Windy City Media Group Frontpage News

THE VOICE OF CHICAGO'S GAY, LESBIAN, BI, TRANS AND QUEER COMMUNITY SINCE 1985

home search facebook twitter join
Gay News Sponsor Windy City Times 2023-12-13
DOWNLOAD ISSUE
Donate

Sponsor
Sponsor
Sponsor

  WINDY CITY TIMES

MUSIC: Sophie B. Hawkins talks LGBTQ+ youth and living an authentic life
by Andrew Pirrotta
2022-11-24

This article shared 2578 times since Thu Nov 24, 2022
facebook twitter pin it google +1 reddit email


In the '90s, singer-songwriter Sophie B. Hawkins made quite an impression on people with the entrancing song "Damn I Wish I Was Your Lover" and its accompanying video. She also had hits such as "Right Beside You" and "As I Lay Me Down."

Before her Dec. 1 concert in Evanston, she talked with Windy City Times on a variety of topics.

Windy City Times: You identify as omnisexual. Could you define that for me? What does that mean to you?

Sophia B. Hawkins: Omnisexual means that my sexuality is not dependent upon your gender or my gender. It's all about creativity. It's not really triggered about what your organs may be or what my organs may be. I've always known this. It's more dependent on a creative spirit and soul connection. Lots of people are coming out at omnisexual now.

WCT: Did you have a coming-out?

SBH: No, I didn't. I didn't think there was a point to coming out. I grew up in Manhattan, where there are lots of kinds of people. My mother was very free and exploratory as an artist and a lover. If anything, being totally straight would have been weird. It was at a time where, in New York, it wasn't an issue. We grew up reading all European literature. We weren't aware of this oppressive, repressive thing that was going on in the rest of the country. And my parents didn't care what I did, so there was no one to come out to.

WCT: What would be your advice for LGBTQ youth?

SBH: The only thing in life that is ever going to make you thrive is being around people who accept you for you. If your own parents don't accept you, you're likely to find abusive people. Because that means you love your parents and you're somehow going carry that on with you, their own hatred that they feel toward themselves. You're going to have abusive relationships. You need to build relationships [with] people who are equal to you. Then take that back to your parents, because I believe that there is always a way, If you come at your parents again and again with love, there's going to be a breakthrough. There is going to be one.

If you have the support, you can do that. It might take years and years. But know that your parent does love you. You can't hate yourself just because they're projecting their own self-hatred. Don't take it on. Don't hate the world. You don't even have to rebel. You just have to find people who are really going to make you be the best. And be aware. I have to say this again: You are going to pick people [who] are going to try and control you and abuse you and reject you because that is what you're trying to heal. And you're trying to heal that with your parent. And when you can't try to heal it with your parent, you'll try and heal it with other people. While you're doing that, you also need friends in a support group. You have to master it. Repeat, repeat, repeat until you get it.

WCT: What was your dispute with Sony like? [Note: A fight with the record label over her third album, Timbre, led Hawkins to establish her own independent label, Trumpet Swan.]

SBH: It was a pivotal time in the music industry, when our whole was world was becoming so corporate. They only cared about answering to shareholders in Japan. By the time we got to my third album, Sony was saying, "Lose the banjo." But the song had this incredible pathos with the banjo. It sounded like a child, like Huckleberry Finn on the raft with Jim. They said that I was too independent as an artist: "You do have lots of hits and we love you, but we need you to work with us." But actually, they were ruining the song. Each producer was worse than the next. [I thought,] "My fans aren't even going to recognize me." I tried and I tried. I'm a diplomat, but I was done. And unlike George Michael, they did give me my masters back. They didn't give them for the first two albums, but they did for the third. They never really paid the artists. They said, "Let's cut our loses and let her go."

WCT: I know you're involved in a lot of causes. What's next on your list?

SBH: It's the same thing. It's the day-to-day problems of life. We really don't want more carbon-dioxide producers, but we know that people need to get to work—especially people without money. What catches my eye is this idea of tribes—this idea of living in harmony against all the human aggressions, the toxins and pollutants. It's about being wise enough to get together and figure out each other's strengths, I told my son, "Going to college isn't necessarily what you want to do. It's about finding your people. It's not about going to the Ivy League and getting materialistic things; it's about finding your people."

This is just an observation, but mostly women are stressed about things—specifically, their children. And I'm a single mom so I know exactly how that is, but mostly men can say, "Relax." You just have to find your people. And I think men know that because that's how men survive the best. And women haven't technically had each other's backs until recently. I have to say this, and I have a son, and [it's] one of the things I've watched and observed with his male friends. I remember some other mother will criticize and nitpick some of his friends. And.I remember him saying to me, "Mom, I understand him." And I trusted him. I trusted him. This is the way women need to be with each other. I understand. It's something I've learned and I bring it to the women.

Sophie B. Hawkins will be performing (with Seth Glier) at Space in Evanston on Thursday, Dec. 1. Visit eventbrite.com for ticket information and purchasing.


This article shared 2578 times since Thu Nov 24, 2022
facebook twitter pin it google +1 reddit email

Out and Aging
Presented By

  ARTICLES YOU MIGHT LIKE

Gay News

Jamie Barton brings nuances of identity to her Lyric Opera 'Aida' performance 2024-03-18
- Chicago's Lyric Opera is currently featuring a production of Giuseppe Verdi's Aida starring Michelle Bradley as Aida, Jamie Barton as Amneris and Russell Thomas as Radamès. The opera runs through April 7, 2024, with Francesca Zambello ...


Gay News

SHOWBIZ Lady Gaga, 'P-Valley,' Wendy Williams, Luke Evans, 'Queer Eye,' 'Transition' 2024-03-15
- Lady Gaga came to the defense of Dylan Mulvaney after a post with the trans influencer/activist for International Women's Day received hateful responses, People Magazine noted. On Instagram, Gaga stated, "It's appalling to me that a ...


Gay News

House-music festival on Aug. 30-Sept. 1; icons, Idris Elba to be part of it 2024-03-13
- The ARC Music Festival—an event celebrating house music—will take place Aug. 30-Sept. 1 at Chicago's Union Park, per WGN-TV. This will mark the fourth year that the festival will celebrate the genre at Union Park—less than ...


Gay News

COBRAH slithers into Chicago and brings Feminine Energy 2024-03-08
- COBRAH snaked her way into Thalia Hall, 1807 S. Allport St., for two nights March 7 and 8 for her Succubus Tour. This Swedish-born talent has a way with naughty words and ...


Gay News

SHOWBIZ Jinkx Monsoon, Xavier Dolan, 'Frida,' Lena Waithe, out singer 2024-03-08
- Two-time RuPaul's Drag Race winner Jinkx Monsoon is headed back to the New York stage, joining off-Broadway's Little Shop of Horrors as Audrey beginning April 2, according to Playbill. The casting makes Monsoon the first drag ...


Gay News

Queer Eye's Jai Rodriguez is set to slay at The Big Gay Cabaret 2024-03-05
- Out and proud performer Jai Rodriguez is set to play at The Big Gay Cabaret this March for three days. Presented by RuPaul Drag Racer Ginger Minj, this monthly series highlights the wide world of cabaret ...


Gay News

THEATER 'R & J' puts a female, queer spin on Shakespeare 2024-03-05
- Romeo and Juliet is the theatrical gift that keeps on giving. It's been reworked for the masses numerous times, whether in direct adaptations or musicals such as West Side Story. Shakespeare's plotline points have even inspired ...


Gay News

THEATER When growth is paramount: Jim Corti helps fuel Aurora theater expansion 2024-03-01
- Out actor/director/choreographer Jim Corti made his Broadway debut in 1974, in the ensemble of Leonard Bernstein's musical Candide. Director Harold Prince's acclaimed Tony Award-winning revival is often cited as a ...


Gay News

SHOWBIZ Queer actors, icons duet, Hunter Schafer, Oscars, Elizabeth Taylor 2024-03-01
- Queer actor Kal Penn is set to star in Trust Me, I'm a Doctor—a film that chronicles the final days of actress/model Anna Nicole Smith, whose overdose death in 2007 at age 39 sparked a tabloid ...


Gay News

'Always Olivia' celebrates Olivia Newton-John at Raue Center 2024-02-26
- From a press release: Always Olivia, a tribute to one of the most celebrated and beloved pop culture icons of all time, the late Olivia Newton-John comes to Raue Center in Crystal Lake on Saturday, May ...


Gay News

Samuel Savoir-Faire Williams's violin stylings help COH mark Black History Month 2024-02-23
- As part of its celebration of Black History Month, Center on Halsted, 3656 N. Halsted St., presented a solo jazz performance by violinist Samuel Savoir-Faire Williams on Feb. 21. The two-hour long performance presented a showcase ...


Gay News

SHOWBIZ Kristen Stewart, Rock Hudson, Talia Keys, 'True Detective,' Marvel comic 2024-02-23
- At the Berlin Film Festival, Kristen Stewart defended her photo shoot for a Rolling Stone magazine cover that went viral and divided audiences on social-media platforms, per The Hollywood Reporter. "The existence of a female body ...


Gay News

Theater Review: Billy Elliot, The Musical 2024-02-19
- Book and Lyrics: Lee Hall; Music: Elton John. At: Paramount Theatre, 23 E. Galena Blvd., Aurora Tickets: 630-896-6666 or Paramountaurora.com; $28-$79. Runs through March 24 Billy Elliot: The Musical may nearly be two decades old, but ...


Gay News

REFLECTIONS: An Evening of original music with the Jeannie Tanner Quartet 2024-02-19
--From a press release - REFLECTIONS will be a night of feel-good, upbeat original music written by Jeannie Tanner. Songs range from jazz, to pop, to soulful R&B. Jeannie's music can be heard in many television shows and movies, with recordings ...


Gay News

Lakeside Pride Wilde Cabaret Valentine's Day Feb. 17 2024-02-16
--From a press release - Lakeside Pride Wilde Cabaret puts their own spin on Valentine's Day with a show celebrating things done and sacrificed for love - not just romantic love, but love for pets, friends, family and art. Join the ...


 


Copyright © 2024 Windy City Media Group. All rights reserved.
Reprint by permission only. PDFs for back issues are downloadable from
our online archives.

Return postage must accompany all manuscripts, drawings, and
photographs submitted if they are to be returned, and no
responsibility may be assumed for unsolicited materials.

All rights to letters, art and photos sent to Nightspots
(Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago
Gay and Lesbian News and Feature Publication) will be treated
as unconditionally assigned for publication purposes and as such,
subject to editing and comment. The opinions expressed by the
columnists, cartoonists, letter writers, and commentators are
their own and do not necessarily reflect the position of Nightspots
(Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago Gay,
Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender News and Feature Publication).

The appearance of a name, image or photo of a person or group in
Nightspots (Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times
(a Chicago Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender News and Feature
Publication) does not indicate the sexual orientation of such
individuals or groups. While we encourage readers to support the
advertisers who make this newspaper possible, Nightspots (Chicago
GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago Gay, Lesbian
News and Feature Publication) cannot accept responsibility for
any advertising claims or promotions.

 
 

TRENDINGBREAKINGPHOTOS







Sponsor


 



Donate


About WCMG      Contact Us      Online Front  Page      Windy City  Times      Nightspots
Identity      BLACKlines      En La Vida      Archives      Advanced Search     
Windy City Queercast      Queercast Archives     
Press  Releases      Join WCMG  Email List      Email Blast      Blogs     
Upcoming Events      Todays Events      Ongoing Events      Bar Guide      Community Groups      In Memoriam     
Privacy Policy     

Windy City Media Group publishes Windy City Times,
The Bi-Weekly Voice of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Trans Community.
5315 N. Clark St. #192, Chicago, IL 60640-2113 • PH (773) 871-7610 • FAX (773) 871-7609.