KT Tunstall plays the Lincoln Theatre on Wednesday, Sept. 14. (Photo by Tom Oxley)

KT Tunstall
 
 
Wednesday, Sept. 14
 
 
The Lincoln Theatre
 
 
1215 U St., N.W.
 
 
thelincolndc.com
 
 
6:30 p.m.
 
 
$35
 

KT Tunstall’s hit 2005 single “Suddenly I See” from her debut album “Eye to the Telescope” was heard on every screen big and small from the film “The Devil Wears Prada” to being featured on shows like “Grey’s Anatomy.” That kind of success may have appeared like the best time in a musician’s life, but now following the death of her father and a divorce from her husband, drummer Luke Bullen, Scottish singer-songwriter Tunstall, 41, is the happiest she’s ever been. Her new album “KIN,” released on Sept. 9, reflects how she was able to come out on the other side with not only new material, but a fresh perspective.

Washington Blade spoke with Tunstall from the road on tour in promotion of her latest album about how she was able to turn pain into art, her distaste for sexuality labels and how she accidentally gained a lesbian following with a simple wardrobe choice.

WASHINGTON BLADE: What was the inspiration behind your latest album “KIN?” What was the recording process like?

KT TUNSTALL: It was a real rollercoaster ride actually and quite unexpected. The last record I made had been a down-tempo, folk record (2013’s “Invisible Empire//Crescent Moon”). During the recording my dad had died and my marriage broke up. So it was just this tectonic shift in life and it was very intense. I was very proud of the record, but it was the first time I had written a record that wasn’t very dynamic. I went on tour, mostly solo, and I’m wearing this amazing custom-made Dior suit and playing to seated audiences for the first time in beautiful theaters. But I just got completely burnt out and I felt that I was done really with making records for a good while and I didn’t want to make another record and I didn’t want to tour. And I just think that on a personal level I just had all of that stuff happen and I just needed to start again.

So I sold everything I owned and I moved to Venice Beach in California. I really intended to just focus on film music for a little while. I’d wanted to record music for film for many years and hadn’t had time. I trained with the Sundance Institute for a year, and built some relationships in the film industry and wrote for some short films. I was just loving life and finally finding life where I could be and not just do. Because it had just been 100 percent doing living in London and never finding any peace and tranquility in life.

So I really found sanctuary in Venice Beach. While living there, I really loved listening to music in the car and I’d be driving around listening to Joni Mitchell, Neil Young, Fleetwood Mac and Tom Petty driving around Laurel Canyon and the PCH (Pacific Coast Highway). After about a year I just started writing these really big, muscular, emotional pop choruses. And they just started coming and my brain and my body were just like, ’No I don’t want to do it!” and really its up to the subconscious and the spirit and they took over and were like ‘Nope you’re gonna do it.” It’s definitely a very kindred spirit to the first album. It feels like I’ve taken three records to write my second album. Not to disrespect the other records because I’m really proud of them, but I just feel like for the first time since the first record I’m in a really carefree, unselfconscious, vulnerable, strong place again. And it’s that mixture of being vulnerable and being strong at the same time that I think leads to my best music personally.

I’d just become very self conscious, very guarded after becoming successful. And it took cutting the umbilical cord with needing to make records and being a record-producing solo artist completely defining who I was. I didn’t know who I was outside of being that and I needed to find out and I needed to let go of it to find out, and then I did find out, and it’s awesome. And now I feel like a total boss now and I’m ready to go. It feels like part two of a story.

BLADE: A lot of people after coming out of a rough personal patch could have come back and made a really angry or sad album. “KIN” is more happy and hopeful. Why did you decide on a more uplifting approach?

TUNSTALL: It’s what’s come out. I’m the happiest I’ve ever been. It’s such a journey and now I understand. I hadn’t gone through things like that before, the death of a parent and break up of a marriage and moving continents. And it was just the most liberating, transformative experience. Yeah, it was really, really hard at times. But I look at where I am in my life now and I love where I live. I have such great friends and family. My life is much simpler. I never would have found this place if that whole shit storm hadn’t hit me. I’d have never taken the time to take myself apart and look at the darkest corners. I deconstructed myself and put myself back together in a much healthier way. So really the record is for me to go and celebrate with the human beings that these really difficult times in your life can actually provide you with a clear path to something better than you had before.

BLADE: How did your lesbian following come about? How do you feel about it?

TUNSTALL: I’ve always been very flattered and very happy that a group of people who have to deal with a load of shit on a daily basis, that they shouldn’t have to deal with, find meaning and attachment to my music. I think it’s a really big compliment. My gay followers have been incredibly loyal as well. I really relate to the gay community. I feel total indigenous that there is anything but support for human beings loving each other, getting married, living together and having children together. I just don’t fucking understand anyone having a problem with other people being happy. So I’ve always championed and fought hard for opinion to change on that.  I think it probably stemmed from the fact that, first of all, I’m not a female singer that bares a lot of skin when I play. I think that my fashion sense has always had an element of androgyny to it. So I think that probably had people questioning my sexuality. I know because I would read about it. And also, my first record cover I wanted to pay homage to Patti Smith on the cover of “Horses.” I love “Mork and Mindy” and I love Robin Williams’ rainbow suspenders. My stylist on the shoot thought this would be fun, a big child version of Patti Smith. We didn’t think twice about it and, of course, it was like a an absolute rainbow flag that I was gay when it isn’t meant to be that. It was a total oversight by everyone and looks like I’m gay, but I’m not. Although having said that, I don’t like to put labels on it. And I love the fact that the younger generation are refusing to put labels on it because at that age, I would absolutely relate to that feeling of not wanting to put myself in a box. I grew up in theater and music and it’s weird if you don’t kiss people who are girls or boys. It’s uptight not to. It was always pretty fluid in the community I grew up with as a late teenager and early 20s and all that. It’s exciting times I think that it’s becoming questions that these labels are as rigorous as they are.

BLADE: What do you want people to take away from your upcoming show?

TUNSTALL: Joy one hundred percent. That’s the goal. For me that’s the meaning of life, finding that in your life. And doing whatever you need to do to find it, and follow it and be aware of what brings you joy. Not to fight difficulty and confrontation and try and rise through the hard times with grace and love. The thing that’s so amazing for me playing this new material for audiences is I’m just seeing them feeling, grinning, laughing and dancing and maybe sometimes crying at the same time. It’s just a beautiful connection between human beings and recognizing that, yeah, life is shit sometimes, but we survived and we’re here and we’re dancing and we’re celebrating being here.