She is devoted to Billie Holiday and Nina Simone – her artistic name comes from one of their songs – and some define her as the Grace Jones of jazz, but Lady Blackbird is, above all, one of the sensations of recent times in the world of jazz. The American singer makes her debut in Catalonia this Saturday, in a concert of the Black Music Festival a l’Girona Auditorium for which there are no more tickets left.
He will present his first album there, Black acid soula work applauded by critics and the public that he defines as “a genre in itself”, the result of the fusion of many types of music to create “a complete thing on its own”: “there is a component of darkness, that’s why it’s black; there are elements of psychedelic improvisation, acid, and also a lot of personal, that’s why soul».
It is this personal part that helps her establish bonds with the audience when she sings: “as a woman queer negra, it’s important that my music reflects who I am. Being able to connect with other women like me is a very powerful way to communicate and connect,” she says.
“At the same time, it is clear that in my music there is a freedom that connects with the spirit of the listeneryes my part queer it goes out, it goes out, but it’s never forced,” says the vocalist, whose real name is Marley Munroe.
Dedicated now to jazz, Lady Blackbird he has explored all kinds of musical terrain, such as gospel, rhythm and blues or rock: “music has always been my life, it’s where I live. There are musical memories from my early days and all those who have come so far, it is my DNA”, says the singer, who started singing from childhood in church.
“I performed everywhere my mother could put me: county fairs, weddings, sporting events… I started out doing gospel, but I’ve tried all genres and I love them all», diu.
The before and after in his career, however, has been marked by the project of Black acid sould: «making this album really felt like a new beginning, it was like flying in a new direction and with a new identity»says the interpreter.
The moment he is in now, he says, is “the best reward after a long journey”. “Every time I go on stage or start a tour or have a new opportunity, I feel that all the difficulties, the “no’s” and the disappointments are worth it. Finally, I’m living the dream I’ve had since childhood,” he says.
His first single was a version of Blackbirdthe civil rights song popularized by Nina Simone, and it was listening to how it had turned out someone dubbed her Lady Blackbird. The release of that song coincided with the emergence of the Black Lives Matter movement, but he says it was a “coincidence”: “Blackbird is a song I’ve always liked, it was the first song we did for the ‘album and it set the tone for how the whole work would feel, I think we always responded to that song while creating and recording the album.’
The energy of the live show
Regarding the concert he will offer in Girona, he promises that “it will be beautiful”, with material from the album but also from his new deluxe version.
“The show, like the album, has an element of improvisation, each show is different”, declares Lady Blackbird, who assures that the best thing about live music is “the energy, seeing people, being able to look into their eyes while I sing and the connection”.