Interview: Shemekia Copeland
By: Rob Smittix

Photo By: by Janet Mami Takayama

RRX: I’m excited to be talking with you today. First of all, I’m reaching out because you are coming to our area, pretty much around the corner. May 22nd at the Incredible Egg. I don’t know, have you ever been there before?

SC: I have been to the Egg. It’s so cool. I’m very excited to come back.

RRX: Excellent, yeah, it’s quite unique and it’s just been revamped, so it should be an enhanced experience this time around.

SC: Oh, that’ll be great. I’m looking forward to it.

RRX: Us too. So with the show coming up, what does Shemekia have in the bag for us? Any tricks? Anything up your sleeve?

SC: Well, I wouldn’t say I have any tricks but we always definitely come ready to have a good time. We’ve been having fun performing songs from the latest record, you know? Mixing things up a bit and just having a good time.

RRX: Excellent. Now, I also saw that you’re playing the America’s 250th Birthday at the Bruce Springsteen Center for American Music at Monmouth University, which I didn’t even know existed until now.

SC: It’s just opening.

RRX: Oh! The more you know. That’s cool, that’s gonna be something.

SC: Yes, there’s so many amazing artists performing on that, so I feel like it’s gonna be a great hang. So, I’m definitely looking forward to that.

RRX: I don’t know if it’s sold out yet but I’m sure it will.

SC: Oh, it sold out within an hour ,I think.

RRX: That’s pretty cool, I thought that was the case. People were pretty quick to get those tickets and I don’t blame them.

SC: Mhm, yeah.

RRX: So, music wise, we have a blues show on our radio station and I mentioned to the host today, that I was gonna be talking to you and he was like… oh man, Shemekia’s a legend. You’ve been called that I’m sure quite a few time but how does that make you feel?

SC: It’s hilarious to me to be called that, I’m only 47, you know? To me that word’s for older people, but I appreciate people.

RRX: Right.

SC: But I really do appreciate people thinking of me in that way because I certainly and definitely want to make it there at some point, you know what I mean?

RRX: Well, I appreciate the humbleness but it looks like you earned it pretty quickly. But yes, you are still a very young woman. I was just 47 myself, just turned 48 and I don’t know about you but I’m definitely not rounding up to 50.

SC: You know? I’m looking forward to, it’s so funny to me because age is not a thing for me. But I’ll tell you, a weird thing happened… last November, my brother turned 50, my older brother and it was a weird experience because I was just like… oh my God, we’re grown-ups now, you know?

(Both Laugh)

SC: And it was just like… we’re grown ups. Oh my God, you know? But I didn’t think that at 30, I didn’t think that at 40 but we got right there at 50 and I’m like holy s***, we’re grown ups. We done grew up. And it was just a weird feeling but not like old, not sad about it, but just like, wow! We’re adults.

RRX: I get that. Being 48, I’m a very young grandfather. I got 3 grandkids because I started early. It’s kind of cool but I still never really felt like I was a man until I was 30. And then I’m like… alright, well I’m a man now but definitely hadn’t felt old yet. Yeah, let’s just embrace this thing!

SC: We gotta embrace it. Look, it’s a good thing. I actually have a grandbaby too, because of my husband, I have two stepdaughters, I adopted them. They’re my babies now too, but I have a little grandbaby because of them, I’m so excited about that too. So, yeah, it’s fun. But I also have a 9 year old, so…

RRX: Oh okay, so you’re still doing it. Yeah, my youngest is 18 and he’s giving us a run for our money.

SC: Yeah, they do that they do that.

RRX: He’s a senior and he’s been skipping school almost every day, my Mom literally said I will give him $1000 if he doesn’t skip for the rest of the year and he blew it already. Like, you can’t even offer the kid $1000 to do the bare minimum.

SC: Oh my gosh, he’s just like, I don’t wanna do this. I don’t wanna be bothered with this school thing.

RRX: It’s like bribery is not even working anymore. But having grandkids though is awesome, I didn’t know it was gonna be so cool. People told me they’re like… you’re gonna love them more than your own kids and I’m like, Nah. Now I’m like, maybe I do.

SC: Yeah, how is that possible? But it’s like, you know? You get to do all the cool stuff without any responsibility. That’s awesome, you know what I mean?

RRX: I do and when it gets tiring, well now you can have ’em back.

SC: Yeah, exactly.

RRX: Well, that’s awesome. Shemekia. I just wanted a chance to talk to you. We’re gonna push this show for you at the Egg and all of that. Was there anything that you wanted to say to people to encourage them to come out?

SC: The last time we were there, we had a time. It was really great. So come back out and see us again. Because we’re just gonna have a great time. It’s just as simple as that. If you wanna have a great time, come on out and hang out with us.

RRX: Amen to that. Well, I’ll be seeing you there for sure.

SC: That’s great.

The Egg Presents

Shemekia Copeland