25 years after debut album, Macy Gray takes to the road, stopping in Spokane along the way
As Macy Gray brings the anniversary tour of her multi-platinum debut album to Spokane, she reflects on the life-changing record and what it means to her today.
Gray released the 25-year-old, critically acclaimed record “On How Life Is” at a pivotal point in her life. At age 28, she was nearing her 30s, had signed a record deal, and was trying to navigate the nuances of life while continuing to evolve.
“It’s that moment in your life when you’re trying to grow up and you think you know stuff, but then you find out you really don’t,” Gray said. “I think it’s a moment we all go through, and I think that’s why it connected so well.”
“Connected well” is one way of putting it. “On How Life Is” went to the Top 5 on the Billboard charts and has sold millions of copies to the point of being a multi-platinum record.
To say Gray simply never expected any of it may be an understatement. At the time, she was looking to create a different sound than the typical R&B, neo-soul genre. In fact, she thought the label was mistaken for believing in the platinum single “I Try” being a “big song.”
“I wanted to be in the club, I wanted to do upbeat records and stuff like that,” Gray said. “I wasn’t expecting what happened at all … I was just excited to have a record deal finally and to put a little bit of money in my pocket. I had a little money for the first time, and that was really it.”
Gray’s life was soon turned upside-down. Seemingly out of nowhere, her day-to-day living circumstances changed dramatically, and globetrotting was no longer a dream.
“It’s a complete, complete change,” Gray said. “You can’t really go through that and things be the same as they were before.”
Now, two and a half decades later, singing these songs night after night on the anniversary tour, Gray can’t help but reminisce on the good (and the bad) that she still remembers so well. Sometimes Gray ponders the things she could have done differently or the people she is no longer in touch with, but she also recalls the most pivotal and even minute details.
“I remember the moments I was excited by, I remember the moments that I wrote it,” Gray said. “I remember everything about that record honestly.”
Gray will continue to revisit “On How Life Is” when she comes through Spokane and performs at the Bing Crosby Theater on Friday.
During the show, Gray and the band will play the entire 10-track record, front to back, for an energetic live experience.
“We just have a ball; it’s like the best night ever,” Gray said. “The goal is always to make people feel better after they leave and put a smile on people’s faces. We’ve gotten really, really good at that.”