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When the stars talk they talk to Nick and Sue.
Back to the Chatterbox Redux podcast and our
guest in this edition is Judith Owen. We're Chatterbox
giving you all you need to know about Muse! Now
in Chatterbox, we're just lucky enough to welcome
Judith Owen. Judith, welcome to Chatterbox. How
are you? I'm great. I'm sitting here in New Orleans
talking to you from across the pond. Fantastic.
It looks very bright over there. I believe it's
about 25 degrees here right now. So, yeah, it's
bright. It's spring -like. It's warm. It's getting
sultry, but it's not quite at full swamp capacity
right now. okay yes quite quite well april 2026
it's a very exciting month for you yeah it is
it is let's album and a single some dates yeah
it's um and it all falls and i mean it just i
figured that if i'm going to be bringing an album
out in april it better it better fit in with
jazz fest which is i'm going to be performing
it a lot during the whole two weekends and the
week in between so it seemed to me the perfect
time to to release um this new album suit yourselves
but particularly because it's so inspired by
this this city where i do all my recording where
my band is from you know it's kind of it's a
love letter to this city really job it's fantastic
as well sounds good sounds really good and of
course i did notice that well it's being released
it's called suit yourself and it's being released
on friday 24th of april yes and so by some people
hear this it will just just come out and i see
also you're busy over there in New Orleans doing
uh doing concerts and gigs call it what you like
over there yeah being released i think this is
the one the next day something like that so you're
busy over there with your jazz festival yeah
i mean i i just come back from europe where i
tried out you know i did the like the french
launch in paris then i went to switzerland italy
um and then i came back and did just a few low
-key shows um just to get get nice and used to
playing this new repertoire now. And so now I'm
ready for the full kickoff. And the kickoff,
the launch party, will be in New Orleans. And
it will have the big J .O., big band, my band,
the Callers, and the Gospel Choir. So I'm actually
going for the entirety of the album on that one
night. And then I play for pretty much almost
every single day during Jazz Fest. Fantastic.
Right. Let's go through the tracks on the album.
You could tell us what you really want people
to listen to and what they mean. We also do,
of course, have the single. Yeah. So tell us
about the single. Why was that? Sounds amazing.
That's a good reason. Tell us why. Why did you
choose that to be the single? Was it always going
to be the single to start with? You're talking
about That's Why I Love My Baby? Yes. Yes. It's
the first single of off the album and I'm very
happy that it's the first single. The first and
second single which will be To Your Door are
both my songs. I wrote them and that makes me
feel really pretty good because the last few
albums I've done, the last couple of albums I've
done have definitely been like... love letters
to homages to in the first place was my one in
twenty twenty two come on again it was about
the woman that really inspired me to be the kind
of artist i am the head is a kid who are no longer
remembered. fabulous woman at the piano, real
kind of like unapologetic, you know, just extraordinary
women. And then I did a big band album, Christmas
album, because I love big band. Well, this with
Sit Yourself, it's all aspects of me, hence the
title. It's really, it's about the things that
I love to cover, but it's also about my interpretations
of songs, my arrangements of music and my own
writing. So It's about my husband. It's about
the hell I put him through, because I actually
see so much of life. I mean, I write about what's
real. I write about life as being something that's
wonderful and painful at the same time, because
that's the truth of it. And I have a sense of
humor, but I think you need a good sense of humor
to get through it anyway. It's about how my husband
refuses to acknowledge Valentine's Day, has always
hated being told what to do by basically a commercial
holiday. I put him through hell for 10 years
and then one day I woke up and thought, no, he's
right. When he says it's not about buying you
a card or flowers on one day, it's about how
you treat the person you love every day of the
week. I realized, oh no, he's right. But of course
I couldn't actually tell him he was right because
we're married and that would have been, that
would have meant I would have lost the battle.
So I wrote this song instead and the song is
very much a tongue in cheek, but it's very real.
in so much as it's like the radical acceptance
of who we have chosen to be with as opposed to
you know how I want you to be your perfect now
change this is about warts and all I accept you
for who you are you drive me crazy but you are
fantastic and I love you to bits and that's exactly
what the song is about and it's it I have a a
single that also is out on the channel Judith
Owen on YouTube which I filmed of this song with
me in the French Quarter, walking through the
streets the Friday before Mardi Gras, and it
really does approximate and shows you the joy,
the absolute... kind of the elated experience
of being in New Orleans during Mardi Gras. It's
an exceptional thing and I recommend everybody
listen to the song and watch that experience
because it'll make you want to just buy a ticket
now and get over here as soon as you possibly
can. But it really does sum up the joy that this
place sort of brings to every person that comes
here. One brief question about that's why I love
my baby. Does your husband know? Of course he
does. He's the first person to ever hear my songs
and he knows. It's like if you're writing about
your life, you're going to write about the person
you're with. That's just how it is and the good
news is that It's like I said, I've never, I'm
kind of, I call myself the queen of bittersweet
because I see life as being that way. And I think
that's what people really relate to. My listeners
really relate to and the audiences relate to
is this is how it is. It is the truth of how
it is, but it's like, it's, it's, it's something
that was that we all know, but it's something
we can all like enjoy and, and celebrate that
that really is. Um our life experience and uh,
and you know, like I said humor really really
important No one I ended up with a funny man.
That's all I can say Well, what i've seen of
him he makes me laugh anyway, so there you go.
Um, there you go To your door. Um, yes a little
bit about to your door is the second the second
uh single again about him but about the way that
my husband, um And again, I've got another video
that goes with this, which you can see too. Very
much another. They're all set in New Orleans.
It gives you a real sense of this place. But
it's about the fact that when I go out on the
road, my husband always says to me, go out, shine,
make people happy, do the thing that you're here
to do. just you know kill and you know go go
go out and kill and and just just do give it
your all as opposed to what could be oh don't
go why are you going when you have you know now
i am with somebody who's the love of his life
is what he does is you know as an entertainer
it's the same thing he gets why and what i do
and why i do it and how i do it and the importance
of doing it's the love of my life so and this
is a song where i'm saying you know For that,
for the fact that you never, ever clip my wings,
you always just send me out there, like, to do
my job. That's the reason. That is the reason
I will never, ever, ever... Not come home to
you are the reason I come home. That's it Well,
and that's a big part of I think that's the other
thing in life is like when people hold you too
tight when people are too You know When they
when they kind of like hold you down hold you
back Your first if you like me anyway, your first
reaction is to run is to go as opposed to the
person that absolutely lets you be entirely who
you are, loves entirely who you are, respects
it, encourages it, and that's the person that
you know. It's like, no, no, you're it. You're
the one. You're it. So that's really what that
song is about. And again, I think people really
appreciate that and understand what I'm saying.
Sure. Absolutely. There's some wonderful titles
here, and they all sound great. It's one fantastic
album. Thank you. I thoroughly enjoyed it. It's
chilled. Chilled to it. Totally chilled to it.
Of course, it's the idea, isn't it? Yeah, it
is. It is. It is. It's meant to make you feel
good. That's the point. Yeah, absolutely. There's
some amazing titles here, but any others earmarked
for singles? Yeah, I think Blue Skies is a really
important one. I mean, this song is nearly 100
years old. And yet it's still... Holds for me.
I don't see it as a romantic song. I have a history
of taking famous songs classic songs, whether
it be rock or pop or whatever it might be and
Turning them into songs. It sounds like I wrote
them or that it's my My life I'm singing about
because that is the point I think of being an
interpreter is that it's yours It means you it's
about your life and with blue skies Right now
in the current situation in this world that we're
living in, I thought what it said to me is that,
you know, we are constantly surrounded by storm
clouds, constantly metaphorical storm clouds.
And what we have to remember and what's important
to remember is that like when you fly on a plane
and you go through the clouds and you're out
in the sunshine on the other side behind every
dark cloud, the sun is shining. There are blue
skies. It's right. there we have to remember
to have hope and to remind ourselves that that
is it's it we're still you know it's still there
we can still reach it we can still find that
place and it's not to give up hope really and
so I found that to be a very important very important
song on this album and a very important sentiment
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Chatterbox. Chatterbox. Chatterbox. Chatterbox.
Chatterbox. Chatterbox. And the other one is
Inside Out, which I wrote with the extraordinary
Jameson Ross, who's... who plays drums for me
and is a phenomenal artist in his own right and
a Grammy winner. And it really is about, again,
learning to live as I have learned to, showing
exactly who I am, being very, very open about
who I am, all my flaws, all my problems, all
my issues, all my struggles. and to not hide
or live with a secret as I've done so much of
my life with, you know, depression and so many
things that I've struggled with because when
you're authentically yourself or when you're
honest about who you are, you will actually open
yourself up to helping other people and to sharing
with other people by the very fact that you are
transparent uh you'll find that other people
will say oh no i know exactly what you're talking
about i felt that way myself i've been through
that i know that you you we all go through life
thinking that if we show who we really are a
lot of us do anyway that other people will run
for the hills and you you know there's so much
shame involved you don't want to show your flaws
you don't want to show your struggles when in
fact uh it's interesting how when you do you
will find that there is uh There is appreciation
around you and others that need your help, that
need to know that they're not alone as well.
So that's what that Inside Out is about. It's
about literally showing what's going on inside.
And I think that is the comment. That's really
is this whole album is wrapped around finding
joy in the face of adversity. And it's about
turning darkness and fears and all those things
into turning into beauty in a joyful place. Nice,
lovely. There's one with an interesting title
which I should just pluck out and ask you about.
If I Were a Belle. Yeah. Don't worry about one.
If I Were a Belle is from a very wonderful and
famous American musical, Guys and Dolls. Oh yeah.
And I'm a huge Guys and Dolls fan. And it's a
song. that people don't recognize just because
of course I've done my reimagining on it and
turned it into a very kind of chill adult bossanova
that has more kind of job beam about it than
anything else but in fact it's a very earnest
sweet fun song that in the movie Gene Simmons
sings to Marlon Brando if you're a movie buff
as I am but I've taken it to this Again into
this like adult sexy place which which I love
in Brazilian jazz. So I took it there because
that's what I thought it really needed because
it's about. It's exactly what it says. It's like,
you know, the what the song says is like I am
so in love I am so overwhelmed by this feeling
I have it's like, you know If I were a duck I
quack if if I were a bell I'd ring if I were
a bridge I'd burn, you know, it's it's all that
stuff. Yeah It's it's the first feelings of love
that we all know so well, so I just I thought
that was a beautiful song that needed just needed
to be to be made a little bit more adult sure
evil gal blues of course the i know the the um
the aretha franklin version of course i mean
aretha is one of my idols uh but again i can't
do that i'm not gonna even attempt to do anything
like that but making that into a big band number
is one of the great joys because It's um, it's
the ultimate in In in being a front person to
me. Yeah, I mean you're in front of this big
sound You're you're the you know, yeah You're
the band leader and the swing in these guys again.
They're all New Orleans players They've got such
swing to them. They really are incredible. And
so it's very a very exciting experience to sing
live with them, as I'll be doing when I do my
launch show during Jazz Fest, which is coming
up. Again, it's a very straightforward blues,
but what matters when you do songs like this
is the big band arrangement. That's what counts.
And I have an incredible arranger called John
Wasson, who lives in Texas, who like Nelson Riddle,
who I, you know, of course I worship at the temple
of Nelson Riddle, but he is also a trombone player
and he has that thing in his head where he hears
that sound of all, like the stacks. of these
instruments. And so I adore his arrangements
and it's just, it's the swagger. It's like singing
in front of a great rock band. This is the version
of that. When it was the big band era and the
jazz era in America, that was the pop music of
his time, but that was the rock music of his
time in the power that was on stage. It's a very
similar feeling. It's just like, no martial arts
needed, but man, you are loud as heck. It's fantastic.
Fantastic stuff, brilliant. Is this the sort
of stuff that you would chill out to at home?
Or does it depend what sort of mood you're in
as to what goes on? Or if your husband's there,
is it something more rocky? Or is this literally
what you prefer? Because it is amazing, you know.
I will always, as I started out life with my
family who were classical, father and opera singer,
but very unusual man who loved. jazz and blues.
So I am the same person, ever expanding with
all the new music that I discover and find, but
I started out listening to Rachmaninoff and Puccini
and Chopin and Oscar Peterson and Peggy Lee and
Frank Sinatra and Elvis Gerald and Nelly Lutcher.
And it goes on and Stevie Wonder and Aretha Franklin
and Joni Mitchell and James Taylor. And so it's
like every single area of music and then very
depressing Welsh folk music of course. So I am
that same person and I listen to the music that
suits my mood. And sometimes it is Rachmaninoff.
or Mozart and sometimes it's Oscar Peterson or
Errol Garner or Miles and sometimes it's Stevie
and Aretha and I'm dancing down the street in
heaven and it really it's really about the mood
and that's why this this album is I think a very
honest approximation of who I am because I think
of music as being the language we all speak and
within that are different dialects that suit
whatever mood you're in. But the sound, my voice,
the style, it's me. I've been fighting a endless
war that was the industry saying, would you just
stick to your lane? Would you stay in your box?
and i've been saying forever no that's not what
being an artist is that's not music music is
not about being pigeonholed and only doing feeling
that you can only do one thing that's music is
much more free than that yes that's not that's
not the beauty of music and um so i've continued
on that path until I guess the world came around
to my way of thinking or rather the business
maybe I don't know the business ever has or ever
will but as the as the business as as the as
it's become more easier to be able to reach a
huge audience digitally online you know in all
these capacities with you with you know being
able to go on all these different things it's
I've never ever faulted the the public and the
audience because they can make their own minds
up the audience has a capacity listeners your
audience has the capacity to listen to many many
different things and to be able to appreciate
many stars many genres um and so I think it's
very liberating right now where we are and I
hope it it continues to be because I I love that
John Baptiste can go out there and win a Grammy
for Americana when he's a jazz and you know artist
who does classical too and everything else besides
that's what being a real artist is and I've always
I've always felt that way you should you should
do whatever you can do brilliant route to a point
of excellence not what you're okay at but what
you're great at and don't let you know don't
be confined to one thing just because somebody
says it's too difficult to sell. That's not the
point of this. No, not at all. I've got two dates
for you. I mean, you're busy over there, of course.
I see you've sold out in Switzerland and all
over the place. But over here, at the moment,
we're looking at you're playing a show at the
Bush Studios in London on Monday, 1st of June
and in Cardiff on the 5th of June. And there's
more dates to be scheduled. Oh, let me just make
one difference in information. The fourth, I
believe, I think that Cardiff is the fourth of
June. Okay. Let me just, I would just say, listen,
I'm playing at the Millennium Centre at that.
Canberra is the room, which is very exciting.
I think it's the fourth. First, yes, Bush Hall
in London. I'm bringing the callers, I'm bringing
the New Orleans band, it's going to be... Wonderful.
Very exciting. We'll have some guests. But it's
going to be thrilling because, of course, nothing
can be as thrilling as me coming home and playing
this music and a home crowd. There's nothing
like it. Nothing like it. that really is a home
crowd for you isn't it yeah yes it is it is i
know so those are the two i'm going to be playing
all over the world but honestly those are the
two that i'm i'm most excited about uh let's
do your social media quickly we've got judyowen
.net's fantastic website it's called everything
everything including the podcast you were doing
which is fantastic well it's literally everything
and rather than keep Reeling off all these social
media. What's what? This is what that is straight
underneath your name and on the home page You've
got your direct links to the Facebook the Instagram
basically YouTube. Everything's there So people
just go to Judith Owen dotnet all your shows
are there as well. And yes nice these defined
from there So yeah, yeah, and I'm on all the
platforms Spotify iTunes as usual stuff so you
can find me everybody It's always good to go
to the website because you get all the correct
information, thank goodness. But yeah, it's just,
it's going to be an adventure, so I'm about to
hold my nose and jump in, but I'm excited. Of
course. Judith, it's been great meeting you.
Thank you so much. Lovely to meet you too. Thanks
for coming. You've been absolutely wonderful.
Thank you so much for supporting me. Absolutely.
Let's do it again sometime. Sounds great. Please.
Take care, Judith. Bye bye then. Thanks, love.
Bye. Bye, love. Thanks for watching You've been
listening to the Chatterbox Redux podcast and
today our special guest was Judith Owen. If you're
interested in becoming a future guest on the
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