The last time New Times spoke with the singer-songwriter back in January 2020, the world was in what now feels like an- other dimension of the multiverse. It was a time before the dawn of a shape-shifting pandemic, a war in Ukraine, and the na- tional undoing of abortion rights. These days, the outspoken Marshall — better known by her stage name Cat Power — is reflecting on the role of artists in tu- multuous times. Marshall, who has re- leased 11 albums to date and cultivated a cult following of indie- and folk-rock fans all around the world, leverages her reach to talk about social and political matters that deserve attention. “It’s our responsibility as artists,” she says, quoting Patti Smith. Back in London in 2005, when Marshall was asked to play piano with the Horses icon, Smith picked her up from the hotel, and they had a long conversation on the way to rehearsal. “Imagine if John Lennon was working at a bank and didn’t write ‘Imagine,’” Chan continues, as she also makes references to Nina Simone and Bob Dylan, or “God Dylan” as she likes to call him. “I think compassion, love, intelligence, and creative thinking are nutrients that we need to sur- vive as a cognitively relevant person today.” Marshall not only takes her cues from her icons when it comes to social justice, but these figures continue to serve as in- spiration for her craft. In January, she released Covers, her third album of cover songs, and the record she recently show- cased on September 20, when she opened for Jack White at the James L. Knight Center. When Marshall covers a song, she rei- magines it and makes it her own, with new melodies, arrangements, and, sometimes, even altered lyrics. On Covers, she pays homage to a wide range of artists, from Billie Holliday to Iggy Pop and Nick Cave to Dead Man’s Bones, Ryan Gosling’s band. “Bad Religion,” originally released by Frank Ocean, serves as the album’s opener. “I did really identify with it, and that’s the power of communication and creative thinking in general,” she says. In 1996, while still living in New York City, Marshall had a psycho-spiritual ex- perience that triggered her decision to move out of Babylon, what she calls NYC. “One night, I was at a friend’s apart- ment on Bowery, and I felt something crazy around me, and I said, ‘I gotta go. I gotta go,’” she says. She ran out of the apartment in an ef- fort to get away from the dark energy, stopped a cab, and jumped in. As she de- scribes the atmosphere, one can almost see the facial expressions of the man be- hind the wheel. She asked the taxi driver if he was from West Africa, and he an- swered, stunned, “How do you know?” Chan instructed him to drive out of there as fast as possible, telling him to take any street he wanted and keep the meter run- ning. “When I heard lyrics [of “Bad Reli- gion”] many years later, I was frozen,” she shares. She felt as if Ocean’s song de- scribed almost that exact situation as if he had borne witness to what had happened that night. Marshall wasn’t planning on recording a third album of covers when she and her band stepped into the studio. The ses- sions began as a sort of exercise to break the ice with a few band members who had never officially recorded on a Cat Power record before. They ran through Bob Seger’s classic “Against the Wind,” Nick Cave’s “I Had a Dream, Joe,” and Iggy Pop’s “Endless Sea.” All three covers wound up on Cat Power’s latest studio al- bum. Asked what it takes for a song to make it onto one of her cover projects, she says, “If it doesn’t move me, if I don’t feel close to it, if it doesn’t, you know, feel like it’s in some kind of portal, then I don’t like it.” One particularly intriguing selection is “Unhate,” on which the singer-songwriter revisits her own song “Hate” from her 2006 album, The Greatest. It takes a lot of courage to rework a track where the re- peating mantra is “I hate myself and I want to die.” On Covers, Marshall takes it all back. She says a combination of polarizing factors made her change her mind. There is nothing as strong as a new life to over- power the de- sire for death, and nothing more eye- opening than facing develop- ing countries’ misery. In 2014, she visited South Africa while on tour. “I saw a lot of things — socio- political, racial horror — there,” she remembers. “I got up there and was playing, and I was like, How can I sing these lyrics? You know? So I changed the lyrics. I do not hate myself, and I do not wanna die.” When she got back to the U.S., Marshall Compassion, love, intelligence, and creative thinking are nutrients that we need to survive as a cognitively relevant person. it’s probably very much a part of every re- cord that I’ve done the past 20 years.” When she opens for Jack White, it will learned she was pregnant. She still had five months of touring ahead of her, and she’d need to perform the song many more times on stage. “Then I knew I was pregnant, and I was like, Oh, hell no, I’m not gonna say those words.” Marshall’s change of heart is reflected not only in the lyrics but also in the melody of “Unhate,” which sounds strong and full of life. Marshall has been living in Miami for the past 20 years, moving down from New York City to prioritize her quality of life. She can see beyond the food, art, and mu- sic festivals, boat shows, and nightclubs of South Florida. “Miami still has wildlife and nature. That connection with nature is vital, I think, for me as well. And that’s some- thing that Miami has always given me. So be Cat Power’s first time performing in her adopted hometown since January 2020. She previously has covered several White Stripes songs, including “Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground” and “I Want to Be the Boy to Warm your Mother’s Heart.” “I just went to Nashville and went to Third Man [Records, Jack White’s vinyl- forward record label] with my son. My son loves the White Stripes,” she adds. If there is one main takeaway from New Times’ conversation, it’s that Marshall is a music fan. She’s even slated to recreate Bob Dylan’s legendary 1966 show at the Royal Albert Hall this November. “I’m terrified,” she says. But that spontaneity, combined with her ethereal, soulful voice, makes her a true artist. 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