Music & Concerts
KT Tunstall finds joy after trial, creative burnout
‘Suddenly I See’ singer returns to the big pop sound that brought her success
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.
Music & Concerts
Pianist Jeremy Denk to play George Mason
Soloist performs Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 4 alongside FSO
The Fairfax Symphony Orchestra (FSO) and the Center for the Arts at George Mason University co-present Jeremy Denk — one of America’s foremost pianists—on Nov. 23 at 8 p.m. Denk joins the FSO as soloist for Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 4. The concert, conducted by FSO Music Director Christopher Zimmerman, also includes the regional premiere of “She Dreams of Flying” by American composer Quinn Mason, and Rachmaninoff’s Symphonic Dances. Tickets are available through the Fairfax Symphony and the Center for the Arts: $65, $55, $40 and half-price for youth through grade 12 (service fees may apply).
A pre-performance discussion with Denk and Maestro Christopher Zimmerman, moderated by Mason Dewberry School of Music Professor John Healey, will take place in Monson Grand Tier, located on the third level of the Center for the Arts Lobby, 45 minutes prior to curtain.
Music & Concerts
Lana Del Rey, Katy Perry plan fall releases
A Fleetwood Mac live album, more Joni archives among vintage options
Paris Hilton released her “Infinite Icon” album on Sept. 6. It’s just the second effort following a massive hiatus — her debut album “Paris” was released way back in 2006. Sia produces. This summer’s “I’m Free” was the first single. A tour is planned. Hilton promised a “heavily gay-leaning release.”
Miranda Lambert’s “Postcards from Texas” is slated to drop today. Lambert’s 10th studio album was preceded by the May release of single “Wranglers,” which stalled in the lower 30s on country radio. Lambert calls the album a musical ode to her home state. She co-produces with Jon Randall and either wrote or co-wrote 10 of the project’s 14 cuts.
Katy Perry’s “143” is set for a Sept. 20 release. It will be her seventh studio album. Its title refers to what she says is her symbolic angel number. Perry is aiming for a dance party feel working with producers Max Martin, Dr. Luke, Stargate, Vaughn Oliver and Rocco Did It Again! The proceedings are not off to a strong start. First single “Woman’s World” stalled at No. 63 on the Billboard Hot 100. Follow-up “Lifetimes” failed to crack the Hot 100 at all.
Fleetwood Mac releases “Mirage Tour ’82” on Sept. 20. It includes six tracks previously unreleased including “Don’t Stop,” “Dreams,” “Never Going Back Again,” “Sara” and more. Available on double CD, triple vinyl and digitally.
Volume four of Joni Mitchell’s “Archives” series dubbed “The Asylum Years: 1976-1980” releases Oct. 4. It’s being offered in six-CD or four-LP (highlights) configurations. It will feature unreleased studio sessions, alternate versions, live recordings, rarities and a 36-page book with new photos and an extensive conversation between Mitchell and filmmaker/uberfan Cameron Crowe.
Sophie B. Hawkins releases her “Whaler Re-Emerging” album (a re-recording of her landmark 1994 album) on Oct. 15. Order through her site and the first 250 copies will be signed. Hawkins (who identifies as omnisexual) says it surpasses the original.
Joe Jonas’s “Music for People Who Believe in Love” and Shawn Mendes’s “Shawn” are both set for Oct. 18 releases. Jonas’s album (his first solo effort since 2011’s “Fastlife”) will feature songwriting he says is of a more personal nature. Billboard called it “unvarnished” but with a shimmery pop sound aglow with garage rock and alt-pop influences. First single “Work It Out” was released over the summer and failed to chart.
“Shawn” will be Mendes’s first album since 2020’s “Wonder,” the tour of which he cancelled citing mental health. Two singles — “Why Why Why” and “Isn’t That Enough” — have been released. The former stalled at no. 84 on the Hot 100. He has called the album his “most musically intimate and lyrically honest work to date.”
Lana Del Rey’s “Lasso” is expected for a possible fall release, although some sources say it’s been bumped to early 2025. No date had been announced as of yet. She’s apparently going the Beyonce route and releasing a straight-up country album.
Dolly Parton plans a Nov. 15 release for “Smoky Mountain DNA — Family, Faith & Fables.” Parton recruited family to help her on the 37 (!)-track collection, which will also encompass a four-part docuseries tracing Parton’s familial roots. One song (“A Rose Won’t Fix It”) is an outtake from the feverish writing sessions that led to her solid (but underrated) 1998 album “Hungry Again.” An extremely limited-edition triple vinyl release is also planned.
Release dates shift and many more releases will be announced later. Pitchfork keeps a great running tab at pitchfork.com/news/new-album-releases. Also check your local record store for Black Friday special editions available on Friday, Nov. 29. Release info was scant as of this writing.
(Joey DiGuglielmo was variously the Blade’s news and features editor from 2006-2020.)
Music & Concerts
Fall concerts feature Sivan, Eilish, Lauper, more
Ndegeocello pays tribute to Baldwin at Strathmore next month
Sigur Ros will be joined by the Wordless Music Orchestra at the Anthem (901 Wharf St., S.W.) on Wednesday, Sept. 25th. They’re continuing their 2023 tour in support of “Atta,” their first LP of original music in a decade. Frontman Jonsi is gay. Tickets are $60.50-173.50 for this seated show.
Troye Sivan brings the “Sweat Tour” with Charli XCX (co-headlining) to Baltimore at the CFG Bank Arena (201 West Baltimore St.) on Thursday, Sept. 26th at 7:30 p.m. It’s sold out. The latter is touring behind her 2024 album “Brat.” The former is touring behind his 2023 album “Something to Give Each Other.” Sivan is gay and has performed at Capital Pride.
Cyndi Lauper brings her “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun Farewell Tour” to Capital One Arena (601 F St., N.W.) on Sunday, Oct. 27 at 7 p.m. Tickets range from $29-179. It’s her first solo arena stateside tour since her ’86-’87 “True Colors World Tour.” Lauper is a longtime and avid LGBTQ ally.
St. Vincent brings her “All Born Screaming Tour” to the Anthem (901 Wharf St., S.W.) on Friday, Sept. 13th at 8 p.m. Tickets are $55-95. A Variety review called it “minimalist” and said “with no video screens, backup singers or sketches, and a lot of electric guitar, it’s the purest distillation of St. Vincent we’ve had on stage in quite a few years.” Anne Erin Clark (aka St. Vincent) doesn’t identify as anything sexually but has mostly dated women in recent years.
Kristin Chenoweth and Alan Cumming play Wolf Trap (1551 Trap Rd., Vienna, Va.) on Friday, Sept. 13 at 8 p.m. Individual sets are planned, but there will likely be a duet or two. Tickets are $29.
Out singer/songwriter Perfume Genius brings his “Too Bright 10th Anniversary Tour” to The Atlantis (2047 9th St., N.W.) on Monday, Sept. 16. This highly limited run will only play six dates in five cities. Mike Hadreas (aka Perfume Genius) will perform his 2014 album in its entirety. It’s sold out.
Meghan Trainor brings “The Timeless Tour” to Jiffy Lube Live (7800 Cellar Door Dr., Bristol, Va.) on Tuesday, Sept. 17th at 6:30 p.m. She’s touring behind her album of the same name released earlier this year. Tickets are $33-155. No lawn seats available for this show.
Queer-affirming gospel singer Amy Grant (who also had a decent pop chart run in the ’90s) brings her fall tour to The Birchmere (3701 Mt. Vernon Ave., Alexandria, Va.) on Thursday, Sept. 19 at 7:30 p.m. As she’s done on tour with previous re-releases, Grant could include more songs than usual from her 1994 “House of Love” album, which was just released in an expanded edition and on LP for the first time. Tickets are $95.
Sara Bareilles, a self-described LGBTQ ally, joins the NSO Pops for a three-night stint at the Kennedy Center (2700 F St., N.W.) on Sept. 24-26 at 8 p.m. each night. It’s sold out.
Billie Eilish brings her “Hit Me Hard and Soft: the Tour” to CFG Bank Arena (201 West Baltimore St.) in Baltimore on Friday, Oct. 4 at 7 p.m. Her album of the same name dropped in March. Although she’s mostly dated guys publicly, Eilish identifies as bi. It’s sold out.
Queer artist Meshell Ndegeocello plays the Strathmore (5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda, Md.) on Saturday, Oct. 5 at 8 p.m. Her show is dubbed “No More Water: the Gospel of James Baldwin” and is billed as a tribute event to the legendary Black gay writer. A pre-concert event, “The Gospel of Meshell Ndegeocello” is free but advanced registration is required. Tickets for the concert are $28-74.
Former Capital Pride headliner Betty Who (“queer/bi” herself) brings her “An Acoustic Evening in Celebration of 10 years of TMWYG” to the Lincoln Theatre (1215 U St., N.W.) on Wednesday, Oct. 9 at 9 p.m. Tickets are $55. It’s a nod to her 2014 debut album “Take Me When You Go.”
Justin Timberlake brings his “Forget Tomorrow World Tour” to Capital One Arena (601 F St., N.W.) on Sunday, Oct. 13. This seventh headlining concert tour (and first in five years) supports his 2024 sixth album “Everything I Thought it Was.” Reviews for the tour have been strong; the setlist looks career-spanning and generous. It’s sold out.
Gay-helmed Pink Martini with China Forbes and Ari Shapiro plays the Kennedy Center (2700 F St., N.W.) on Monday, Oct. 14 at 7 p.m. Tickets are $40-80.
’80s pop sensation Debbie Gibson brings her “Acoustic Youth: Songs & Stories from Electric Youth Era” to the Birchmere (3701 Mt. Vernon Ave., Alexandria, Va.) on Wednesday, Oct. 16. Tickets are $59.50. Gibson is celebrating her 1989 album “Electric Youth,” her second. She’ll accompany herself on piano playing the songs “the way I first wrote them.”
DJ/producer Diplo, who says he’s “not not gay,” plays Echostage (2135 Queens Chapel Road, N.E.) on Saturday, Oct. 19 at 9 p.m. Walker and Royce join. Tickets are $60.
Motown diva Diana Ross brings her “Beautiful Love Performances Legacy Tour” to MGM National Harbor (101 MGM National Ave., Oxon Hill, Md.) on Oct. 24-25 at 8 p.m. Except for adding a couple cuts from her abysmal 2021 album “Thank You” (her latest), her setlist has not changed much in 15 years. She’s a little better about performing Supremes songs than she was earlier in her career (for ages, they were crammed into one medley), but she still heavily favors her solo material. Tickets start at $102.
“The Life and Music of George Michael” comes to the National Theatre (1321 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W.) on Friday, Oct. 25 at 8 p.m. Hard to tell from promo material if this is a typical jukebox musical-type show or more like a tribute band concert for the late gay singer. Tickets are $55.
“Sapphic Factory: Queer Joy Party” is at 9:30 Club (815 V St., N.W.) on Friday, Oct. 25 at 10 p.m. It’s slated to feature music by artists such as Mana, Chappell Roan, Fletcher, Phoebe Bridges, Kehlani, Rina Sawayama, boygenius, Kim Petras, Tegan and Sara and more. Tickets are $23.
Kacey Musgraves brings her “Deeper Well World Tour” to CFG Bank Arena (201 West Baltimore St.) on Saturday, Nov. 9 at 7:30 p.m. It supports her sixth studio album, released in March. The setlist morphed slightly over a spring run in Europe. It’s sold out.
Soul diva Gladys Knight plays the Hall at Live! (7002 Arundel Mills Circle) in Hanover, Md., on Sunday, Nov. 17th at 7:30 p.m. Knight, who hasn’t had a new album out in a decade, tends to be fairly generous with her classic Motown- and Buddha-era hits with the Pips in approximately 75-minute sets. Tickets start at $95.
(Joey DiGuglielmo was variously the Blade’s news and features editor from 2006-2020.)
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