CHER TURNS back time
THE ICON PAYS HOMAGE TO HER HISTORY OF HITS
The larger-than-life hairdo, the strappy leather leotard, the incredible body, the thigh-high boots – and that spectacular voice.
In an auditorium filled with music’s best and brightest, Cher shimmied and sashayed across the stage as she belted out her hit If I Could Turn Back Time. But it wasn’t 1989
– it was just last week.
The 71-year-old singer was in Las Vegas to accept the Icon Award at the annual Billboard Music Awards, amazing fans worldwide with a performance that could have been plucked directly out of the ‘80s.
Just before she slipped into her leather homage to her classic music video, she belted out her hit Believe wearing nothing but some strategically placed gems and bedazzled stickers, to the delight of the crowd. It was a bold move considering she confesses she doesn’t actually feel particularly sprightly.
“I don’t like getting old,” she says. “I’m shocked that I can run across the stage at my age. I thought I’d be dead.”
Nevertheless, the songstress, who shot to fame with hits such as I Got You Babe with ex-husband Sonny Bono, admits she’s somehow managed to keep herself relevant in the six decades she’s been in the industry.
She’s a prolific Twitter user and with 3.3 million followers, is a social media force to be reckoned with, not shy about expressing her opinions, particularly when it comes to politics. Still, she shrugs, “No-one’s ever said, ‘Gee, I wonder what Cher’s thinking.’”
It’s been almost 20 years since Believe, her last big hit, was released, and these days, she lives a comfortable life in California, where she’s
quietly working on a new album and touring with her show Classic Cher.
Even in her 70s, she still has the power to impress, shock and entertain – although in an interview with Billboard magazine to coincide with her award, she admitted she doesn’t actually like her music! “I’m not a Cher fan,” she said. “I just don’t think my aesthetic taste lies in her direction.”
She calls the Believe album “a nightmare”, and dismisses her 1995 flop It’s a Man’s World as “crap”.
Perhaps her harsh perception of herself was why Cher, who’s mum to Chaz, her son with Sonny, and Elijah, her son with second husband Greg Allman, was so grateful when accepting last week’s award.
“I want to thank my mom because when I was really young, my mom said,
‘You’re not going to be the smartest. You’re not going to be prettiest. You’re not going to be the most talented. But you are going to be special.’”