Soul sisters
Lulu, Anastacia and Chaka Khan tell us about their UK tour
WORDS | ANDREA HUBERT
IMAGINE THE MOST NOISE THAT THREE WOMEN CAN MAKE, multiply it by a hundred, and you’re halfway to understanding the challenge of getting a word in edgeways with Lulu, Chaka Khan and Anastacia all in the same room. Like a small but perfectly formed musical tsunami, only an equally supreme force of nature would be able to withstand the ear-splitting cacophony of laughter that wafts down into the quiet west London street, as pop’s tiniest (they are all five foot or so) big-voiced divas plan their latest venture, Here Come the Girls.
When we meet at 9am in the studio, they’re already in full flow, with no hint of caffeine in sight – not that they need it to keep their energy levels up. The youngest of the trio, Anastacia, 41, is the most boisterous, constantly bouncing up and down on the sofa with every new thought, but her soul sisters Lulu, 60, dressed in skinny jeans and a T-shirt and Chaka Khan, 56, fully made up in diva-tastic red lips and black lace, are hardly retiring. And their exuberance is justified – because if their new show is anything like as potent as their combined selling power, they’ve created a sure-fire hit.
Though cagey about the nature of the show, the ladies claim that even boyfriends dragged along kicking and screaming won’t be disappointed. Here Come the Girls looks to be a crowd-pleasing mega-mix of pop and rock favourites moulded into a story revolving around the girls getting ready for a night on the town – which sounds perfect for their collective fanbases of music lovers from eight to 80, plus all the gay men (and not so gay ones) in the world who ever bellowed I’m Outta Love into a hairbrush. And as well as the favourite party tunes, audiences can look forward to some secret appearances, fantastic moves and of course, lashings and lashings of glitter.
THE IDEA FOR THE SHOW THE SINGERS DESCRIBE AS “NEITHER A GIG, A CONCERT, CABARET, OR A PLAY”, was formed when Lulu, (then starring in a series of shows in America alongside guest stars such as Kiki Dee and John Myles), told her manager and producer Stephen Howard that touring by herself had gone on for too long.
“I just said to myself, I never want to go out there again alone. I started when I was 15 and I am 60 now. It’s enough already! I’d always wanted to sing with these two, so I called them up and luckily, they both went ‘Hell, yeah!’”
Howard was already the producer behind 2008’s sell-out talent-swap show, Viva La Diva, starring Darcey Bussell and Katherine Jenkins. Bringing together three huge artists used to being solo stars may not have appeared easy. But they seem to enjoy the collaborative process, exchanging an unstoppable flow of ideas, and of course, good old-fashioned girlie gossip.
“When we’re brainstorming, you can’t hear a thing,” Chaka Khan admits. “We often have to be told to focus back on the music. And when we sing, well… you’ve heard our voices!”
Anastacia adds: “It’s definitely a sisterhood. I never worried about sharing a stage with these women, there’s no hint of competitiveness. We just high five all the time and have fun. We’re in this together.”
As for diva demands, the most outlandish item you’ll find these ladies asking for is caffeine-free diet cola. “Nobody has to change the colour of our dressing rooms,” Anastacia says diplomatically.
“I don’t even really know how to be moody,” Lulu adds, with a cute smile. “These two had to teach me what it looks like to be ‘fierce’ at a photo shoot. They used to call me Sister Shout but after I failed so miserably, they call me Sister Sandy. We call her Sister Smoking!” she adds, gesturing to Chaka Khan.
“And I’m Sister Strut – or Sister Shut the F**k Up, depending on the day!” Anastacia shrieks, laughing. “You can tell our show’s going to be a real serious drama, right? No comedy elements at all!”
Howard believes this spark of genuine affection between the three artists is the key to a sell-out show.
That, and of course, the small fact that between them, Lulu, Chaka Khan and Anastacia have sold several million records, and have over 30 UK hit singles between them. “This is not just three female artists getting up and singing their own songs,” Howard declares. “This is three unique and phenomenal vocal talents with huge fan bases, an incredible chemistry between them, offering audiences a repertoire of favourites that will not fail to delight. There hasn’t been one person I’ve spoken to about this show who hasn’t pleaded with me for tickets.”
Alright, ladies. I’ll certainly be there, glittered up to the eyeballs, ready to go on a girls’ night out with you. But can’t you just give me the name of one song to learn the words to before I fight my way through the crowds for the world’s campest golden ticket? “I think my fans would riot if I didn’t sing Shout at least once,” Lulu twinkles at me. “But come on – you probably guessed that already!”
Here Come the Girls premieres in Edinburgh on 21 November, before touring to bmi destinations London, Nottingham, Glasgow, Manchester and Birmingham. www.herecomethegirls.org
