“I am always honoured to be nominated for Blues Music Awards,” she says. “That’s the fifth one of those that I’ve won, and it’s still equally as exciting as the first time. It’s such a huge honour to be held up for that nomination and that win, especially when I’ve been so busy finishing up my latest record. There’s always a tremendous amount of decisions and deadlines – it’s crunch time at the moment. I’ve really been focused on getting this record done.”
Magness found fame relatively late in life, releasing her first album More Than Live at the age of 34. It wasn’t until her sixth LP, 2004’s Bury Him At The Crossroads, that she was signed to a label and began to gain some recognition for her work. The Detroit singer expresses gratitude for finding fame later in life.
“I think I have a different perspective in what fame really is,” she says. “I wouldn’t say I’m a terribly successful person and apparently I’m getting some level of fame later in my career, and I’m grateful for that, and I’m grateful for the timing of that because I think I’m a lot calmer than I used to be. Consequently, because I’m older, I think it’s more natural for me to take things in my stride.”
Fame isn’t something that most musicians find easy to talk about, and Magness is hesitant to admit that she’s achieved it, but shares an anecdote that might suggest otherwise.
“I had a very fun thing happen today. I was on the phone to a customer service agent, a lovely young man who went by the name Hermann from Mumbai, India, and he was verifying the spelling of my name. So I spelt it out for him, and he said to me, ‘That’s so funny, you have the same name as this singer.’ And [I said], ‘Who’s that?’ and he replied to me, ‘A blues singer – Janiva Magness.’ Then I told him that was me and he was completely gobsmacked.”
Magness has a strong relationship with her fans. In mid-2014, she posted an open letter, starting with the words: “I have been blessed with a wonderful career as a blues artist, but lately I’m a bit of a basket case.” The letter went on to give reasons for her departure from Alligator Records and the decision to release her first album made up of entirely original tracks.
“I did three records with Alligator Records over the course of six years, and they’re a fantastic label and a magnificent family and I’m very grateful for the time I spent with them,” she says. “But ultimately it was time to move on. I would have never been able to release [2014 album] Original with them. I had to do it completely autonomously, and it turned out to be the right move, but it was definitely a leap of faith. It was very stressful, it was very exciting, but there is no question in my mind that it turned out to be the right move.”
Magness is clearly looking forward to travelling around Australia this March, which will coincide with the release of her new album Love Wins Again. “We’re going to be debuting the new record at Bluesfest in Byron Bay. It comes out late March and it’s got quite a heavy Australian connection on it – I collaborated with a few Australian songwriters. I’m really excited.”
BY TEGAN REEVES
