Events

[POP] “I know I’m a little unusual, I’m a little delusional,” sings Mary Lambert on “Know Your Name,” a single from last year’s Kickstarter-born EP, Bold, and it’s that very mix of unapologetic pride and self-deprecation that’s brought so much attention her way in recent years. That, and some friends in high places. In 2012 Lambert was juggling three jobs and performing in and around Seattle after graduating Cornish College of the Arts when she landed a shot at writing a chorus for the upcoming Macklemore and Ryan Lewis album, The Heist. The song, “Same Love” was about marriage equality and took a then-unheard-of critical position on the homophobia permeating hip-hop culture. Lambert sang on the track and The Heist went on to sell a million and a half copies in the States alone, catapulting her into a spotlight that she’s still making the most of. She is the world’s first out and proud, fat-positive lesbian pop star, and she’s also unquestionably talented both as a singer-songwriter (The New York Times called her debut album “surprisingly refreshing and severely personal”), a spoken work artist and poet (her 2013 book, 500 Tips for Fat Girls, did quite well) and as an arranger and multi-instrumentalist (her degree from Cornish is in musical composition). As a survivor of sexual abuse and multiple mental health issues, the combination of naked honesty and strength she exudes through her writing is quite contagious. She’s at Babeville’s Asbury Hall on Thursday, June 7 with NYC punks Mal Blum opening.