2024-03-26 07:35:49
Former Motown queen, now living legend: Diana Ross isn’t done yet on her big birthday.
New York.
At a time when there is a lot of debate in the USA about the age at which one can still be president, soul icon Diana Ross is preparing for a series of big performances.
For her it is very clear: Even at 80 – Ross’s birthday today – she can headline a festival in the summer. For today’s superstars, the diva is still a role model and duet partner.
Signed to Motown label
Ross was born in 1944 in Detroit, the industrial metropolis in Michigan, where the famous Motown label was also based. The record company became known through artists such as Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder and The Temptations, who together shaped a distinctive sound. In her youth, Ross and three other young women formed the group The Primettes, later renamed The Supremes.
After more than two decades with Motown, Ross left the label and moved to RCA, where she had great success with the hit album “Why Do Fools Fall In Love.” The album “Silk Electric” was also successful, for whose single “Muscles” none other than the then up-and-coming Michael Jackson was responsible.
As the late ’80s progressed, however, Ross found it increasingly difficult to sell her albums and sought a new path by returning to Motown and focusing on pop standards and disco hits. However, the attempt to build on the glory days of the Supremes and revive the band proved to be less than successful. After the turn of the millennium at the latest, things became quieter around the Grammy winner and recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom – she didn’t release any new songs for over 15 years. Until 2021. The corona pandemic made the musician write, rehearse and record again. The result: the album “Thank You” – a mixture of fresh sound and life’s work feeling.
Songs with Taylor Swift and Lana Del Rey
Ross called it an “album of love” at the time, complete with soulful lyrics and danceable arrangements. The importance Diana Ross still plays in the music world is also reflected in who she brought on board for the 13 songs: Taylor Swift, Lana Del Rey and Lorde as well as star producer Jack Antonoff.
And Ross continues to appear on stage with big names, for example at the “Fool in Love” festival in California at the end of August. As a headliner, her appearance there will be a “gift,” she recently wrote on the X platform. She is grateful that she can give something back to so many people. And their fans are also likely to hope for a reunion at the performance: Lionel Richie also appears at the festival – and with him Ross finally sang the duet hit “Endless Love” in 1981. (dpa)
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