Hello magazine – October 1994
Interview by Barbara Pepe; photography by Brian McKellan
Photography can be seen in the NonaNet family gallery
At home with her mother,
Jan, the young singer shares memories of her father and speaks of her work with
Prince
Nona Gaye has
seen far more of life than most 20-year-olds. As children, she and her younger
brother, Frank, traveled the world with their father, Marvin, viewing
first-hand the ups and downs of his latter recording career. At Nona, Nona had
to cope with not only the loss of her father, but also the violent nature of
his death – killed by a handgun held by his own father, Marvin Gay Sr. Still,
such childhood experiences did not deter Nona from pursuing a life in the
public eye – first, as a recording artist and, most recently, as a Ford model.
Her first
album, Love for the Future,
chronicled the angst of a teenage love affair. Her current effort, she says,
will exhibit a new maturity – not to mention a new sound, since it’s being
produced by the artist formerly known as Prince. Love Sign – their duet on the
1-800-NEW FUNK album, has earned much
attention for its hard-hitting anti-gun message in its accompanying video as it
has for its groove.
Prince is also
supportive of Nona’s fledgling modeling career, traveling to
Tell us what life was like in the Gaye
household.
Jan: We were
pretty much gypsies! It wasn’t what the average person would perceive to be the
lives of a celebrity, his wife and children. Marvin loved to cook. He would lay
around in bed all day with the kids hanging all over him. He taught them to
swim. A lot of celebrities thrive on the limelight and attention but he spent
most of his time either with the children and myself, in the studio or at the
piano, working.
Nona, did you see him as Dad or as a
celebrity?
Nona: When I
was a child and when he was still here, I basically perceived him as my father
and that’s all. I didn’t really recognize him as a legend or a superstar until
after he was gone, and I saw the way that people reacted to his death.
Did you feel you wanted to continue his
musical legacy?
Nona: Not at
nine. But at 14 or 15 I started to realize that’s what was in my heart. The
only thing I can see myself doing really is singing. It’s in my blood.
Jan, how did you feel when Nona said
that’s what she wanted to do?
Jan: I always
knew she was going to be a singer, because she sang from the time she was able
to talk. Even before that. She’s always been an entertainer.
Did you encourage her to do anything
else?
Jan: I took her
for ice-skating lessons, I took her for ballet lessons, but it’s always been
music that’s been number one for her.
Nona, you’ve mentioned you were choosy
about the songs you put on your first album. How did you pick them?
Nona: I was
going through a break-up with my boyfriend. I liked this guy a lot, and I based
my whole album on the way he broke my heart. I was only 16 or 17. On this new
album, there are also some songs about love – because I’m in love again,
although I’m happy this time…sometimes! But this album is more socially aware.
You’ve been doing a lot of work –
including the new album – with Prince. How did this association begin?
Nona: We got to
be friends over the telephone maybe two years ago. Then we met and became
better friends and decided we wanted to work together. It just escalated from
there.
How did the duet on Love Sign come
about?
Nona: It was a
surprise. He brought me over to the studio and said, ‘Listen to this.’ I was
like, ‘That’s amazing, I love it.’ And he said, ‘Well,
go sing on it.’ So we did a duet.
Ice Cube – an ex-gang member and author
of songs that advocate killing police – directed the video. Did you find that
ironic?
Nona: In a way,
but he is now in favor of gun control. I don’t think he would have don’t the video if he felt differently. And I thanked him,
because I thought he did a beautiful job. And to get me to hold a .357 in my
hand…I fought with him over it. I was like, ‘I can’t do it, I
can’t hold a gun in my hand.’ And he said, ‘You gotta
handle it, you gotta make people understand.’ It was
very difficult – but the end result I think made people understand why I had a
.357 in my hand. To show people that guns aren’t a symbol of power, a symbol of
being cool. They just destroy lives and…kill. And that’s all they’re good for.
Jan: And they destroy
the people’s lives that they left behind.
Nona: I always
say that when you shoot somebody, that’s not the only person that you’re
killing. And I can speak from personal experience. I’m not dead inside, but a
big part of me is gone because my father is dead – and not just because he’s
dead, but because he was murdered. So I thought it was important for me to do
that video.
Jan, how did it affect you?
Jan: I felt a
little strange about it in the beginning. But I think the fact that Ice Cube did
it made the message even stronger. I was really proud of the fact that Nona was
able to get through the video. And the message gets across to one person, then
that may be one less life taken away. That made me happy. And I was proud of
all three of them – Nona, Ice Cube and –
Nona: The
artist formerly known as Prince.
Nona, how closely are you working with
him now?
Nona: He’s
doing my album, so we see each other quite often. I go to
How would you describe your relationship
with Prince?
Nona: He’s my
best friend, that’s the truth. And that’s all I’m going to say.
How do you feel about the rumors that
you two are much closer than that?
Nona: People
can say whatever they want to say. That happens all the time. When you see two
people hang out together you just assume. And people can assume as much as they
like but, my business is my own business. He’s my best friend.
- BARBARA PEPE