The “Mother Mother” singer on the roller coaster of fame, surviving cancer and her new album, Sky Too Wide.
In 1996, rocker Tracy Bonham woke up the world with her breakthrough sad/angry girl anthem “Mother Mother.” Almost 30 years later, Tracy continues to evolve and grow as an artist. Her latest album, Sky Too Wide, is a perfect example. We caught up with the multifaceted musician to discuss having one massive hit, surviving cancer, her musical growth and why she’s still a badass.
HUSTLERMagazine.com: You have been through some heavy shit in recent years, including divorce and cancer. How are you doing? And don’t say everything’s fine.
Tracy Bonham: (Laughs.) People never believe me if I say everything’s fine. Thank you for asking. I am one year out from my surgery. They caught it early, thank God. I tell everyone out there to be vigilant with self-checking. I did some radiation and still feel the effects from that, but overall everything is great.
When your song “Mother Mother” hit, how did your life change as an artist?
It brought me into a world of being self-conscious. (Laughs.) It was so different. I was just trying out songwriting and I didn’t feel like I had any ground beneath me yet as a songwriter. I had a three-song demo with “Mother Mother” on it, and then, boom! The whole music industry was in this weird bidding war. Having a hit made my life surreal for a short amount of time. I was constantly on the road, rubbing elbows with some of my heroes. It was wonderful.
Did you buy anything extravagant?
