Musician and performance artist Peaches is at it again and this time she does herself. Originally from Canada the songstress has always been innovative with her tunes from programming and playing her own instruments to gender bending lyrics that are not just in the listener’s ears but in theirs face.
She has worked with artists such as Christina Aguilera and Iggy Pop. Her tracks have been feature on many movies and television shows while the GLAAD Awards have continually recognized her for achievements by nominating her.
Peaches Does Herself, her film project will be featured in the annual CIMM Festival in Chicago where she wrote, directed, and starred in the film. It’s the story of a young woman inspired by a 65-year old stripper who then falls in love with a transgender person on the path to self-discovery.
Nunn went all the way to Berlin, Gemany to chat with her at an Asian restaurant one evening.
Jerry Nunn: Hi, Peaches. How did your film Peaches Does Herself come together?
Peaches: There’s a theater in Berlin that does a lot of great productions. The guy that ran the theater for the last ten years, which has changed over now, approached me and wanted me to do a production because he saw how theatrical I was in all of my shows. The first thing that came out of my mouth was Peaches Christ Superstar. He said, “Just do it and what else do you have?” So I thought about it and wanted to give myself some sort of tenth anniversary present. So I decided to take 22 songs and turn it into a narrative. The challenge was to make it a narrative without conversation.
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Singer Janis Ian started performing in the ‘70s and is still continues to this day. She has won two Grammy Awards for her song “At Seventeen” and the second most recently for Best Spoken Word Album for her autobiography Society’s Child. The competition was fierce with Bill Clinton, Michelle Obama, Ellen Degeneres and Rachel Maddow all in the same category but Ian persevered.
The out and proud lesbian lyricist is heading out on tour and will be in Skokie this month.
Jerry Nunn: Hello, Janis. I see a Tennessee number on my caller ID.
Janis Ian: I live in Nashville. I have lived here 25 years.
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Canadian Lucas Silveira lead singer for The Cliks is coming out in a big way with a new album entitled Black Tie Elevator. This time out they are leaning towards a soulful blues sound being produced by Hill Kourkoutis from Toronto.
Founded by Silveira in 2004 The Cliks are still going strong. The group is the first to be signed by a major record label with an open trans man as the leader. There have been several lineup changes with Silveira remaining the focal point playing on the True Colors tour and appearing on the L Word Soundtrack in the past.
We talked by phone to ChartAttack.com’s elected Sexiest Canadian Man.
Jerry Nunn: Hi, Lucas. Tell me about yourself. What is your nationality?
Lucas Silveira: I was born in Canada but my parents are Portuguese. I call myself a Portuguese Canadian even though that is not necessarily where I was born although I did live there for about six years when I was a kid from ages six to ten. I have a deep attachment to my roots.
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Canadian singer Deborah Cox started at a very young age singing in commercials then became a back up vocalist for Celine Dion. She moved to LA and was signed by Clive Davis to Arista Records where her single “Nobody’s Supposed to Be Here” took over the dance charts. She followed that with more chart successes “Absolutely Not” from Dr. Dolittle 2 and “Same Script, Different Cast” with Whitney Houston. To date she has had 11 number one hits on Billboard’s dance charts.
She made her Broadway debut in Aida, the Elton John-Tim Rice musical and continues that talent with a national tour of Jekyll & Hyde starring as Lucy. American Idol star and Tony Award nominee Constantine Maroulis joins her for this new production making a quick stop in Chicago before it arrives on Broadway.
We talked to Cox about Whitney, Constantine and the Obamas while headed into town.
Jerry Nunn: Hey, Deborah. Everyone is excited about you coming to town.
Deborah Cox: I am too. Chicago is a great town. I have been there a number of times but it will be nice to spend two weeks there. Every time I have been there it has always been in and out.
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Mexican singer Thalía has risen to become one of the most successful artists of all time. Her projects have included selling over 40 million albums worldwide along with acting in telenovelas watched by over two billion people. This year she will be honored by a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame to spotlight this prestigious career.
From her humble beginnings in Mexico City she performed at a young age quickly rising to fame with the group Timberiche and has not stopped since.
She brought her intimate tour in support of Habitame Siempre to The Vic Theatre recently and we talked to her about it and home life.
Jerry Nunn: Hi, Thalía. How excited are you about coming back to Chicago?
Thalía: I’m very excited! Seriously it has been too long.
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Australian DJ and singer Havana Brown is constantly touring with major acts such as Britney Spears, Rihanna, Chris Brown and Enrique Iglesias. Her single “We Run the Night,” with a little help from Cuban rapper Pitbull, was not only a huge hit in her part of the world but reached number one on the Hot Dance Club Songs chart as well as number 26 on the US Billboard Hot 100.
Here first EP When the Lights Go Out was released last year to strong sales. She is bringing those tunes headlining the 23rd anniversary of Club Skirt Dinah Shore Weekend in Palm Springs, California in April.
We caught up to her on the road to learn more about the Aussie talented beauty.
Jerry Nunn: Hi, Havana. Where in the world are you calling in from?
Havana Brown: I’m in LA.
JN: Did you make the big move out there permanently?
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Rising star De’Borah burst into the public eye on the television show The Voice for season three with a unique look and story.
The Chicago native came out of the closet to her family and the world capturing a lot of attention in the process. Now she comes out again with a debut single “Coming Out Looking Good.” This freshly released single on Liquid Spins features fierce vocals that show a big range. Produced by WuLi Records here in Chicago she keeps things down home.
We met at a coffee shop in Andersonville to find out the real story behind the music.
Jerry Nunn: Hey, De’Borah. Where are you from?
De’Borah: I grew up in the Rosemont area in Chicago around 102nd then I migrated through a couple of suburbs before landing in Chicago Heights.
JN: Are you still there?
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