Shes only 32, but Grace Potter is a journeywoman.
For her first solo record sans the Nocturnals, Potter is reinventing her aesthetic with modern pop in mind.
Music needs to move forward, she says when she connects withEWto discussMidnight, which drops Aug. 14.
Credit: Stephen J. Cohen/Getty Images
You have to be a part of the conversation if you want to change the conversation.
I think its the most entertaining record Ive ever made.
Potter shared how Tina Turner (and a mop!)
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: Your past albums have been rooted in rock and soul, butMidnighthas a more pop sound.
GRACE POTTER:Its got to do with growing up in the late 80s and early 90s.
My mom would make playlists and clean the house.
The mop would become Tina Turners wig, which would become my hair.
I still love sweeping the floor and singing into the top of the mop.
This is my opportunity to express those influences that have always been inside me.
Even though its not the same kind of throwback, theres an element of throwback in what Im doing.
From Lionel Richie to the Cars to the Animals, its all in thereits just hiding.
You nail these pop songs.
How do you thinkMidnightcompares to your previous work?
I admire pop stars and theres parts of that world Im glad I dont have to go through.
It takes a lot of work to do the things they do.
Youve cited James Brown and The Band as some of your influences.
What were the touchstones you drew on while recordingMidnight?
I thought this was going to be a Nocturnals record.
I was listening to C&C Music Factory and the Byrds and Bruce Springsteen.
Those are influences that make themselves more apparentbut Tina Turner is still alive and well in my music.
[laughs] I cant really get away from her.
Its very, very much a personal piece.
I was born at midnight, so thats why the record is calledMidnight.
Weird recordingsI like to listen to field recordings Alan Lomax made.
Is your backing group the Nocturnals still together?
The Nocturnals are still alive and well within my touring act.
The live show is always the thing.
Youve opened for rockers like Robert Plant and The Rolling Stones.
What did you learn from those gigs?
Between last summer and this summer it was Robert Plant, the Rolling Stones, and Neil Young.
Some of my all-time heroes!
I definitely absorbed knowledge about how to perform.
As performers we become time-release capsules of energy and effervescence.
How does Mick still do it?
A lot of work goes into it.
I am a very sexual person.
I cant stop that part of myself, it exudes from every pore of my body.
I am comfortable with my sexuality, with how I want it to translate through the music.
Thats what music is there for in many ways, this erotic conversation between the audience and the performer.
And that reminds you of Robert Plant?
[Plant and Jagger] do that.
[Theyre] time-release capsules.
You cant throw it all out there at once.
My heroes, like Mavis Staples, are engines that run all night long.
No two performers do it alike, but the best performers all last together.
They find a way to last and to maintain the integrity of the performance from night to night.
Hes definitely just rocking.
I hope to do the same.
When I hear Bowie on the radio, I think it sounds like a lot of modern music.
I want the same things that they wanted, but have to go about it in different ways.
You have to acknowledge that the world has changed.
Music needs to move forward.
You have to be a part of the conversation if you want to change the conversation.
Thats a stupid waste of time!
Im still young enough and Im still ambitious enough to be a part of that conversation.
Its worth it to try.
Definitely risky, but fun.
A version of this story appeared inEntertainment Weeklyissue #1375, on newsstands Friday, July 31.
