First published on lifelounge.com
Erykah Badu might not be a prolific artist – she's released five albums since 1997 – but she's a testament to the 'quality, not quantity' theory. Often described as the First Lady of Neo-Soul, Badu isn't categorised so easily. The woman bounces all over soul, jazz, hip hop, funk, rock, neo-soul and everything in-between and is impossible to pin down. She's barely comparable, in the best possible way. And, apparently, if you look her in the eyes you fall in love immediately and start wearing crochet pants. Katie Olsen spoke with the goddess ahead of her Australian tour. Here's an abridged version:
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Ms Erykah Badu, how are you?
I’m exquisite. How are you?
I’m very well. I feel pretty honoured to speak with you.
[Laughs] You’re welcome!
We should start with your most recent album – New Amerykah Part Two: Return of the Ankh – how are you feeling about it now that it’s had some time to settle?
I think it’s brilliant. It’s beautiful. It captured a moment that I was living in so perfectly and, um… love it. And I’m happy I had the opportunity to share it on so large of a platform… I’m grateful.
When you perform your songs, do you find yourself even more connected with them when you get to see the audience and how they react?
Yeah. Absolutely, it’s the feedback that I love. I travel eight months out of the year for the past thirteen years. And it’s that moment when the audience and myself and the band become one living, breathing organism that I really live for. It’s beautiful. It’s beautiful.
On that tip, you’ve said before that you don’t perform with a strict set list – would it be correct to think that the way that you write and perform your music is an organic extension of yourself or is it more planned than it seems?
Both. The process is very much organic, you know? To have an outline is structure, but what happens inside of that outline is the art. You know, the frame is just to kind of create a basic outline of what we feel the audience will like and then inside the frame; that’s where we explore one another. As musicians and as an audience and connect with the songs.
We usually see you as a singer and songwriter, but you also write all the treatments for your videos and direct some of them too. Are there any other hidden talents of yours that the public mightn’t know about?
Hundreds.
Will you name a couple?
Hundreds of thousands. [laughs]
[Laughs] OK, so I’m sure there are millions and our brief time won’t suffice.
Millions of thousands! Aah... any form of art. Just name any form of art; it comes very natural to me and, you know, that’s the reason a lot of people – when they say a ‘gift’ they really mean that in the true sense of the word, because it’s an effortless thing. You know? Painting is an effortless thing to me, DJing is an effortless thing to me, make-up is an effortless thing, hair and stylin’ and clothes and b-girlin’ and… nails, cooking… healing.
People have described you as a diva, the First Lady of neo-soul - which you said isn’t really accurate - and you’re known as Fat Belly Bella, Lowdown Loretta Brown, Medulla Oblongata, Sarah Bellum – I’m sure that I’m missing some. I was wondering if there were any words that describe Erykah Badu perfectly, or are you the accumulation of all these alter-egos?
Combined… And a lot more.
I was reading on your Twitter just recently about the role that media plays – specifically the celebrity media – in reporting about people in ways that are insensitive and as though they aren’t real. Does Twitter make you feel closer to your fans – so they can understand you better and more directly – but also sometimes too close to you detractors?
Yeah. You know. But after each show I have a meet and greet and I’ve been doing it for 13 years and the audience comes backstage and we talk. We talk about what’s going on in that city, what’s going on in the world, in our hearts, in our minds, in our spirits, and that’s when I get to know the people and they get to know me. And it’s been happening for a very long time. I feel connected that way and I also feel connected social networking – because they real people, they’re not pretend people, even if they’re hiding behind, you know, a digital alias. And I enjoy social networking a lot, I feel the social networking is social evolution. We get to really evolve and share as people.
I think that people see you as a very spiritual and almost mystical person, you often refer to nature and the planets and energies, but – if I’m right – you don’t ascribe to a particular religion. I was wondering, what do you believe in whole-heartedly?
What I believe in whole-heartedly is that people want to be loved and acknowledged and needed. So however they go about getting whatever they need to connect with the higher part of themselves is what…it’s just what they need. I understand human beings.
On much lighter note, there are a lot of pretty great stories about how if a man looks you directly in the eyes he falls in love immediately and starts wearing crochet pants and carrying man-purses. ?uestlove joked about how he’s nervous to look you in the eye for more than five seconds. I was wondering is that a misconception that you find amusing or one of many that you don’t really pay attention to?
It’s true, girl.
[Laughs] As soon as I said the word ‘misconception’, I thought ‘wait a second, idiot!' – so, I’m obviously very wrong.
Women too... Everybody. Everybody is so much in love with me every time they look at me. [laughs]
You know what? I don’t doubt it right now… I think I’m falling in love with you, albeit aurally.
Well, I think that’s a good thing! I’ve heard worse things. Honestly, I don't know where that first came from. I assure you.
I’m sure this isn’t a misconception: you seem to be a very strong woman. Where do you draw that power from?
Ah… My mother.
You said once that you have five mothers.
Yeah, because I didn’t have a father at home or a grandfather. So my experience is a matriarchal kind of experience. A goddess experience, a 'queendom' experience… That’s where I get my strength.
Katie Olsen @ lifelounge.com
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Erykah Badu is touring Australia as part of the Good Vibrations Festival, alongside Nas and Damian Marley, Faithless, Kelis, Ludacris, Phoenix and more.
GOOD VIBRATIONS - 2011
Saturday, February 12th: Centennial Park, Sydney.
Sunday, February 13th: Flemington Racecourse, Melbourne.
Saturday, February 19th: Parklands, Gold Coast.
Sunday, February 20th: Claremont Showground, Perth
goodvibrationsfestival.com.au.