Sheryl Crow Opens Up About Life 10 Years After Breast Cancer
It's hard to imagine a star like Sheryl Crow needing to impress country radio to get her songs played, but that's apparently what happened when the nine-time Grammy Award winner released her debut country LP, Feels Like Home, four years ago. Crow paid for the genre crossover dearly, sacrificing nights away from her children to do free shows at stations in exchange for airplay in the wee hours of the morning. Her latest album, Be Myself, is a return to her '90s pop roots-a format that allows her to prioritize motherhood. "I'm raising my kids the way that my mom and dad raised me, which is [emphasizing] that family is so important and that we take care of each other," she says.
It's a role Crow might not have if a routine mammogram hadn't detected breast cancer more than 10 years ago. Over the course of 33 radiation treatments spanning 7 weeks, Crow had the opportunity to "reassess" her life, she told CBS in July. She started thinking seriously about having children after she was given a clean bill of health. Her mom told her not wait for marriage: "Your life doesn't have to look like the life you were born into."
In 2007 she adopted her son Wyatt, followed by a second baby boy, Levi, in 2010. These days Crow has lots of irons in the fire: She has another album already in the works, a clothing line on HSN, and an investment deal with Electric Jukebox, a a self-described family friendly alternative to Spotify that works through your TV. She sat down with CountryLiving.com last month to talk about the company's new music streaming device, Roxi-featuring a library of tens of millions of songs and karaoke-style entertainment, in addition to acting as a white noise machine when needed-among other things.
Electric Jukebox includes playlists curated by artists like yourself – how did you choose the songs on your lists?
Generally, when I put a mixtape together I decide who I'm doing it for and what the theme of it is. I'm working on a couple of different playlists now, with women from the '60s. Also, my favorite sort-of guilty pleasure bands from the '80s like Foreigner and Boston, bands that I loved back then when I was in high school. I've got a 'Sunday morning chill' playlist that has everything from John Legend to Chopin and the great thing about it is, it's fun to expose my kids to music they haven't heard that I feel like they should know.
What's your go-to karaoke song?
I don't karaoke. I have done it once, to my own song, "Picture," with Kid Rock. That doesn't really count as karaoke. That just counts as too many drinks in a bar outside of Detroit.
"All of us parents want our kids to have a long life and to be able to bring their kids and their kids' kids into the world."
You're working on an album of duets and you've performed with some of the greatest artists of our time; do you have a favorite collaboration?
To be perfectly honest, I don't [have a favorite]. There's one song I have Neil Young playing guitar and Don Henley singing with me, and another that was done posthumously by Johnny Cash: a song I wrote and he recorded. We got his vocal and recut the track and I got to sing with him. Everybody on the record are people I've loved and who've been major factors in my life.
Your single "Halfway There" is about finding common ground amidst political division. You told Rolling Stone, of the song, "You may drive a big Chevy truck and I drive my hybrid...that doesn't mean we don't want the same things in life, and the same things for our kids in the future." What do you think every parent wants for their children?
I think every parent wants security. They want to know that their kids are okay to go outside in their neighborhood or to their schools and be safe. Every parent wants clean air and clean water for their kids and a sustainable planet. Some of these topics, like climate, have become politicized and at the end of the day if the planet is failing us then it's not going to sustain us. I think all of us parents at the end of the day want our kids to have a long life and be able to bring their kids into the world and their kids' kids.
"I'm at that juncture in life where my birthdays are days that I treat myself to a pedicure and call it a day."
You're celebrating a lot this year: You turned 55 in February, for example.
I did, which I did not celebrate.
You didn't? I was going to ask how you celebrated!
Fifty-five to me was not like a big number. I mean, it's a big number but, you know, I'm sort of at that juncture in life where my birthdays are days that I treat myself to a pedicure and call it a day.
This year also marks 10 years since you were given clean bill of health following your breast cancer diagnosis in 2006. You've talked about how you contemplated life during 33 radiation treatments. What did you learn during that period, and what have you learned since?
Well, gosh, there were a few lessons in my diagnosis. One of them was to put myself first on my list of those I take care of. Another one was that it's okay to say no. It's okay if people are mad at you or disappointed in you if you're following your voice and you're taking care of yourself. You can't make everybody happy and also learned that no matter how much you think you can control things in life, you really don't. I was perfectly healthy, had no family history, and wound up with a breast cancer diagnosis, so somethings just happen.
One last question: There's a solar eclipse happening Aug. 21, and you live in Nashville within the path of totality. Any big viewing plans?
I am actually going to admit my idiocy in that I had no idea that was happening, nor did I know that Nashville was at the mecca, which it seems to be at the mecca of everything from great food to cool bands now, but as soon as I walk out of here, I'm going to make plans.
Join us at our Country Living Fairs, held in Nashville, Rhinebeck, Columbus, and Atlanta, where you'll find 200+ vendors, cooking and craft demonstrations, and great eats. Visit stellashows.com to purchase tickets in advance.
You Might Also Like
