If you look at the history of pop music, there aren’t a ton of people who, as they get older, don’t end up becoming legacy acts or chasing trends. But are there people who forged a trail that looks comfortable to go down? Tony Bennett forged the trail that means the most to me. Tony always used to tell me, “Just stick with quality, kid.” That made me feel so happy and safe: that if I leaned into my artistry, I didn’t have to be afraid. That’s a lot of what this album is for me. I just leaned into my musicianship. I told myself whatever happens over the next 20 years, 30 years of your career, you’re always going to be a musician, and you’re always going to be an artist, and you can always work at it. I’ve definitely arrived at a place where achieving world domination into my 90s is not what makes me tick. This idea of winning, I don’t know if that’s synonymous with great music.
Might you have a different attitude if you hadn’t already won? I ask myself that question pretty often, actually. Like, how would I look at this differently? Am I thinking about this the right way? There’s just noise sometimes, and pressure. But the person that puts the most pressure on me is me. Sometimes I have to warn myself to do something at 70 percent because 100 is going to bang you up. I’m getting ready for Coachella, and I’m so, so excited, but I’ve definitely lost sleep a whole bunch of nights, and it’s because I want to do a great job. If there’s a time and a date where you can make the public smile, from 11 p.m. to 1 in the morning on this day, I want to make it happen.
At the Grammys, I think you were the only musician who said something in your acceptance speech explicitly in support of trans rights. Is there a political aspect to your mission as an artist in 2025? I’m not interested in being famous to stand for nothing. It’s a privilege to stand with people that are so amazing. I’m in awe of the trans community, and I’m in awe of the L.G.B.T.Q.+ community, and I have been since I was really young. If you win an award, you have 45 seconds to speak while the world is listening, and I wanted to say something that matters to the people that I care about. I’m not a trans person, but I try to imagine what it would feel like to wake up living in America and living in the world right now. Being supportive, being kind, we can’t whisper about these things. We have to say them out loud.
Kindness is hugely underrated. Do you have thoughts about how we might encourage it? I’m not an authority on kindness, but my thoughts are it’s not just about what you put on your Instagram. It’s about how you live your life. It’s about how you have conversations with people, who you make an effort to be friends with, to understand the stories of others. How do you make sure that systems are operating in inclusive ways and ways that celebrate people? It can’t just be when people are watching. You’ve got to be kind all the time.