When American pop star Pink crashed the music scene with her 2000 debut album Can’t Take Me Home — and her 2001 follow-up Missundaztood — she was loud, blisteringly self-deprecating and incredibly relatable.
She sang about rejecting love and being her own worst enemy. She wanted to be someone else, but she was stubbornly herself. She didn’t care for comparisons to other pop stars, like Britney Spears: “She’s so pretty, that just ain’t me.”
It was almost as though she was waving a huge red flag to the world and warning them to keep their distance, but it only made everyone want to move closer.
Nearly two decades later, she’s still flying that freak flag, and people are still flocking towards her in droves. Her seventh and latest album, Beautiful Trauma, brings in the misfits, the injured spirits and the vengefully uncool.
And yet, Pink has only gotten cooler. She recently buried the hatchet (for the umpteenth time) with fellow pop star Christina Aguilera on Twitter, denouncing media outlets who like to pit women against each other. She also directed a tear-jerker of a Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award acceptance speech towards her six-year-old daughter Willow, telling her in no uncertain terms that being different is okay.
That’s why, perhaps, her music is still so popular — she talks the talk and she walks the walk. Ahead of her F1 performance in Abu Dhabi on Sunday night, Pink told Gulf News tabloid! why that’s always served her well.
You were the edgier face to female-led pop when you first arrived on the scene. Was there ever a time it brought you close to changing career paths?
I was never going to change who I was or what I did.
As someone who has been a proponent of speaking your truth, what are your thoughts on vulnerable voices in Hollywood and the music industry speaking out about mistreatment behind the scenes?
I think it’s horrible that this kind of thing is so common. But I am proud of all of the people coming forward and the support they’re finally getting. [I’m] hoping for real change.
You gave a remarkable speech to your daughter at the VMAs. Was there anyone who gave you that kind of speech, or told you something you really needed to hear, when you were a kid?
My dad always spoke to me like an adult. He never treated me like I was little or ignorant. He always gave me great advice.
On the flip side, what’s something that your daughter Willow has taught you?
She’s taught me to be more intentional.
How do you navigate raising a family in the era of social media, where there’s so much exposure all the time?
Luckily, my children are still too young for all that.
You’ve often given a voice to the misfit with your music. Do you still feel like you’re an outlier — or have things changed?
I will always feel as though I have something to prove or do better, which is motivation.
What’s some of the music out there today that excites you?
I love Chris Stapleton.
It’s nearly the New Year. Do you have any New Year’s Resolutions you need to rehash?
To lead with kindness and to start meditating.