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Laura Bell Bundy: Not Your Typical Country Diva

Rising country music star hits the dance floor and refuses to repress her love for gay fans

?I wish we could have a gay male country star. Until then,  I?m the closest gay male country artist you?re going to find!?  ? Laura Bell Bundy

She may be more than a little bit country, owing to her Kentucky roots but red hot country diva, Laura Bell Bundy, is full on in love with her gay fans.  In fact it is her gay fans, that Bundy credits with giving her the fearlessness to release her totally unconventional, decidedly bipolar new album Achin? and Shakin?, which is one half slow and sultry country songs and one hallf sassy, brassy uptempo ditties laced with  equal parts humor, confidence and attitude.

Bundy says that what led her to buck Nashville trends was in part witnessing the struggles of her gay friends as they lived without having to conform to anyone else?s ideas of how to live.

?I understand that struggle,? she says. ?I?ve never really found a place where I completely fit in, and I?m happy about that.  I never needed to be the homecoming queen. I?ve always done things my own way.?

It?s no surprise that the Lexington, Kentucky-born Bundy is shattering the usual industry formulas because nothing about her entertainment career has been normal. Like two of her idols Reba McEntire and Dolly Parton, she traveled the musical highway that spans from Nashville to Broadway.

She originated the lead role of Elle Woods in the Broadway musical Legally Blonde, for which she received a Tony Award nomination. She also originated the role of Amber Von Tussle in the Tony Award-winning Broadway musical Hairspray and played Glinda in the smash hit Wicked. Prior to that, at age 9, she originated the role of Tina Denmark in the successful off-Broadway production Ruthless!, The Musical!, for which she received the Outer Critics Circle and Drama Desk nominations.

After a successful run on Broadway, she moved to Nashville in the fall of 2008 and spent 18 months creating Achin? and Shakin?, an album that combines the traditional influences of her Southern heritage with a  uniquely modern and soulful perspective .

On April 3, Bundy will be performing for her gay fans at Tom Whitman?s Cherry Pop at Ultra Suede in West Hollywood.  But here, the singer talks about her journey from Broadway to Nashville, her ?gay sense of humor,? and her touching debt to Legally Blonde?s Elle Woods.

Pink : Tell me about the progression of your career from Broadway to country music. How did this come about?

Laura Bell Bundy: I kinda think that it was less of a segue than everything happening at one time. I?m from Kentucky, and I grew up listening to a lot of country music.  My grandfather was a radio DJ, and he had a large collection of country songs. My mom was a big fan of Dolly Parton and Loretta Lynn, and we also listened to a lot of countrypolitan, which has been a big influence on this album. And my father is from Muscle Shoals, so I learned about Southern soul music from him. All of that has inspired the combination of country and soul that you hear on this record.

But career-wise, you started doing theater first.

Yes, when I was a young kid, I moved to New York to do theater.  I was fortunate enough to be in the Radio City Christmas Spectacular at 9-years-old. Then, I was in the musical Ruthless! The Musical, which became a cult show in the gay community. Britney Spears and Natalie Portman were my understudies. But then I moved back to Kentucky to be normal and go to high school.  After doing a show with drag queens and being raised by the two gay men who composed the show, I was having an identity crisis.

Why didn?t you choose to do a pop album or an album of standards, as people might have expected you to do?

I never gave it a thought that I would be signing anything other than country. It was already what I had been performing. Maybe there?s been the idea that my songs could crossover, but this is the kind of music I?ve always wanted to do.

The first single from your new album ?Giddy On Up? has been remixed for clubs. What do you think of it?

When I heard the first version of it, I was freaking and jumping up and down. It?s so much fun. They had to speed up my vocals, so I sound like a country chipmunk.  I love it because my favorite way to blow off steam is to dance. I love going to gay clubs because I can throw caution to the wind. Some guy is not going to be coming up and grinding on me. And I?ll always get someone telling me how much they like my dress. Gay men have taught me some of my best dance moves.

You have a sizable gay fan base from your Broadway and Off-Broadway work. Why do you think gay people are drawn to you and your work?

I think I have a gay sense of humor?it?s off-the-cuff, it?s kitschy, it?s campy. Maybe that?s because almost everything that has ever been written for me was written by gay men. The most creative people in my life have been gay people.

And of course, I loved all of the films that are iconic to gay men: All About Eve, The Bad Seed, Mommie Dearest. Overall, there?s just something about the gay experience?particularly coming out of the closet to live life as you really are?that I totally relate to.

How so?

Gay people have taught me there there?s really no ?right? way to live?it?s all okay. That?s helped to bring me to the place I?m at now where I?m not afraid of anything anymore. I?m the most fearless I?ve ever been.  It?s interesting for me to be in the country music community?you don?t know how open-minded people are going to be. But I think it?s important to treat people equally, regardless of color, sexual preference, or religion.  I love people from the South, and I love traditional values, but I will not repress my love for gay people.

What?s your stand on gay marriage?

Besides my grandparent?s marriage, the strongest examples of committed long-term relationships in my life have been between gay couples. I don?t see how my idea of marriage could be threatened by the committed, loving relationships that many gay people have.

Final question.  What did the experience of portraying Elle Woods in Legally Blonde teach you?

The experience of playing that character every night was so positive and so much fun.  Elle taught me not to be afraid to be myself. She also taught me that a person can have a bubbly personality and not be stupid. She was also so open, loving, and accepting of all.  I actually get a little emotional talking about it. I grew up with that character, and she grew up with me.

Source: PinkMag.com (by Duane Wells)

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