In an interview with HuffPost, Pink opens up about her new album, her worries as a parent and her anger about the unfairness of the world.
The singer, who first broke through the music scene back in 2000, explained how she once tried to do the “Hollywood thing”, back when she was 20 years old. “It was awful,” she told HuffPost.
“I walked into The Standard [Hotel], and then I walked around and I walked outside and I found the first homeless man with a dog and guitar. And I hung out with him all night and sang songs on the street. I was like, ‘I think I like you better.’”
Fast forward almost 20 years and she is more true to herself than ever.
This week saw the launch of her seventh studio album entitled “Beautiful Trauma,” which, believe it or not is her first new album in five years, even though she has been present in the music scene during these five years.
The first single from the new album was “What About Us.” which was released this summer. Pink says that this song is about “all my friends … gay, straight, black, white, Mexican, women. I think about all my people. My people are human people. I’m so disappointed in government.
“I’m angry how women and black people and Mexican people and gay people are being treated. And I’m sick of it. And when you think it can’t get worse, it does.”
I’m just so disappointed. And it’s hard for me not to cry at this point. It’s so overwhelming. I’ve always been a fighter and this is my weapon — a pen. And I have ears. And so I’m angry. I”m angry about it. I’m angry. I’m angry about how people are being treated. I’m angry how women and black people and Mexican people and gay people are being treated. And I’m sick of it. And when you think it can’t get worse, it does.”
Pink is also a mother of two and explains how she worries about her kids’ futures.
“I have a 6-year-old little girl who I’m raising, and the day she figures out what kind of world she lives in is going to be the day that breaks my heart,” Pink said.
“I don’t yet know how to have that conversation. I’m hoping somebody else makes a speech and teaches me before that day comes. And that’s what ‘What About Us’ is to me.”
The rest of the album features a mix of bold pop songs and beautiful ballads, centered around themes of hope, anger and nostalgia. Pink admits that prior to entering the studio, she didn’t have a clear direction in mind, but now she’s really proud of how everything turned out.
“I’m a 38-year-old woman that’s a mother of two children..My dad just beat cancer..I just have a pen in my hand..But it’s the same shit everyone is going through.”
“I go through moments where I just write poems in my phone and I go back and read it and it’s crap. And I have to start from scratch. But I did an OK job of just being honest,” she said.
“I’m a 38-year-old woman that’s a mother of two children. I’ve been married for 11 years. Either on or off. Mostly on. My parents are aging. My dad just beat cancer,” she said.
“I’m putting one foot in front of the other just like everyone else. I just have a pen in my hand. And a lot of people get to hear about it. But it’s the same shit everyone is going through.”
Pink talks about her husband, Carey Hart who she looks to to help with her lyrics:
“He pisses me off. He’s my guy. He’s my person. From one minute to the next, I look at him and am like, ‘You’re the best man. You’re the best dad. You’re beautiful and I love you.’ And then five minutes later, it’s like, ‘There’s nothing I’ve ever liked about you.’ And I know he feels the same way about me,” she said.
Pink also shares that she feels she’s never sounded better than she does on this album, and she easily attributes that to quitting smoking.
“I think it’s also, I don’t know, I was really, really present on this record,” she said. “And I intentionally wanted to do a good job. I’m not a perfectionist while recording. It’s kind of a vibe and I wanted this to be a sound.”
When she’s not entertaining a crowd or recording new music, Pink lives a pretty quiet life on a farm with her family, some chickens and rescue dogs.
Cover photo: Pink and daughter Willow Sage Hart arrive at the 2017 MTV Video Music Awards at The Forum on August 27, 2017 in Inglewood, California.Gregg DeGuire/Getty Images
