It’s been more than 20 years since Chan Marshall, also known as Cat Power, released her debut album ‘Dear Sir’, which was recorded in a small, basement studio in New York.
Since then, she’s released eight more albums establishing herself as one of the singer-songwriter names to be reckoned with, each album achieving greater and greater levels of commercial success. Most recently with 2012’s ‘Sun’. Leading on from the accessible style of 2006’s ‘The Greatest’, the integration of synthesizers to her soulful repertoire felt like a natural progression, giving another dimension to her distinct sound.
As Chan put it to Rip It Up in February 2013: “'Sun’ is the first time I’ve ever felt a sense of pride and accomplishment. Maybe I feel pride when I deliver a good concert maybe ten times a year, and it all makes it worth it, that connection with the universe at that time with everybody there like we’re all in the same house together, movin’ on the same plane.”
Born in Atlanta, Georgia, Chan didn’t have the easiest start to life, being passed around between relatives, growing up in an area of relative poverty. It’s hard to imagine Chan ending up as anything other than a musician with music acting as a gateway out of her situation, enabling her to explore the world outside of the south. “When I grew up my family: my mum, stepdad, dad, everybody I hung out with were in bands or involved in music. So I always had music around and we would go to see bands since I was very small,” Chan told NME in September.
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Not only did ‘Sun’ sell well, but it received significant critical acclaim retaining Chan’s core characteristics with an accessibility that expanded her fan base. There’s a mature retrospective theme to the lyrics throughout 'Sun' that sound older and wiser to the world and what it has to offer, which is in contrast to the album cover with a photo of Chan as a teenager.
Chan explained to The Daily Beast in November: “When I moved to New York in 1992, I had a severe breakup and I cut my hair super-duper short. And that’s the album cover. At first, I just cut all of the damn length off. Four months ago I had a difficult time, not a midlife crisis, like a midlife awesomeness, and during whatever I was going through, I just kept going shorter and shorter. The ‘Cherokee’ video is kind of apocalyptic. I had a Mohawk the summer of seventh grade, but I had never dyed my hair before, so this time I did.”
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Since releasing the album Chan has been biding her time with other things such as recording with Jakob Dylan and narrating a documentary about the life of Janis Joplin, which debuted at the Venice Film Festival this year. More recently a couple of new songs have crept into her live repertoire suggesting a more stripped-back approach to her next release.
There’s an honesty and vulnerability to Chan that has resulted in a turbulent relationship with the press, with her frequently feeling misquoted or sensationalised, prompting her to limit her interaction. So much so that many didn’t even realise she was pregnant until after the birth of her son Boaz last year.
Her career has been a turbulent one with many cancelled performances, and in 2012 she was forced to cancel a European tour after being diagnosed with angioedema, an immune disorder that causes sporadic swelling of the face and throat. Many of her earlier performances were erratic with mumbled monologues breaking up the songs, later attributed to mental exhaustion and alcohol abuse. In many ways, it’s this unpredictability that creates another level of intrigue that makes Chan so much more interesting than many of her peers.
© Stefano GiovanniniChan spoke of her experiences of playing live to Interview Magazine in July 2012: “There was always a lot on my mind. You’re hoping and praying that you and the audience can meet at the same place, some place that’s not here nor there but some 'other' place altogether. It’s real scary when you’re out there by yourself. I wasn’t in a good place.”
In early 2016, Chan returns to Australia to perform a number of shows in theatres across the country, utilising the intimate venues to create a closer bond with the audience. It’s by no means the first time Chan has been to this country, feeling almost like an annual event at this stage. As those who have seen her perform can testify, it’s live that Chan feels she gets the most out of what she does.
As she elegantly put it to Timeout in October: “I've never had the feeling or sensation of growing up having a 'home'. While starting to tour the world 20 years ago, I've been given home and safe places through the friends I've made and the fans who've shown me so much love and acceptance.
“The connection with my fans is the sole reason I am alive and never gave up on myself – my life. This makes me continue feeling confident to tour... so I love to meet my listeners again, up close, with every chance I get.”
Cat Power Tour Dates
Fri 5 Feb - City Recital Hall (Sydney)Sat 6 Feb - Space Theatre (Adelaide)
Mon 8 Feb - Melbourne Recital Hall (Melbourne)
Tue 9 Feb - Melbourne Recital Hall (Melbourne)
Wed 10 Feb - Capital Theatre (Bendigo)
Fri 12 Feb - Brisbane Powerhouse Theatre (Brisbane)
Sat 13 Feb - Star Court Theatre (Lismore)
