Sunday Diva/Three From The Hip: Sheena Easton

Sunday Diva/Three From The Hip: 

Sheena Easton

In my big gay church, there are many, many wings. One is dedicated to those referred to as Forever Our Girls. They are the girls next door. The ones who seemed accessible, real and a part of every day life while stealing our hearts with their girlish charms. And they did it all wrapped up in the trappings of whatever was topping the charts at the time. Sounds changed. Styles came and went, but the one thing that remained constant? Their voice. 

One such lass with class? 

Sheena Easton.

Inspired by Barbara Streisand in The Way We Were, her number one goal was to become a singer.

Reality television, courtesy of the BBC, may have initially brought her to the world's attention, but it was her energy and voice that captivated us. 

Her first single, stateside? Went to #1, followed by 14 more Top 40 singles. 

Her Grammy count? Six nominations, with two wins. 

Not bad for a girl from North Lanarkshire.

She would reinvent her sound and look as trends demanded, working with Luis Miguel, Kenny Rogers, Prince, Niles Rodgers, Babyface, L.A. Reid, Jellybean Benitez, to name a few.

But the career of a pop princess has a shelf life, which is why she dabbled in voice work, television acting and London's West End - all the while expanding her musical horizons to include jazz standards and classic disco. 

And if you think she's yesterday's news? Think again. 

2021 will see Sheena Easton performing live with COVID protocols in effect at the reimagined New York State Fair, as announced by (former) Governor Cuomo.

That's the enduring appeal of this diva. 

The gospel according to her?

Well, here are three from the hip, dropping from her lips. 

The topic? The people we love.

"I'm terrible at relationships. I consider myself to be smart and a good mother but it's taken me this long to realize you don't have to marry a guy after three days or dump him."
 

"Because I adopted my children, I could plan my timing. I knew exactly when they were coming along, so I knew when I had to change my life so it would be a stable life. Any time I have to get on a plane and leave my kids for a few days, it's kind of tortuous." 
 

"I have the life of Riley. I take my kids to school, do a bit of work in the afternoon, pick my kids up, microwave a meal, hang out with my kids, and work for a couple of hours. If I have no children what would be the point of living. I'm just passionately in love with my kids."

Morning Train (9 to 5) - Sheena Easton

Strut - Sheena Easton 

Giving Up, Giving In - Sheena Easton

 And here's one last parting shot...

"We are supposed to enjoy the good stuff now, while we can, with the people we love. Life has a funny way of teaching us that lesson over and over again."