Famous from the second she was born, Lisa Marie Presley has lived life in the public eye. But while she may have been tabloid fodder in her early years, it’s her music that’s earning recognition now.
As the daughter of the King of Rock and Roll, Elvis Presley, Lisa Marie learned to handle the spotlight when she was young – her family name and a string of high profile marriages has fuelled insatiable public interest in her life.
Her childhood home, Graceland, was opened to the public after her father passed away and has become one of America’s most popular tourist attractions.
While having personal memorabilia on public display might seem surreal to most people, Presley said she doesn’t mind sharing memories of life with her father with Elvis fans.
“It doesn’t bother me at all, I would have only objected to upstairs being opened up, to his bedroom and my bedroom, but I have been used to that, it started early in my life,” she said.
“It was a little tough to get used to in the beginning because I was still living there, I used to stay there. They opened the gravesite first then eventually the house.
“I’ve been used to it for so long, I don’t mind… I see how much pleasure it brings people, and that’s it, and I’m sure he’d [Elvis] be happy about that.”
The 46-year-old singer will be returning to Australia for the first time in eight years, touring across the country with a performance at Rooty Hill RSL on Tuesday, April 1.
Her show will mostly focus on songs from her most recent album, ‘Storm and Grace’, although tracks from her first two albums will also be performed during the stripped back, intimate concert.
“I won’t be flying around having a trapeze artist or anything behind me or strippers,” Presley joked.
“It’s a very intimate record, very organic record and the show is also the same. It’s very raw, organic, very much just me and the band, doing what we do… it’s just straight up, if you like the record, you’ll be hearing the songs live.”
While Presley’s early releases were edgy pop rock, ‘Storm and Grace’ has a strong Americana, folk sound with some reviewers suggesting that the Memphis-born singer has embraced the Southern heritage of her father.
Presley, who collaborated with 12 time Grammy Award winner T Bone Burnett to make the album, said that her change in style is a result of being free to explore her own musical tastes and direction, giving her plenty of flexibility.
“I had the freedom to do whatever I wanted, I didn’t have a record company breathing down my neck saying ‘write a hit, write a rock song, write a pop song, write a this song or whatever song’,” Presley said.
“I just wrote whatever I wanted to write and what came out of my heart and then T Bone, thank God, fell in love with it and really mentored me to do it.”
Being the only child of an era-defining musician meant that there was plenty of speculation over whether Presley had her father’s talent running through her veins.
Despite the heavy expectation weighing over her, Presley prioritised family over a career and waited until she reached her mid-30’s to debut her music to the public.
“I was busy being a mum and having children, I really was happy and satisfied with doing that, being a wife. I really wasn’t in a hurry, I took my time, I did it when I was ready… it wasn’t any mystery, I loved being a mother, I’m a caretaker and I was busy doing that,” she said.
She still remains devoted to her children and will be bringing her five-year-old twin girls, Harper and Finley, on tour down under as well as her eldest daughter Riley.
“The cubs are never far from the lioness, they’re always with us,” she said.
“My older children as well – I have to tell you, it does not end at 18. The problems just get bigger… they get themselves in situations and I’m still going ‘oh my god’ all the time, and watching them knowing the outcome of what they’re doing, it’s horrifying sometimes,” she said.
Although the star sometimes worries about the effects of touring on her young twins, she said that her daughters have become accustomed to traveling the world with her and her husband, Michael Lockwood.
“The twins are always with me, it’s a little tough sometimes because they get cooped up in hotels or something while we do the shows but they’re kind of little road dogs now, they toured for three months last year with us and they kind of enjoyed waking up every day and looking out the window and wondering which state or city we’re in,” she said.
Lisa Marie Presley will perform at Rooty Hill RSL on Tuesday, April 1 at 8pm.
She is also performing on Friday, March 21 at Castle Hill RSL (www.castlehillrsl.com.au or call 8858 4800) and Saturday, March 22 at Campbelltown Catholic Club (www.thecube.net.au or call 4625 0000).
Tickets are $60, or $225 including a meet and greet.
For bookings or more information, call 9625 5500 or visit www.rootyhillrsl.com.au online.
