INTERVIEW: Neneh Cherry celebrates her legacy with new album 'The Versions': "I feel so unfinished…these women are a huge part of my journey of looking forward and drawing new inspiration.”
Interview: Jett Tattersall
Image: Juergen Teller
Swedish singer songwriter Neneh Cherry is something of a legend in the music world. After her 1988 hit ‘Buffalo Stance’ ricocheted around the world, she became a symbol of everything in music that was new, fresh and cool. It’s an aura that she has never lost, and over the years it has developed into a deep and widespread respect for Cherry as a musical innovator and muse – and as the object of unrestrained fangirling and fanboying at the mere mention of her name.
From ‘Buffalo Stance’, to ‘Manchild’ and through to ‘Woman’ and ‘7 Seconds’ Cherry is responsible for some of the greatest, most cutting-edge pop of the late 1980s and 1990s. Now she is looking back on that legacy and reinvigorating it with The Versions her new album out today which features revamped versions of her songs by all-female artists that have a personal connection to the artist and her music. Some of the biggest names in music appear on the album, including Sia and Robyn as well as Cherry’s second daughter TYSON, and they have lovingly recorded the songs with respect to the original while transforming them into new pieces of art.
Robyn’s ‘Buffalo Stance’ slows the pace down dramatically, drawing out melancholy in the song and changing the structure while retaining elements of the original that jump out in unexpected places, delighting the fans who fell in love with the song the first time around. ‘Manchild’ was a stripped back, hip-hop ballad in its original form and Sia takes that core and adds electronic beats giving it a stronger dance floor feel.
The Versions is an album that is a triple threat. The strength of the songs lets the album stand alone as a piece of art anyone can enjoy whatever their history with Cherry’s music, for long time fans it gets you excited about the songs all over again, and perhaps most potently it reminds you just how powerful an artist Cherry has always been.
It may be a celebration of her life’s work, but this is no mere vanity project or extension of her ego for Cherry. This is a project by an artist who is perennially curious about the power of music, and who wants to empower her fellow artists’ creativity. We recently sat down with her to chat more about the genesis and creation of The Versions
Hi Neneh! It is just so delightful to chat to you today. The Versions is just such an incredible creature, a really incredible album. What was the inspiration behind and how did you go about putting it together?
It was just one of those [moments] when you have a funny, crazy little brainstorm. It was around the time when Raw Like Sushi had Its 30th birthday - which is like insane in itself, right? How did that happen?! We were having a conversation and in a kind of stupid way we were like ‘great. the next thing we'll do is the greatest hits, haha’. And then somehow, with Cameron my husband and collaborator and Robin my manager, we were just like, ‘wouldn't it be cool to get people to bring new voices into the environment and get other women to do versions of the songs to take it new generations.’
The first person that was a no brainer was Robyn. We asked her to do either 'Manchild' or 'Buffalo Stance', and she immediately wanted to do 'Buffalo Stance', because of her own story with that song. I then literally made a wish list, and pretty much everybody on that list wanted to do it which was such a deep honour, so touching and also really inspiring. Receiving these tracks, every single thing that came in was a goosebumps kind of experience with tears and laughter. I wanted everyone to have absolute creative freedom to do what they wanted to do and to not be tied down by what the songs were in their original form. To just really feel free to reinterpret them in the way that they heard the songs.
That’s so beautiful. And of course, this is not a moment of karaoke is it, no one's trying to hit your notes.
It's interesting that you say that because I feel so unfinished. My nightmare has always been to get trapped in some kind of ghost like, nostalgic kind of existence where you're looking back rather than looking forward. All these women that are taking part in this project are a huge part of my journey of looking forward and drawing new inspiration. So on a personal level it’s quite a deep exchange.
People often talk about legacy, but it must be something quite special to see your songs and your words provoking emotions in other artists, and then them putting that weight into it. It's still the same lyric and the same tune, but it just sounds like something completely different.
Yeah, and to me the most beautiful thing and the power of music is that there is an element to it that you can recreate something that's already been, therefore renew it, therefore giving it new life, therefore giving it this kind of endless existence. The way Robyn took 'Buffalo Stance' and slowed it down, some people were like, ‘oh, no, it's a song that should be like up there’, but actually, no, it doesn't. It evokes another level of emotion and that's her way of doing it and I totally agree with that. You almost want to take it as far away as you can from its original form, to avoid karaoke and to really immerse yourself in the challenge of making it your own thing.
ANOHNI’s version of ‘Woman’ just floored me. When you first released it, you really brought this whole theme of femininity with strength, whereas with ANOHNI’s version there's this foreboding sadness to it, and it's so beautiful.
It's so beautiful.I knew that I wanted her to do it, it was such a no brainer. But you never know, and I'm sure that she felt the same way. We had some conversations about how to do [the song], she was asking me if I wanted to hear something specific from it and [I] was just like ‘God, I hope she finds that key’. And she did, I am so happy because what I dreamt ANOHNI might be able to do with the song happened. Songs hopefully can lend themselves to be very personal to different people in different ways and almost tell different stories.
You've got daughters. You've got an album about women sung by women. Going through this process as a creator and as an artist, the perception of femininity, and the strength behind that must have shifted somewhat from when you were coming up with 'Buffalo Stance'. How do you feel the industry has changed particularly towards women since she first started in the 1980s?
You could say it's a bit of a clusterfuck. There's still an absurd amount of pressure on women to be attractive, in a very stereotypical kind of way. Of course, we want to feel beautiful and sensual, and sexy. I mean, we all go up and down as women, it's the range of emotion and where you are from one day to another is always going to be changing as long as you're alive. No one can wake up every day and be like, ‘I'm great, I feel beautiful’ but we have to keep telling us those things [because] the industry is fixated with an impossible, manufactured kind of beauty.
There's an alarming amount of pressure on young women because you are constantly seen now to be choreographing, because of Instagram, and filtering the way that you are and look and I think that's frightening. Therefore, even though so many things have happened, we still have such a long way to go. I've always felt incredibly thankful that I'm a woman and always so inspired by other women around me that have led the way but it's hard, you know? I watch Mabel, my youngest daughter who's been really successful, and, there is a pressure in that mainstream place of where she is [expected] to be kind of perfect. And that’s exhausting. At the same time, she's got this incredible network, and I see her and her female peers really trying to support each other, but it’s tough. You are exposed to what everyone fucking thinks if you decide to sit and look at it on your phone, or whatever.
One of the greatest strengths is this constant life of collaboration that you've led with regards to how you've created music. It's such a beautiful moment to be where you are now to have this incredible collaborative album of your songs covered by artists that you love. Congratulations and thank you so much for all you’ve created over the years.
Thank you so much, because left to my own I probably wouldn’t do anything! So thank you to anyone keeping me alive!
The Versions is out now via EMI/Universal Music. You can buy and stream here.
To keep up with all things Neneh Cherry you can follow her on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.
The Versions tracklisting:
‘Buffalo Stance’ (Robyn feat. Mapei)
‘Manchild’ (feat. Sia)
‘Woman’ (feat. ANOHNI)
‘Buddy X’ (feat. Greentea Peng)
‘Kootchi’ (feat. Jamila Woods)
‘Sassy’ (feat. TYSON)
‘Heart’ (feat. Sudan Archives)
‘Kisses On The Wind’ (feat. Seinabo Sey)
‘Manchild’ (feat. Kelsey Lu)
‘Buddy X’ (Honey Dijon Remix)
