Musician Macy Gray belts out the lyrics of her life for Us. Read on to learn 25 things about the Ruby (disc out now) singer.
1. My first concert was with my mom [Laura McIntyre], who took me to see the Jackson 5.
2. I love reading books. Nina Simone’s autobiography [I Put a Spell on You] is wild times. Every page is like, “Did this happen, or is she bugging the f out?”
3. The greatest piece of advice I’ve ever received came from my dad who shouted, “You’re going to practice that piano every day!”
4. I really hope that no one makes a movie about me ’cause they’d have to make a lot of s**t up. In real life, I mostly binge-watch and hang out with my kids [Aanisah, 23, Tahmel, 22, and Happy, 20, with ex Tracy Hinds].
5. I like to binge-watch a lot of Love & Hip Hop: Hollywood!
6. I love collecting keys. Keys open things up.
7. My personal mantra is simple: Go!
8. The last thing I do before I sleep is pray … then I sleep!
9. My guiltiest pleasure is mozzarella sticks!
10. When I was on a road trip recently from New York to Philadelphia, I looped Pusha T’s new album [Daytona] — can’t get enough of that.
11. I also listen to The Essential Aretha Franklin album to warm up before every show.
12. I really wish I wrote “Dreams” by Fleetwood Mac. It’s got so much texture and it’s really visual. The harmonies are like heaven.
13. One of my specialty dishes is spaghetti. Mine kills.
14. My real name is Natalie. Anybody that really knows me calls me Nat.
15. One of my biggest pet peeves is dishes in the sink.
16. My first car was a blue-green Honda Accord.
17. I was a really bad driver.
18. I love a good raspberry sorbet. It’s my secret obsession.
19. Ever since Goodfellas [came out in 1990], I’ve wanted to be in the mob. So if I wasn’t an artist, I’d probably be really into crime.
20. I go to poker games when I need to clear my mind. It helps me reset!
21. I relax on my days off by wishing for more days off.
22. I got my first job when I was 14 at McDonald’s.
23. My team tells me I make the best Excel spreadsheets and budgets ever. I’m also a whiz at booking travel. I can do it in my sleep.
24. My celebrity crush as a teenager was Simon Le Bon from Duran Duran. Now it’s Liam Neeson.
25. My mom is one of the strongest and smartest people I know. She has been my role model, my teacher, my everything. She’s fierce and she’s a fighter. She doesn’t back down easily and she taught me how to stand up for myself.
