'There’s A Lot Of Shit People Out There'

Beth Hart shrugs off phrases like “rising from the ashes”, “tragedy to triumph” and “reborn”. The blues chanteuse has indeed lived the classic Hollywood tale. Her early years were punctuated by dangerous dalliances with drugs, drink and depression, but she’s weathered them all with a dignified acceptance and an openness that acknowledges at the very least what her demons were able to give her – perspective. Even a humble milestone experienced by so many people has her gushing and swearing with infectious glee. “I bought my first home with my husband, ever!” Hart exclaims. “I lost my shit over being so nervous about moving in; I don’t know why I got so anxiety-ridden about it. It was ridiculous. But, you know what? It’s great, because now I’m in the rehearsal mode and the exercise mode and I’m getting ready to go back out on the road.”

"I’ve just been helped so many times along the way through my difficulties that I felt the least I could do is to not pretend and be some cheerleader."

Having first touched visited us last year for Bluesfest and a handful of metro shows, Hart is keen to back up her performances with her slot on this year’s line-up.

The spell Hart commands with her deep register and sultry image has always been tempered by her personal battles. While some artists choose to keep personal topics off limits, Hart has always been forthcoming with stark tales of her past; it’s something she feels is part of “her job”. “I’ve been saved so many times from myself,” she admits frankly. “Angels, God, whatever you want to call it, I’ve just been helped so many times along the way through my difficulties that I felt the least I could do is to not pretend and be some cheerleader, but to be really open about what it’s been like because it’s a way of heading forward, you know? I just know that there are many, many people out there struggling with bipolar disorder, alcoholism, drug addictions, food addictions, fears, phobias, anxieties. And there’s a lot of that, there’s a lot of shit people out there, and I’m one of them.”

The blues siren says her ever-present emotional rollercoaster made piecing together new album, Better Than Home, difficult initially. It wasn’t because she felt her own feelings confronting, but because her penchant for a variety of musical genres was sometimes at odds with a writing process that unfolded while experiencing a gamut of emotions. “Some days, some of the songs come from a really positive place, some of them don’t. There was a huge batch of material that came from different emotions but also different genres musically, and I tend to write really broad when it comes to genres anyway. So trying to choose what would go best together, along with what narrative would come together, that was a challenge just in itself. But it’s definitely more of a balance between the ups and the downs.”