In between starring roles in high-profile stage play “Josephine” and a touring musical adaptation of “The Bodyguard,” Grammy-nominated, platinum-selling recording artist and actor Deborah Cox is set to headline this year’s Philly Pride.
Cox is no stranger to Pride festivals, having performed at numerous LGBT events including WorldPride in Toronto in 2014.
“It was amazing,” Cox said about performing at the global LGBT event. “The first [WorldPride] I did was in London and then there was one in Toronto. It’s the ultimate Pride of Prides because it’s all of the countries coming together to celebrate one’s individuality and being free, celebrating all the rights of LGBT activism. It was an amazing homecoming for everybody, seeing people from all over the world being represented and feeling liberated and free.”
Cox said she tends to lean more towards the hits from her solo albums, rather than her stage work, when she performs at festivals.
“For Prides, it’s always four-on-the-floor, up-tempo music and the remixes,” she said. “Those seem to be the records that have resonated in the community. It wasn’t until I starred on Broadway doing ‘AIDA’ and ‘Jekyll & Hyde’ that I realized people would respond to those songs as well. But it’s almost always expected when I perform I’ll be doing the remixes of the songs from the early 1990s: ‘Who Do U Love,’ ‘Things Just Ain’t the Same’ and ‘Mr. Lonely’ for some reason resonated, and of course, ‘Nobody’s Supposed to Be Here.’”
Cox’s acting has found her portraying and recreating roles made famous by performers like Jospehine Baker and Whitney Houston. She said walking in the footsteps of such iconic performers is somewhat intimidating, but she wouldn’t have it any other way.
“That’s the fun part and part of the reason why I want to do it,” she said. “If I don’t fear what I’m getting into as far as projects, it’s not really worth it to me. I feel like you have to be scared just a little bit when you are venturing off into something new. Stepping into Josephine Baker was the toughest role in my life. It encompassed singing, dancing and full-on acting. It’s a very complex character and role, and it was emotionally draining. But I feel so triumphant in what was accomplished. It was a sold-out run and I had such an amazing cast and crew of people who helped to pull the show off. It was really one of those liberating moments because it showed me I have a lot more range than I dreamed of having. So now when I step into ‘The Bodyguard,’ I’ll feel that much more comfortable having been able to play such a complex character in ‘Josephine.’ One of my jobs is to bring the essence of these women to life on stage and I just hope that people can feel the performance and be inspired by what I do. That’s all one hopes for as an artist.”
With her talents as an actress in demand these days, Cox doesn’t have as much time to devote to her music.
But she assured her fans that she is still going to be producing new music at some point.
“It’s definitely busier because it’s on top of everything else that I have to do, and I’m just one person,” she said. “And I’m a person of integrity, where the project has got to be right in its entirety. I don’t like to do things prematurely or do things just to rush them because there is a demand. I know people have been waiting on new recordings but I’m working on that and I’ll get around to it. In the between time, come to the shows and party with me live or check out one of the Broadway shows. But soon enough, there will be some new recordings.”
Balancing her recording and acting careers is nothing new for Cox, who said she’s being accustomed to juggling both for 20 years.
“It’s not that much different from what I was doing before I became a recording artist,” she said. “I had done musical theater. I had done acting before I got my record deal. So a lot of people don’t know that side of me and they think it’s new. I like to be able to introduce this side of myself to the audience. As an artist, it also serves me very well. It gives me a lot more depth, and creatively, it gives me a lot more to pull from because the world of musical theater is so vast in the way that it can be done. It’s great for me to be able to show that side to my audience as well and still have records to put out. I know the fans want the records to happen faster, but it’s a process. Thankfully the fans are patient and still support me through it all.”
A native of Canada, Cox grew up accustomed to the accepting and tolerant social atmosphere of her home country.
She said she became more aware of how culturally divided people are once she moved to the United States.
“When I moved to L.A. in 1995, I was like, Wow, there is a lot of crazy segregation and racism going on here,” she said. “In Canada, there is a level of it as well but it’s certainly not as overt as here. I myself experienced it living in the U.S. I’m in Florida now and have been living here for over 10 years, and I see it. Now, having my own family and my own kids, there’s a lot of things that I’ve experienced and it’s really sad. The city I grew up in, Toronto, is a melting pot of different religions, nationalities and people who have adopted the Canadian way as their own, even if they are immigrants. I feel like you should be able to be who you are in whatever capacity that is. Unfortunately, there is still so much injustice going on. But that is part of my journey as an artist. I can raise a level of awareness to help bring change, much in the way that Josephine Baker had to do it in her time. I feel like in the present day I’ve taken the torch and done that too for the LGBT community. I just try to bring some kind of awareness with the platform that I have to some of these things that are going on and keep people open-minded.”
Deborah Cox headlines Philly Pride June 12. The parade leaves 13th and Locust at 11:30 a.m., and festival gates at the Great Plaza at Penn’s Landing open at noon. The festival is $15.
For more information, visit www.phillypride.org or www.deborahcox.com.