August 21, 2026 — 12:00pmWhen Macy Gray released I Try, the biggest hit of her three decade-long career, she was 31, a single mother of three children and resigned to another career after a record deal ended four years earlier.Growing up in Canton, Ohio, she was mocked for having a squeaky, high-pitched voice and stayed quiet as a child, barely able to hold a conversation until the of age 10. But singing brought a Grammy Award, 10 studio albums, and an acting career including Spider-Man and Training Day. In 2012 a music critic at The New Yorker described her vocals as “like honey with the stingers left in”.“I understand myself more now,” Macy says. “I understand what being a mum is. I understand what my purpose as an artist is. And I trust my gut.”Grammy Award-winning singer Macy Gray.Giuliano BekorWorst habit?Video games. Right now it’s Grand Theft Auto and a basketball one. I’ve been playing video games since I was a kid. I love it because it’s a great way to waste time. It’s nothing about you. You’re not thinking about anything, and it doesn’t matter if you win. The detail of the games is beautiful to look at. In the basketball one, you can see them sweating. It is a colossal waste of time. I’ll think, “Oh, I could have been doing this. I could have done that.” But, it’s fun. What are you gonna do?Greatest fear?Gray says having grandkids is “the best thing ever”.