Stacey Kay isn’t like Adele so please stop saying she is
One in a series of casual conversations with movers and shakers in (and from) our cultural community
When I first encounter Stacey Kay in the side yard of her mother’s Galt bungalow, the up-and-coming pop belter doesn’t waste time on “Hello’s.”
“Don’t go in the backyard!” she insists, motioning me away from the gate. “My dog is very excitable.”
During our two hour interview, it becomes clear the dog — and I say this in a respectful, slightly terrified way — is a stand in for Kay’s entire family, a boisterous, relentlessly enthusiastic clan that draws you into its orbit without complaint or condescension but, if you’re not careful, might unintentionally knock you over. I mean, physically.
Kay herself — blue ponytail slung up like Madonna in her “Blonde Ambition” phase (except it’s blue) — is what I would describe as “exuberantly restrained.”
She knows this is a media interview and that a modicum of formality is, therefore, required.
But as her tempestuous French bulldog yips in the background, her façade of calm, cool reflection gives way to a frenetic, barely contained euphoria that turns the traditional question-and-answer format into a high-flying free-for-all.
“It’s always crazy in this house!” she laughs as her frenzied house pet bounces off the walls. “We’re trying to make it calmer for you.”
The Cambridge native — who acted in Galt Little Theatre productions before studying music theatre at Toronto’s Sheridan College — is
the kind of interview subject arts journalists dream about: irrepressible, larger than life, with a refreshing ability to laugh at herself.
She’s not “famous” famous, belonging to a strata of performers I would describe as “sub-Beyoncé.”
And unless you watched “Canadian Idol” in the mid-2000s or “America’s Got Talent” in 2015 or attended one of several Drayton musicals that featured her booming, authoritative vocals, you won’t recognize her
name.
But her talent — and zest for life — are undeniable. And in this tidy Cambridge one-storey, the seeds of her greatness are clearly in evidence.
I couldn’t help but notice that your dog seems to reflect the outgoing personality of your entire family.
We’re all very excitable storytellers who all want to talk at the same time. So you have to fight for your spot. But we are also annoying and loud, which can be very overwhelming for a new person. Much like the relationship you have with my dog right now.
Your mom says that even as a child, you were always the centre of attention and that people “always knew you were in the room.” It sounded like a compliment when she said it, but now I’m wondering if it was a veiled insult.
My mom is a funny lady, but when it comes to her children she doesn’t mess around.
I just saw the new version of “A Star is Born” and, five minutes after meeting you, can totally see you in the Lady Gaga role — a rising ingenue with a backbone of steel. How closely does this film mimic your life?
She’s a shy songwriter who doesn’t want to be in the spotlight and then meets a famous guy who makes her famous and gets to do all the things I’ve dreamed of doing — like perform on “Saturday Night Live.” It’s an amazing movie. I loved it so much. But that’s not at all who I am or what has happened to me.
I’ve heard stories of Lady Gaga’s real life and that relates to me more. I’ve always had three or four jobs at a time. I was a server at Swiss Chalet in Cambridge while I was a gift wrapper at Shoppers Drug Mart and also worked at the now shut down Basics Office Products. I’ve had to “hustle,” as they say.
I know this is a loaded question for female entertainers, but how old are you?
A solid 27 forever ... “around 27” ... (pause) ... if you’re only as old as you feel, then you can say “12.”
You were on “Canadian Idol” in 2004, so I know you’re not 27. And 12 seems like a stretch.
Here’s the thing. When you’re trying to be a pop star and you tell people in the industry that you’re not the young, fresh age of 16, their mind for some reason explodes. The true problem is that they’re a lot less willing to help you because they don’t see someone they can mould into exactly who they want.
You told me if someone who knew you in kindergarten met you today they would find you to be the exact same person. Does this mean you could go into a kindergarten class today and fit in as a five-yearold?
Yes. Yes I would. I believe I’m smart. I can have a conversation for hours. I run my own business. I have my life together. But those crafts and toys in a kindergarten room? Come on.
The Black Eyed Peas’ Fergie — impressed with your cover of one of her songs — called you an “amazing singer”: “She’s got soul. She’s got a big voice. She took it to church. She took it to church!” What are the chances of her inviting you over for Christmas dinner?
Baptist
Stop it. That makes me too excited to even imagine. Now I’m crying.
“Go big or go home!” Please explain the relevance of this catchphrase.
This is something my dad, Bill, has said to me all of my life. Actually he changed it to “Go big or stay home!” ... (laughs) ... he always seems to get the lyrics of songs wrong, so I think that might be the problem. I constantly say this to myself, though, in every aspect of my life. It’s the only way I’ll survive in this very competitive career.
When you started rapping, midsong, during a recent show, an older fan unfamiliar with hip hop suggested you become an auctioneer. How viable is this if the music thing bottoms out?
I love to rap fast, and in the senior world, they don’t know who Busta Rhymes is. They have only heard this from an auctioneer ... (laughs) ... auctioneering would be an amazing backup plan for me!
At Glenview Park Secondary School in the mid-2000s, you were co-prime minister with a friend, Adam Christie, who became a successful comedian — what a strange, wacky year that must have been.
He would tell the jokes and I organized the talent shows. I’m sure we were SO annoying, but there was always high quality entertainment happening in the cafeteria during lunch. One time I let people enter a contest and they got to throw eggs at me. We went through a lot of cartons.
Around the same time, you were a semifinalist on “Canadian Idol” — two years in a row — but didn’t get past the Top 32.
I was only 16. I was young and truly believe my voice wasn’t as strong as others because of my age. That being said, I also didn’t know how to play the game. I hadn’t watched a lot of reality TV. I didn’t get that it wasn’t just about the singing.
In 2015 you landed a spot on “America’s Got Talent” and made it to the finals. What changed?
I knew you had to have a story, make yourself stand out on and off camera, bring your best game possible. My “sad story” was “I’m this curvy girl trying to make it in a pop world filled with skinny girls.”
The judges bought it?
You just have to be ready to cry when they tell you, dance when they tell you, sing when they tell you and be a much larger-thanlife version of yourself. Some people would call this “selling out.” (laughs) I made the decision with my band that we’d do whatever they say and see what happened.
For someone used to being the centre of attention, you seem remarkably down-toearth, but not in a fake way. How do you expect to make it in show business without being fake?
The best thing my parents taught me was to work hard but stay humble. The problem with some people in the industry is they think they’re awesome. When you get into the real world you realize there are a million awesome singers. If you’re gonna stand out, you have to work harder than everyone else and find out what makes you different.
How tough is this when, as someone “curvier” than the average pop star, people assume you’re exactly like Adele, even though you have different career aspirations and wrote a song called “I’m Not Adele”?
(Laughs) This is so true. People always say “YOU ARE EXACTLY LIKE ADELE!” Which is a great compliment because she’s beautiful and amazing at singing. But it’s true they’re only comparing me because she’s the only other ‘curvaceous’ singer they know. I love to dance and bust out a rap in the middle of fun, humorous, high energy songs. That is not what Adele does. But here’s why it isn’t frustrating: Adele is helping me. Her and many other curvy, normal, non-size two celebrities are helping the world discover a NEW TYPE of person.
You also don’t sound like Kelly Clarkson or Bette Midler, to whom you have also been compared. Does it seem like critics just mindlessly compare you to any singer who isn’t a size two?
I think this is true, because when they compare they say our voices sound the same, which I don’t think they do. My singing style is a lot closer to other female pop singers like Christina Aguilera and Demi Lovato, but I never seem to get compared to them. (laughs) But once again, I’m not offended because they’re all AMAZING!
As you humorously pointed out, we don’t hear “curvy” male performers like Chris Stapleton singing “caboose on the loose” anthems like “All About That Bass.”
As much as I love that Megan Trainor released “All About That Bass” — because it’s a great song — I think if she released a single having nothing to do with her body type, she wouldn’t have been successful.
That’s a bold statement.
Adele constantly has to talk about how she doesn’t “look like the typical celeb.” If you are a curvier female in this industry, it
is talked about. You can’t just be there like everyone else. I have to talk about it ALL the time. But there are tons of male performers out there who never even have to mention their looks. I don’t mind talking about it, though, because I would really love to make a change.
What helpful suggestions did record company execs make when you first started out?
They said “We think you’re great, BUT lose 90 pounds, stop it with the weird hair colours, and you know what looks really nice when wearing a pair of shorts? A space in between your legs!” So I went home, dyed my hair brown and tried to figure out how to get this space in between my legs and lose 90 pounds. Then I figured out there was a different option: to continue to be myself and kill it, without having a space between my legs, because no one actually cares about that and many people do not have spaces in between their legs and still look awesome. (laughs) What a relief. So that’s what I did. And then, for some reason, they embraced that option. Funny how that works.
When one exec told you “If only you had the body of Ariana Grande, you would be famous by now” how did you refrain from slugging him?
Actually this comment really did bother me at the time, but not because they were being rude about my body, but because, unfortunately, it might be true. The entertainment world has trained us to think a certain look is attractive. That’s how our world has been going for years, but I really see a change happening in 2018. It seems as if people are starting to realize there are so many different types of attractive people. Not any of this “it’s on the inside that counts” crap.
Wait, are you saying the inside count?
doesn’t
Yes, the inside counts, but the outside can also be attractive. People like to look at me because it reminds them of a “normal” human being that has a little extra meat on their body. It’s how we were born. Embrace it.
You have 8,500 fans on Instagram and 12,000 on YouTube, with some videos garnering 200,000 hits. As someone who grew up in the era of eight tracks and tube TV, I have no idea what this means.
I’m really proud of my followers because in 2018 you really have to work to get those numbers. YouTube, Instagram and Facebook are important to me because that’s where I can share my music and also do funny skits. These numbers are a nice amount in the real world as a Torontonian performer trying to make it, but extremely low compared to a famous person! (laughs)
Tell me about your highly anticipated meeting with your showbiz hero, Martin Short, and how you accidentally knocked poor Eugene Levy into a wall.
I am obsessed with Martin Short and finally got the opportunity to meet him by spending way too much money on a VIP ticket. I saw him and went over like a bull moose and body checked someone into a wall. That someone happened to be Eugene Levy. Unfortunately, I didn’t have time for apologies because I was about to meet Marty Short!
Your upcoming show at the Hamilton Family Theatre Cambridge promises to be a homecoming of sorts.
It will be filled with cover songs and original music I’m very proud to show everyone! I have my whole band there and they are SO talented. Because it’s my hometown, I’m putting so much energy into this one. So I hope EVERYONE COMES! I promise it will be worth it!