In an exclusive interview from the opulent surroundings of London's Chiltern Firehouse, Chan Marshall – the artist known as Cat Power – delivers a stark assessment of the music world. 'Rock and roll is dead,' she states, linking its demise to entrenched sexism as she discusses her first new album in six years, the deeply personal 'Wanderer'.
A New Perspective from Motherhood
The seismic shift in Marshall's life began with the birth of her son, Boaz, who features on the cover of the new record. 'Once I had my son, something in my awareness became very sharp with other human beings,' she explains in her soft Georgia drawl. This newfound clarity has led to firmer boundaries. 'I've now realised it's time I stopped loving people who don't love me back,' she says, reflecting a resilience that permeates her new work.
Her tenth studio album, released on Friday 5 October 2018, arrives after a period of profound personal change that included her separation from the boy's father. Marshall describes herself as more 'joyful and grounded' now, though the signature melancholy that defines her music – a blend of folk, gospel, blues and pop – remains. Her songs, from 1998's 'Moon Pix' to 2012's 'Sun', have always dealt in heartbreak, but with a raw honesty that reveals strength rather than self-pity.
Survival, Solidarity and Industry Hypocrisy
The track 'Woman', a defiant duet with Lana Del Rey, was born from Marshall's own trials and a spirit of female solidarity. 'I'm a woman of my word / Or haven't you heard / My word's the only thing I've ever needed,' they sing. The collaboration was a source of comfort for Marshall after her long-time label, Matador, rejected 'Wanderer', leading her to sign with Domino Records.
She cites friend and #MeToo figurehead Asia Argento as an inspiration for the song. When asked about subsequent sexual assault allegations made against Argento (which she denies), Marshall is initially unaware, then visibly distressed. 'This is just so bad... She's had a very difficult year,' she responds, before steering back to the song's core message: 'pride in being a woman.'
This leads her to a blunt critique of the music industry's failure to have its own 'Time's Up' moment. Illustrating the double standard, she recounts being stopped from smoking in a guitar shop adorned with posters of male rock icons. 'If it was Keith Richards... no one would tell him not to,' she observes. When asked if women aren't allowed to be 'rock and roll', her reply is succinct: 'Rock and roll is dead.'
Influences and the Eternal 'Wanderer'
Marshall reserves high praise for artists who embody powerful individuality, naming Madonna and the late Aretha Franklin. She describes Madonna as 'a powerful woman who's saved souls' and recalls a transformative childhood moment hearing Franklin sing 'Amazing Grace', which cut through the 'horrifying' religious dogma of her Bible Belt upbringing.
The album's title, 'Wanderer', reflects her peripatetic childhood across Georgia and Alabama, constantly moving between her parents and grandmother. 'I never felt like I had a home. My son is now my home,' she reveals, indicating how motherhood has finally anchored the eternal wanderer.
This sense of being in a better place follows well-documented past struggles with addiction, a psychotic breakdown in 2006, and a diagnosis of bipolar disorder. She speaks candidly about using alcohol to cope with 'agonising pain' after a past breakup, choosing 'to live in a bottle' over suicide.
Today, Marshall defines feeling better as 'a way of coping'. She concludes with a note of hard-won gratitude: 'I'm thankful and grateful to have a good head on my shoulders and that I'm still a good time, fun-loving, smart, friendly, conscientious, kind person. So I'm really happy about that.'
