FEATURE:
It’s Always Darkest Before the Dawn
IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush in August 2014 performing Waking the Witch during the concert dress rehearsals for Before the Dawn/PHOTO CREDIT: Gavin Bush.
Kate Bush and the Difference Between Excellence and Perfectionism
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A subject I have broached and explored in the past…
IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush in 1978/PHOTO CREDIT: Rex Features
there have been a lot of misconceptions about Kate Bush and perfectionism. I am minded of this, as I saw an article on the Express website that talked about Bush and this almost obsessive nature. The article, in a wider sense, looked at her mental puberty. How she changed in terms of her attitude, career and body between the ages of twenty-eight and thirty-two. She lost her mother in 1992 and split from Del Palmer (who she had been with on and off since the 1970s) in 1993. The article went on to explore why Bush returned to the stage in 2014 with Before the Dawn:
“The star began writing songs at the mere age of 11, and by 1978 had sold over a million copies of her debut album The Kick Inside. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, Bush was the first female artist in pop history to have written every track on a million-selling debut album. A few years back, a former colleague at her label EMI spoke with The Mirror, who revealed some insight into the star’s work ethic and the process in which she goes through in order to produce her successful music.
IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush in 1993 during filming for The Line, The Cross and the Curve/PHOTO CREDIT: Guido Harari
Known for keeping herself out of the spotlight, Bush released a compilation of rare tracks, cover versions and remixes from box sets back in 2019 which was her first music release since her 22-night residency at the Hammersmith Apollo back in 2014.
Speculating about why she leads such a private life, before her comeback in 2014, her former colleague told The Mirror: “Kate is a perfectionist, always has been and always will be.
“As much as she has enjoyed her time out of the spotlight, she knows she needs to get back on stage and share her musicianship to feel truly fulfilled.
“She’d probably describe herself as having mild to middling OCD.
“Kate has had the final say on every detail. To say she has been hands-on is an understatement.”
Although Bush herself has never claimed whether she has OCD or not, the star has spoken in the past about struggles with her mental health, especially after turning 30 years old.
Speaking about the difficult period in the late 1980s, Bush said: “I think it’s a very important time, where there’s some kind of turning point”.
I don’t believe Kate Bush has OCD or is even borderline. Obsessiveness would, I guess, result in her doing the same thing over and over again. Bush is always evolving and creating something new. There is never an obsession to obtain perfection. She has said this in interviews. Regarding the Before the Dawn gigs, her being hands-on and making sure everything was as she wanted is the result of an artist who wants excellence. Look back at 1979’s The Tour of Life, and she was involved with the whole process. After coming back with a huge show thirty-five years after that tour, it is no wonder Bush was determined to make it as special as possible! I guess there are misperceptions about artists. If someone like Kate Bush spends a lot time recording an album or she is heavily involved in a live show, that means she has OCD or is a perfectionist?! Maybe she is undiagnosed, but it is much more likely she is striving for something that represents her vision. As a woman in music who was subject to sexism and parody early in her career, one can understand why she spent intervening years taking control and working to be taken seriously. The part of the Express article that discussed her mental-health and growing up in the spotlight is relevant today. So many big artists talk about burn-out and struggling with attention. Whether it is social media comments or pressure between albums, the likes of Charli XCX have recently come out to express their concern. As a fan of Kate Bush, Charli XCX seems similarly innovative and inspiring.
IN THIS PHOTO: Charli XCX
I do worry about artists now and the combination of a lack of streaming royalties, pushing themselves performing live and having to deal with social media and the demands and spotlight of the media and labels. Being branded or judged, women especially have so much crap to deal with. Things were not that much easier for Kate Bush from 1978. Exploding onto the scene with such an unusual and successful single like Wuthering Heights, there was expectation and eyes on her. It took until 1985’s Hounds of Love for Bush to be taken seriously and get the acclaim she deserved. That was the album when she produced solo and seemed to be happy and at her best. Even then, I do not think there was any need for perfectionism. Such a visionary and ambitious artist, people who worked with her in the studio got on very well. Everyone has a nice thing to say about Bush and those times! It does make me think of modern music and also Bush today. I wonder whether, in this streaming age, people appreciate the sheer effort and hard work artists put into the music. From recording to promotion, things seem more disposable than they used to. It is no wonder artists like Charli XCX can feel burned-out or upset by what they read on social media (although her new album, CRASH, has received incredible reviews and ranks alongside her best work). What about Kate Bush? Maybe she is obsessively working on the nuts and bolts of a new album though, if there is any music being made, it is not going to be this overly-worked and perfected thing. She will operate as she has since the start: putting her heart and soul into everything to ensure that the music is true to her. Not working as tirelessly as she would have done in the 1970s and 1980s (due to the fact she has her own record label, Fish People, that she releases her albums on), it is exciting to see what comes next. A wonderful producer, innovative songwriter and true icon, Kate Bush was and remains…
AN inspiration to so many.