It's been nearly 18 years since Macy Gray first struck gold with her breakout single, "I Try." The song itself was irresistibly soulful and heartfelt, with a lyrical sincerity to back it up. But the unquestionable star of the show was Gray herself. Specifically, that voice. Raspy yet smooth and full of wonderful contradictions—jubilant one moment, heartbroken the next.
The initial jolt of her career has carried Gray over the years. She's released eight studio albums since and continues to tour today. Next Friday, June 2, Gray will play Miami Beach's chic Faena Theater. The intimate show will feature cuts from her entire discography, including her most recent album, Stripped, a traditional jazz effort that features original tracks (like the wonderfully tender "The Heart") and mystifying covers of Bob Marley and Metalica.
Before she come to town, we caught up with Gray to talk about her upcoming show, future music, and the NSFW bits of Miami she loves the most.
So what can we expect at the show next Friday?
The show is a mixture of all my records, but we definitely feature the songs from Stripped. I think there's stuff in it from all of my albums. It's pretty wild. It's like a party all night.
This latest album, Stripped, is a really traditional jazz album. Was this something you've been wanting to do for a while?
Yeah. It's something I've been thinking about but haven't gotten around to. Chesky Records came out of nowhere and offered a way to do it and an opportunity to do it. At first I was like: why not? Then I got really excited about it. I really like it. I love the way it came out.
There's a couple of really awesome covers on Stripped but I think one that caught people off guard was Metallica's "Nothing Else Matters." What made you think that track could work in a jazz format?
It's a really great song lyrically. That's one of my favorite things to do. I love great covers. We kind of worked hard on that album to do something completely different with that song. [The song] actually has a lot of jazz chords in it. It has a lot of weird changes and stuff like that that are real typical in jazz music. It wasn't that difficult actually.
Do you get to come to Miami a lot?
No. I used to. I used to come out here all the time, but I haven't in probably a few years.
Anything particular you like to do when you get down to Miami?
Yeah, everything. I love Miami nightlife. The strip clubs are awesome. I like to shop and eat and everything. Miami is an awesome place.
What's your favorite strip club?
Mine is King of Hearts, but I've been hearing about this other one that I'm gonna check out. Don't ask me the name cause I don't—
You mean King of Diamonds?
Yeah, King of Diamonds. See, that's how much I know.
That's a classic. Definitely a must-see in Miami.
Yeah, that's my spot right there.
Have you ever been to the Faena?
I think that's the one I'm suppose to go check out. Is that the strip club?
No, that's the venue you're performing at, the Faena Theater.
[Laughs] Oh, I'm sorry. That's why I knew I heard of it.
So what are you working on right now? Is there a new album on the way?
Yeah, there's a new album coming hopefully by the fall. I'm taking my time with it cause I'm really focused on getting it right and getting the right people to help me make it. Then I'm touring this summer overseas. I'm going to be in Europe all July then we're going to do the states in the fall—so pretty busy.
Anything you can tell me about the new album and its influences?
Right now, it's just a wild album. It has some pretty great songs. I found some of the best producers around. It's just a matter of pulling it all together at this point and making it a body of work instead of just a bunch of songs. We're at that point. But, you know, it's hard to describe music. I couldn't even begin to tell you what it sounds like but it's definitely something you haven't heard yet.
Macy Gray plays the Faena Theater on June 2 at 10pm.
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