The Grammy-nominated artist talks self-help, shares her own super hot playlist and drops major hints on upcoming book and album.
We were beyond excited to roll out the red carpet for one of our favorites, Mary Lambert. Lounging in the green room of the Turf Club in St. Paul, Minnesota, she gushes about the tour, her favorite music, and her desire to heal the world.
“Once ‘Same Love’ happened, I think I felt almost a civic responsibility,” Lambert says on the mega-hit LGBTQ anthem with Macklemore and Ryan Lewis that led to an epic performance with Madonna at the 2014 Grammy Awards. “I have seen what happens when you have accountability to the world and to humanity and the beauty that can create, and the social change that can happen when you feel connected.”
With her recent Kickstarter-funded EP Bold, Lambert hit the road for the Everybody is a Babe tour delivering lucky cities a queer hug full of body positivity and upbeat pop tunes like “Know Your Name.”
“It’s always fun to do ‘Know Your Name,’ because I dance around and I take my clothes off,” she says. “Not fully take my clothes off, but the cleavage comes out. I’m like, ‘I’m a pop star,’ and I dance around and it’s fun.”
Mary Lambert’s cleavage game is strong. Even though she is not currently dancing, her olive green crop top certainly draws the eyes. However, her beauty is not merely skin-deep. She speaks passionately about what she wants younger generations to know about the bumpy ride to self-actualization.
“I would love to just go and talk to kids and talk about body image and talk about mental health and talk about sexuality in an accessible way that isn’t preachy,” she says. “Your self worth isn’t contingent upon who you attract and your worth isn’t based on your appearance, your weight, and who you’re sleeping with – or if you have a boyfriend or girlfriend.”
With the release of “Same Love,” Lambert signed with, but ultimately departed from a major label, choosing to continue her career as an independent artist.
“I’m on a path and a trajectory that feels really congruent to who I am and what I want to accomplish. I just signed a book deal with Macmillan [publishers] for my poetry, and my manuscript is done. I have three weeks until I turn it in. So that will come out in September.”
After the book, Lambert promises a “dark” follow-up to the Bold EP.
“It’s a full length,” she says on the new record in the works. “It’s a long album. It’s like a concept album. My Bachelor’s degree is in music composition and orchestral work so I’m utilizing my work as a composer and spoken word and I’m just obsessed with it. It’s something I’d listen to, and I don’t listen to any of my other songs. ‘Born Sad,’ which is on the next album, I’ve been performing that for like five years. I wrote it a long time ago but it’s going to be finally coming out on the next record. I’m so excited. I’ve never had a more clear path and I feel so electric about the next two years.”
Keep an eye out for the book, the record, more tours, more healing, and more love from Mary Lambert. In the mean time, we had her curate this month’s list of must-listen artists to keep you company until the spring sun starts shining.
Mary Lambert’s Playlist
“Mal Blum who I am on tour with has a new record that hasn’t been released yet that I can’t stop listening to,” says Lambert. “Oh, and Julien Baker’s new album Turn Out the Lights is really good. Joan Shelley, I am obsessed with her album. Alex Lahey, she’s Australian. I am trying to see her at SXSW. I’m stoked! Sampa the Great, she’s got an album called the Birds and the Bee9. Sylvan Esso. Torres, always. Courtney Marie Andrews has an album I really like. Madeleine Peyroux, always.”
Check out a few of these artists below.
Phoebe Bridgers
Julien Baker
Courtney Marie Andrews
Joan Shelley