WHITE PARTY 2015
“It is achance for me to get tosing in front of themost lovingcrowds I could
ever play in front of. I love all mygay fans.” Rimes, who is now 32, is also one of the few country
western singers who has spoken out in support of the LGBT community. She performed with the Gay Men’s Chorus of Los Angeles in 2010 and soon after wrote: “I believe in equality for everyone. I believe everyone should have the right to love and commit to whom- ever they want. In God’s eyes, we are all the same.” Her appearance at White Party Palm Springs on
Sunday, April 26 will serve as her latest step in sup- port of our community. Rimes graciously chatted with me about her life and achievements, thus far.
How do you feel to be making your White Party debut? How did it come about? I am so excited to be a part of this year’s White Party!
It is a chance for me to get to sing in front of the most loving crowds I could ever play in front of. I love all my gay fans. How could I say no? Can you share a sneak peek of your performance with our readers? I love surprises, so, you’ll just have to wait and see!
I can guarantee though that we’ll be playing some of my older hits, some of my remixes that make you want to get up and dance and some covers of my favorite artists, as well. You’ve been a vocal and visible supporter of LGBT equality for several years, for which we thank you. What led or inspired you to become a supporter? I strongly believe that everyone should have the
right to love whomever they choose and that was something I knew very early on in life. I was luckily given a platform at a very young age to try and help promote equality. The LGBT community is a dedi- cated fan base and have been some of my biggest supporters throughout my career! I assume (and please, correct me if I’m wrong) that you were raised in a fairly conservative environment, given your upbringing in Mississippi and Texas. Have you encountered any opposition from family or friends, given your pro-LGBT stance? If so, how have you dealt with it? The opposition I have found in my life has had nothing to do with the LGBT community (laughs)! I spent most of my upbringing on the road, so, thank- fully, I was able to meet a lot of different people and be exposed to a number of different ways of thinking. It is because of that life, that I have been able to be such an avid supporter of the LGBT community. My
uncle was gay. He passed away from AIDS when I was young. I was very close to him and feel our relation- ship drove me to be very vocal about my passion for equality. I really admire your ability to move easily between country, pop, rock, inspirational and religious songs and even Broadway show tunes. Have you received any criticism from your early fans for “crossing over” from your country western roots? All great artists evolve and challenge themselves
throughout their careers and I take pride in finding inspiration from all genres of music. I think it may have been a surprise, for some of my earlier fans to see my music on the Top 40 charts. But, overall, my fans have been amazing in that they continue to fol- low me wherever I go! You have often mentioned Patsy Cline as a musical influence as well as gay faves Barbra Streisand and Judy Garland. Who have been some others? Are there any current performers you particularly like or admire? I adore Adele; I’m a massive David Gray fan, with
whom I just recorded a duet, “Snow In Vegas.” I’m just a fan of great music, an emotional point of view and gut-wrenching performances. What do you think of the recent trend of gay and lesbian country singers coming out publicly (for example Ty Hern- don, Billy Gilman, Chely Wright, Steve Grand and Brandy Clark)? Were you aware any of them were gay before they announced it? I am so unbelievably proud of anyone who is brave enough to accept their true selves and I am lucky to call so many of these amazing people, friends. It’s
funny to hear that question, like I should be shocked when I heard of them “coming out.” I have been a friend with Ty for a number of years and I already knew he was gay. I am just ecstatic that he felt com- fortable enough to come out to the masses. You have released a couple of albums of songs you’ve found personally inspiring. Are there other, more recent songs in this vein that you one day hope to record? In a good way, I kind of opened up a can of worms
on my last album Spitfire. Starting with the album Family, I began to really open up my soul as a song- writer with songs like “What I Cannot Change” and “Family.” With Spitfire, I went so much further with the gut-wrenching honesty. Life happened and I think I had two choices, bare it all or hide it. There was no hiding it for me. I wear everything on my sleeve, so I would have been beyond lying, if I didn’t let myself just go there. Writing a song like “Borrowed” changed my life. It forever changed the way I approach song- writing. Everything that comes out of me now, as an artist, is authentic and as honest as you can get. It’s a beautiful, cathartic place to write and live from. This past Christmas, you released the first part of an in- tended three-part holiday EP. How are those coming along? What are some of the songs you plan to include in future installments? We just started recording the new Christmas
record. Christmas in March is a bit strange (laughs). There are a few original songs I have co-written and some classics too. I love to mess with the arrange- ments a bit and make them mine. I’m collaborating with a couple of great artists too. You’ll have to wait a bit longer for me to reveal anything else, but it’s going to be great. Like most artists today, it seems, you’ve had your share of professional and personal controversies in the past. Is there anything that has proven particularly helpful to you in navigating those that could benefit other artists or people in general? Don’t read any comment section of any website or
social media feed ever! (Laughs) I think it is important to be confident in and proud of who you are and to remember that a lot of the negativity that can sur- round you, doesn’t have anything to do with you. It is about the person at the other end of the hate. I try and remember that every time someone says or writes something that may hurt my feelings. Maybe those people are going through something in their lives personally and you’re just an easy target. It helps to put those types of comments in perspective. In closing, is there anything special you would like to say to your LGBT fans or want them to know? Just that I am so thankful for your continued love
and support and if you are able to make it to the White Party on Sunday—I cannot wait to give you one hell of a good show!
APRIL 2015 | RAGE monthly 35
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64