. I am so happy for her success. With all of the stuff on the radio I love sifting through and hearing intentional lyrics. I like hearing a new sound and I think she has it. The song and video are so fun. She's adorable so props to her.

WCT: I heard you are a big HGTV watcher like me. I want to change my house after watching it.

Mary Lambert: Oh my God, and I am obsessed with infomercials! I would watch them until five a.m. and not be able to have this conversation with you.

WCT: I know you were into church growing up. Do you go to a gay-supportive one now?

Mary Lambert: I am at a point now where my spirituality is a very personal journey. I am not affiliated with a church at the moment. My family is Episcopalian. I left the evangelical church; I feel ties to too many denominations. Even though I consider myself a Christian, that journey is very personal to me.

WCT: You have a huge arm tattoo. Do you want more?

Mary Lambert: I was six hours [to get my] sleeve and I just wanted to wrap it up! It took about 32 hours, and that is a lot of needle time. Some of the sessions were about eight hours long. I don't really cry when it happens; I kind of go somewhere, and sometimes I sing. When they are in your armpit, man, it's not fun.

My tattoo artist said he saw his work on my arm on television and it's not done yet. There is still some work to be done, but I think I will be good for a couple of years!

Heart on My Sleeve comes out Tuesday, Oct. 14. Visit marylambertsings.com for more on this emerging artist.


This article shared 6600 times since Wed Oct 8, 2014
facebook twitter pin it google +1 reddit email

Out and Aging
Presented By

  ARTICLES YOU MIGHT LIKE

Gay News

Jamie Barton brings nuances of identity to her Lyric Opera 'Aida' performance
2024-03-18
Chicago's Lyric Opera is currently featuring a production of Giuseppe Verdi's Aida starring Michelle Bradley as Aida, Jamie Barton as Amneris and Russell Thomas as Radamès. The opera runs through April 7, 2024, with Francesca Zambello ...


Gay News

Almost 8% of U.S. residents identify as LGBTQ+
2024-03-16
The proportion of U.S. adults identifying as LGBTQ+ continues to increase. LGBTQ+ identification in the U.S. continues to grow, with 7.6% of U.S. adults now identifying as LGBTQ+, according to the newest Gallup poll results that ...


Gay News

SHOWBIZ Lady Gaga, 'P-Valley,' Wendy Williams, Luke Evans, 'Queer Eye,' 'Transition'
2024-03-15
Lady Gaga came to the defense of Dylan Mulvaney after a post with the trans influencer/activist for International Women's Day received hateful responses, People Magazine noted. On Instagram, Gaga stated, "It's appalling to me that a ...


Gay News

House-music festival on Aug. 30-Sept. 1; icons, Idris Elba to be part of it
2024-03-13
The ARC Music Festival—an event celebrating house music—will take place Aug. 30-Sept. 1 at Chicago's Union Park, per WGN-TV. This will mark the fourth year that the festival will celebrate the genre at Union Park—less than ...


Gay News

Women's History Month doesn't do enough to lift up Black lesbians
2024-03-12
Fifty years ago, in 1974, the Combahee River Collective (CRC) was founded in Boston by several lesbian and feminist women of African descent. As a sisterhood, they understood that their acts of protest were shouldered by ...


Gay News

No 'explanations' needed: Affinity remains a haven for Chicago's Black queer community
2024-03-12
Back in 2007, Anna DeShawn came out while she was studying for her undergraduate degree. At around the same time, she searched online for "Black lesbians in Chicago." Her search led her to Affinity Community Services, ...


Gay News

COBRAH slithers into Chicago and brings Feminine Energy
2024-03-08
COBRAH snaked her way into Thalia Hall, 1807 S. Allport St., for two nights March 7 and 8 for her Succubus Tour. This Swedish-born talent has a way with naughty words and ...


Gay News

SHOWBIZ Jinkx Monsoon, Xavier Dolan, 'Frida,' Lena Waithe, out singer
2024-03-08
Two-time RuPaul's Drag Race winner Jinkx Monsoon is headed back to the New York stage, joining off-Broadway's Little Shop of Horrors as Audrey beginning April 2, according to Playbill. The casting makes Monsoon the first drag ...


Gay News

Affinity Community Services' Latonya Maley announces departure
2024-03-06
Latonya Maley, executive director of Affinity Community Services, announced March 6 that she would be stepping down from her post. The announcement came from a statement with Affinity board members. Maley said that, "It has been ...


Gay News

LPAC celebrates historic wins for LGBTQ+ candidates in Super Tuesday primaries
2024-03-06
From a press release: Washington, DC—Today, LPAC,the nation's leading organization dedicated to electing LGBTQ+ women and nonbinary candidates to public office, proudly announces the outstanding victories of 67% of endorsed candidates ...


Gay News

Queer Eye's Jai Rodriguez is set to slay at The Big Gay Cabaret
2024-03-05
Out and proud performer Jai Rodriguez is set to play at The Big Gay Cabaret this March for three days. Presented by RuPaul Drag Racer Ginger Minj, this monthly series highlights the wide world of cabaret ...


Gay News

THEATER 'R & J' puts a female, queer spin on Shakespeare
2024-03-05
Romeo and Juliet is the theatrical gift that keeps on giving. It's been reworked for the masses numerous times, whether in direct adaptations or musicals such as West Side Story. Shakespeare's plotline points have even inspired ...


Gay News

Without compromise: Holly Baggett explores lives of iconoclasts Margaret Anderson and Jane Heap
2024-03-04
Jane Heap (1883-1964) and Margaret Anderson (1886-1973), each of them a native Midwesterner, woman of letters and iconoclast, had a profound influence on literary culture in both America and Europe in the early 20th Century. Heap ...


Gay News

THEATER When growth is paramount: Jim Corti helps fuel Aurora theater expansion
2024-03-01
Out actor/director/choreographer Jim Corti made his Broadway debut in 1974, in the ensemble of Leonard Bernstein's musical Candide. Director Harold Prince's acclaimed Tony Award-winning revival is often cited as a ...


Gay News

SHOWBIZ Queer actors, icons duet, Hunter Schafer, Oscars, Elizabeth Taylor
2024-03-01
Queer actor Kal Penn is set to star in Trust Me, I'm a Doctor—a film that chronicles the final days of actress/model Anna Nicole Smith, whose overdose death in 2007 at age 39 sparked a tabloid ...


 


Copyright © 2024 Windy City Media Group. All rights reserved.
Reprint by permission only. PDFs for back issues are downloadable from
our online archives.

Return postage must accompany all manuscripts, drawings, and
photographs submitted if they are to be returned, and no
responsibility may be assumed for unsolicited materials.

All rights to letters, art and photos sent to Nightspots
(Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago
Gay and Lesbian News and Feature Publication) will be treated
as unconditionally assigned for publication purposes and as such,
subject to editing and comment. The opinions expressed by the
columnists, cartoonists, letter writers, and commentators are
their own and do not necessarily reflect the position of Nightspots
(Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago Gay,
Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender News and Feature Publication).

The appearance of a name, image or photo of a person or group in
Nightspots (Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times
(a Chicago Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender News and Feature
Publication) does not indicate the sexual orientation of such
individuals or groups. While we encourage readers to support the
advertisers who make this newspaper possible, Nightspots (Chicago
GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago Gay, Lesbian
News and Feature Publication) cannot accept responsibility for
any advertising claims or promotions.

 
 

TRENDINGBREAKINGPHOTOS







Sponsor


 



Donate


About WCMG      Contact Us      Online Front  Page      Windy City  Times      Nightspots
Identity      BLACKlines      En La Vida      Archives      Advanced Search     
Windy City Queercast      Queercast Archives     
Press  Releases      Join WCMG  Email List      Email Blast      Blogs     
Upcoming Events      Todays Events      Ongoing Events      Bar Guide      Community Groups      In Memoriam     
Privacy Policy     

Windy City Media Group publishes Windy City Times,
The Bi-Weekly Voice of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Trans Community.
5315 N. Clark St. #192, Chicago, IL 60640-2113 • PH (773) 871-7610 • FAX (773) 871-7609.