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Legendary songstress Patti LaBelle recently did a lengthy interview with Michigan-based weekly LGBT publication, Pride Source – and spoke on several subjects that are close to her heart.
The 73 year old diva who released her most recent studio album earlier in May this year, can still sing circles around most – and does not mind highlighting it as a matter of fact.
Miss LaBelle’s extensive peace with the Weekly, featured her answering questions relating to not wanting to be termed a “diva”, her LGBT fan base, singers who lip-sync all the time and the infamous incident of a fan putting his pants down on her stage.
Patti does not hold back and is pretty cool about it all.
Read a few excerpts from the lovable songbird’s interview here:
Last time we had a gay press chat it was shortly before you had me twerkin’ on your stage here in Detroit. I still can’t believe you let me do that. What’s the craziest thing a gay fan has done on your stage?
Gosh, I don’t really know! Maybe you! I know I’ve had a lot of gay men on my stage during “Lady Marmalade” and they go way out because once they’re up there they say, “I’m here with Ms. Patti’s microphone and I’m gonna wear it out.” I’ve had so many do so many things that I can’t tell you specifically one.
I don’t know if he was gay, but in Vancouver last year, a fan got frisky on your stage and…
Showed me his ass?
Is that what he did?
Yeah! He mooned me! Because he came up and I was looking at him through the whole show and I said, “Oh, he’s an enthusiastic fan,” right? I try to look at the people that I’m gonna bring up, so I brought him up thinkin’ he was cool. He did his little shake and then turned around and pulled his pants down. I had on high pumps. I kicked that ass.
You even called him a “bitch.”
I did! I did use a curse word. And I felt so bad. He took me to that limit. I said, “How could he take me there?” And they had it on TMZ or whatever. I said, “It’s true.” Gotta protect myself. (Laughs)
Do you pay attention to the memes and GIFs of you throwing shade that people love to share on the internet?
Yeah, I see them. And you know what, I’m honored! (Laughs) And whenever I see something that’s not totally positive about me, I say, “God, at least they thought about me.” It’s really the way to look at these situations. But at the end of the day I know who I really am… and that’s a cool chick! (Laughs)
Three years ago you told me you don’t call yourself a diva because “all these little heifers who can’t sing are called divas.” But then, after that interview, you did VH1’s “Divas Holiday: Unsilent Night” last year and then “Daytime Divas” this year. Now, Ms. Patti, I feel like you’re sending me mixed signals here.
(Laughs) No – no, mixed signals! If I do “Daytime Divas,” which I did, and if I did “Divas” the concert, of course, I’m gonna be in it, but I’m not saying, “I’m a diva.” People look to me and may see me as a diva and that’s a compliment to those who think it’s a compliment. Like I said, Lena Horne and Dinah Washington and all those beautiful dolls back in the day, they were divas. These little divettes walking around – I don’t wanna put myself in the same sentence with some of these little kids. So, I’m not a diva; just a singin’ fool.
Regarding “Bel Hommage”: If there’s ever an album that pays homage to you the way you pay homage to artists such as Nina Simone and Frank Sinatra on this album, who would get your blessing to cover your songs?
Oh, I would give Fantasia blessings. And Ledisi. The little singing girls. The ones who can really, really sing.
What does it mean to you to be able to “really, really sing”?
Someone who can sing without someone in the studio tweaking what they just sang because it was so flat or whatever. Sing straight out in the studio, record without all those little gimmicks. Some of them are lucky because they end up selling a lot of music, but a singer is a person who goes out there and throws down. Just get on a microphone and sing. Phyllis Hyman was that girl.
Would you still regard a “singer” as someone who can throw down in the studio but lip-syncs live?
Oh, a lot of them lip-sync. But they lip-sync and they do it so well you can’t tell that they’re doing it. But I can always tell. I can always tell. I’ve never done that.
What gives them away?
Their mouths sometimes miss the movement! (Laughs) Your mouth should be making a certain movement when you sing a certain note, and they miss sometimes. But that’s what they do for a living. I don’t do that.
So we’ve got Fantasia – who else is on this covers album?
Ledisi, Andra Day, Emeli Sande and Leela James – my god, that girl can sing. I love these ladies.
You can read the complete interview on PrideSource.