Prolific performer Melissa Manchester is readying to return to the New York stage with a three-night-concert engagement at 54 Below celebrating her newly released 20th album (get it, girl!) You Gotta Love the Life. From March 26-28, the Grammy Award winner will sing all-new songs from the album, her beloved hits and some awesome covers. Hopefully that means we’ll get a little “Don’t Cry Out Loud” and a little “Through the Eyes of Love” (both of which were introduced to a whole new generation in the cult classic Drop Dead Gorgeous).
Below, Manchester takes on 12 questions about her new album, the exciting concert and her life today.
1. What I love most about the You Gotta Love the Life album is:
What I love most about You Gotta Love the Life is it establishes me as an independent artist, highlights collaborations with magnificent guest artists and reflects what I have learned and what I know to be true.
2. Before a show, I typically:
I form a circle with my musicians and offer up a prayer of gratitude.
3. After a show, I like to:
I try to relax, have a snack. It takes me a long time to wind down.
4. The most unexpected part of teaching at the Thornton School of Music has been:
The most unexpected thing about being an adjunct professor at the USC Thornton School of Music is how much I have learned from my students.
5. The background on my cell phone is:
An adorable photo of my kids.
6. I keep my Grammy Award:
My Grammy Award sits in plain view in my dining room. Funnily enough, very few people ever mention it.
7. The TV show I am so into right now:
It's a toss-up between Sister Wives and The Blacklist.
8. An album I can’t stop listening to:
Ella Fitzgerald Sings Gershwin.
9. A book I really want to find the time to read this year:
I wouldn't know where to begin.
10. The website I check most frequently:
Good News Network.
11. Song on You Gotta Love the Life that feels the most personal right now:
“I Know Who I Am”
12. The highlight of my day now typically includes:
The highlight of my day includes a really good night’s sleep.
Don't miss your chance to see legendary Grammy winner Melissa Manchester at 54 Below on March 26-28
