Cynthia Erivo's new album makes her feel "totally naked"
The British singer and star of Wicked visits Q’s Tom Power to discuss her new record I Forgive You, and her career in musical theatre
The British singer talks about her new record I Forgive You, and her career in musical theatre
Cynthia Erivo is feeling vulnerable. She's a musical theatre veteran and the star of last year's film adaptation of Wicked, but putting out her album I Forgive You feels completely different.
"Whilst it is scary, I think that's also the most exciting thing," Erivo tells Q's Tom Power. "I get to give people a part of myself that I haven't really given before.… This feels totally naked."
WATCH | Cynthia Erivo's full interview with Tom Power:
From mourning a bitter break up in her single Worst Of Me, to acknowledging her abandonment issues in her song Replay, Erivo's 20 track album I Forgive You is filled with reflections on her life's traumas. One of her biggest epiphanies is that she needs to heal from the pain of her fractured relationship with her father. Erivo says her desire for his approval was causing her to overwork herself.
"After that split [from my father], it starts to become about, 'I wanna prove to you that I am lovable,'" Erivo says. "And that's when it started becoming like, 'I'm going to do well every single time, because you're going to realize that you've lost something.'... This last couple of years has definitely been about letting [my younger self] let go of that kind of anger."
WATCH | Official visualizer for Replay:
I Forgive You is a pop record, but Cynthia Erivo's background as a strong soprano still comes through. In addition to starring in the hit movie Wicked opposite Ariana Grande, she also spent a decade performing in London's West End and on Broadway.
"I did a tour of Sister Act in the UK…. That changed everything." says Erivo. "Then The Color Purple happened.… I remember being in the room and singing with the [musical director], and by the end, they were in tears.… Then whilst we were doing the show in London, I get called into the office, and they're like, 'Hey, [The Color Purple] is going to Broadway. We're gonna take you with it.' That changed my life.… And it just keeps going on."
Even though she has a top notch musical theatre resume, Erivo says that she went through the same audition process for Wicked as everyone else. She had meetings with director Jon M. Chu, then a long audition day with acting out scenes, performing songs, and trying chemistry tests with other actors. It was an intense process — especially because she was also juggling other high-stakes jobs around the same time.
"[The audition] was the day after I'd sung at the [Walt Disney Concert] Hall with the L.A. Philharmonic," Erivo explains. "It was like this weird juxtaposition of things happening at the same time. So, 'Go and do this giant gig, this giant moment with the Philharmonic… and then come in the next day, and be ready to be Elphaba'.… And then I was in London shooting [Luther: The Fallen Sun] with Idris Elba. Again, very wild for me."
Cynthia Erivo's life runs at a non-stop pace, and she can barely take in all her success. Like her character Elphaba in Wicked, she always felt different than everyone else — to this day, she still feels like she doesn't fit in. It's hard for her to wrap her head around being popular.
"My life has been like a constant sort of ticking over of things that keep surprising me," Erivo says. "I'm endlessly grateful for the fact that life keeps bringing me wonderful surprises. I just have to be open to it, really."
The full interview with Cynthia Erivo is available on our YouTube channel and on our podcast, Q with Tom Power. Listen and follow wherever you get your podcasts.
"Whilst it is scary, I think that's also the most exciting thing," Erivo tells Q's Tom Power. "I get to give people a part of myself that I haven't really given before.… This feels totally naked."
WATCH | Cynthia Erivo's full interview with Tom Power:
From mourning a bitter break up in her single Worst Of Me, to acknowledging her abandonment issues in her song Replay, Erivo's 20 track album I Forgive You is filled with reflections on her life's traumas. One of her biggest epiphanies is that she needs to heal from the pain of her fractured relationship with her father. Erivo says her desire for his approval was causing her to overwork herself.
"After that split [from my father], it starts to become about, 'I wanna prove to you that I am lovable,'" Erivo says. "And that's when it started becoming like, 'I'm going to do well every single time, because you're going to realize that you've lost something.'... This last couple of years has definitely been about letting [my younger self] let go of that kind of anger."
WATCH | Official visualizer for Replay:
I Forgive You is a pop record, but Cynthia Erivo's background as a strong soprano still comes through. In addition to starring in the hit movie Wicked opposite Ariana Grande, she also spent a decade performing in London's West End and on Broadway.
"I did a tour of Sister Act in the UK…. That changed everything." says Erivo. "Then The Color Purple happened.… I remember being in the room and singing with the [musical director], and by the end, they were in tears.… Then whilst we were doing the show in London, I get called into the office, and they're like, 'Hey, [The Color Purple] is going to Broadway. We're gonna take you with it.' That changed my life.… And it just keeps going on."
Even though she has a top notch musical theatre resume, Erivo says that she went through the same audition process for Wicked as everyone else. She had meetings with director Jon M. Chu, then a long audition day with acting out scenes, performing songs, and trying chemistry tests with other actors. It was an intense process — especially because she was also juggling other high-stakes jobs around the same time.
"[The audition] was the day after I'd sung at the [Walt Disney Concert] Hall with the L.A. Philharmonic," Erivo explains. "It was like this weird juxtaposition of things happening at the same time. So, 'Go and do this giant gig, this giant moment with the Philharmonic… and then come in the next day, and be ready to be Elphaba'.… And then I was in London shooting [Luther: The Fallen Sun] with Idris Elba. Again, very wild for me."
Cynthia Erivo's life runs at a non-stop pace, and she can barely take in all her success. Like her character Elphaba in Wicked, she always felt different than everyone else — to this day, she still feels like she doesn't fit in. It's hard for her to wrap her head around being popular.
"My life has been like a constant sort of ticking over of things that keep surprising me," Erivo says. "I'm endlessly grateful for the fact that life keeps bringing me wonderful surprises. I just have to be open to it, really."
The full interview with Cynthia Erivo is available on our YouTube channel and on our podcast, Q with Tom Power. Listen and follow wherever you get your podcasts.
Interview with Cynthia Erivo produced by Vanessa Nigro.
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