Patti LaBelle Talks Being 80 Years Young, 65th Career Anniversary: ​​'How Can You Retire From Something You Love?'

“Still fantastic!” That was one of the compliments that rang out as fans made their way out of the Hollywood Bowl after Patti LaBelle's 8065 tour kicked off on Sunday afternoon (July 7).

The numbers refer to LaBelle's double celebration this year: her 80th^u birthday in May and 65 years of entertainment career. Those 65 years represent a ground-breaking, Grammy-winning music career that began in the early '60s as frontwoman for Patti Labelle & the Bluebelles, which evolved into the groundbreaking LaBelle Trio in the '70s with Nona Hendryx and late Sarah Dash before LaBelle started. in a solo career.

After opening her set with the emotional “You Saved My Life,” LaBelle was certainly in her element as she put on her shoes not once but twice, joking (“Don't screw it up, I want my shoe back,” she told a audience member who had caught one of them), busted out a few dance moves with her singers and even did some of her trademark wing bending. She also dedicated her own touching take on “If You Asked Me To” to Celine Dion (who covered the song after LaBelle in 1992).

LaBelle's soaring vocals were at the center of the ballad “If Only You Knew” (a surprise since it wasn't on the set list provided by the Bowl) — drawing warm applause — and show closer “Lady Marmalade.” For the latter, she chose several men from the audience to follow her on stage and try their hand at singing the hit themselves, which was met with cheers and laughter from the audience. Her nearly 90-minute performance also included classics such as 'Love, Need and Want You', 'On My Own' (her duet with Michael McDonald) and 'You Are My Friend'.

Upcoming stops on LaBelle's 8065 junket include Sacramento (7/20), Phoenix (8/11) and Memphis (9/12). In the meantime, she's still keeping busy with her successful food company, Patti's Good Life, which recently added a new pancake and waffle mix to its menu. And coming soon: Patti LaBelle Wines. In an interview with Advertising sign Ahead of her show at the Hollywood Bowl, LaBelle reflected on her career, the new wave of female R&B artists and the R word: retirement.

What else can fans expect when they catch you on this 2024 tour?

I am very picky and very spontaneous. I'll be doing a lot of different kinds of music. You never know what I can do, but it will be cool. These [the shows] will be who I am: a Bluebelles girl, Labelle member, and then Patti LaBelle. It'll be a reminder of what I've been doing all my life, you know? I just want to give a public thank you for all the years people have been on my page with me. I can't take that for granted because people can spend their money in other places, on other entertainers. But when they decide to see a Patti LaBelle show or buy a Patti LaBelle record, I feel blessed.

Are you working on any new music?

I've been working on something for the past two years. But you know, sometimes when you're recording, of course, you're going to start and then you're going to stop. Or something might happen where you say, “Well, God, I've got to stop it now and then come back to recording when I have good music.” I'm very picky. I want to make age-appropriate music for an 80-year-old young woman. I can't do anything that makes me feel like I'm reaching for something I shouldn't be. So this should be something well thought out. It's hard for me to find good material that I want to put out. But I'm not going to stop. I hope something can come out within the next six months.

Have you ever envisioned a career of 65 years? Not many people can say that.

Because all three of my sisters died before they turned 50, I always prayed that I would turn 50. When I did, it was like a miracle. God gave me grace and I am still here. And to say that I'm still here at 80, still doing what I did when I was 20, 30 and 40… that's another blessing. Because you can't always take it for granted that you'll be here at the age of 80, still playing and in your right mind. So every day I say, “Thank you God for another day.”

Describe the feeling you get as you prepare to go on stage.

It's a rush I've had all my life. I have never, ever been nervous before a show. I'm always petrified. Especially when you go out and see the crowd standing or saying your name and it just makes you feel great. This doesn't happen all the time for many people, but it still happens to me. My band and I say our prayer before we continue. They keep pushing me and making me feel good on stage for 75-90 minutes. I always say to myself, “God, I wonder if they'll take care of me tonight like they did years ago.” That's always in the back of my mind because I don't want to be an afterthought, like, “Why is she still singing?” I just don't want to be that person. So every time I go out there, I pray that they do [the audience] will accept me

Where do you get your energy from?

This is God, girl. Like I said, I've outlived most of my family, but I've still got a show to do tomorrow, the next night, and the night after that. So this is energetic for me. Sometimes my body might hurt, but I'm going to go out there and do my thing. I don't feel pain when I play, you know? And I thank God for that after a show. And that makes me feel great that I can still do it. I don't know how 80 is supposed to feel, so I don't know if I feel 80. Maybe I feel about 40 inside [laughs]. For exercise, I have a pool that I get into. I can't swim but I can kick. And I walk my dog. I move my body to do things that I know will help me.

What life lesson have you embraced in your 80s? And what music career lesson do you still carry with you after 65 years?

For the first: don't hold a grudge. In 80 years, you can have a lot of things that could frustrate you or put you in a place where you say, “I hate this. I hate it.” But I don't have hate in my life. I've learned to forgive those who have put me in such a terrible position that you can't think that anyone would forgive someone who did that. But I've always taken the high road. So as I get older, the more I've become a forgiver. Because I always say there must be a real reason why a person is hurting. So these people you pray for, and sometimes I bring them closer to me hurt you to be nice to someone who isn't nice to you.

And for the second: that not everyone is going to accept me. There have been times in my 65 years in show business that there has been a lot of rejection for Patti LaBelle: for my music, for my shows, for my acting, for anything I've done in my life. I know not everyone is going to accept it. that I will get no's and sometimes I will get some yes's. All of this has happened in my life and will continue to happen because not everyone is going to love Patti LaBelle.

Is there a song that you enjoy performing after all these years?

I enjoy “If Only You Knew”. It's a difficult song, but I can still sing it. These notes at the end: I'm amazed every time they come out. So it's one of my favorites for that reason. And I haven't changed the keys [my] SONGS; is in the original keys.

What do you think about the new wave of female singer-songwriters in R&B right now?

There are many great singers in young women like Coco Jones and Victoria Monét. I continue to bless them, honey. Do not stop. Do not stop. And of course Beyoncé, girl. I am just happy for her period for everything she is doing and will continue to do. I see a lot of good in these young ladies who play and sell the way they sell. When Beyoncé did her country album, I was like, 'Go girl,' because music is music. And he's from Texas and he's holding them. I just want him to keep making whatever kind of music he wants. Music has no color. he has no fight. Music is music period.

When I was going up, it was [the industry climate] it was nowhere near what it is now. It's much better to be a black performer. much more than when we — Sarah, Nona, Cindy [Birdsong, a member of the Bluebelles] and I — I did at the time. So I'm very happy for the climate where black women sing whatever they want. I wish it was like this when we were climbing. But then again, if that was the case, I might not value what I have now as much as I do. We paid our dues.

Is the R word — retirement — in your vocabulary?

How do you spell it? [laughs]. That's not in my book. No way. I will continue. There's no reason to stop unless you can't do anything anymore, right? And how can you retire from something you love?