KT Tunstall's ‘overwhelming' health battle amid 'burn out' from fame
As she approaches her 50th birthday, KT Tunstall opens up about the debilitating illness that threatened her career, fame burnout and finding unexpected love in the dog park...
KT Tunstall is going full steam ahead in her milestone 50th birthday year. Two decades on from her breakout debut album Eye To The Telescope, the Brit Award-winning singer-songwriter is embracing a whole new chapter.
Having written the songs for the new stage musical adaptation of Clueles s, KT, who will hit the big 5-0 in June, has swapped pop tours for playbills, all while having found love and battling a debilitating illness. In an exclusive chat with OK! , the Suddenly I See singer opens up with us about her hearing loss and finding unexpected love - in a dog park…
READ MORE: Iconic noughties popstar unrecognisable 21 years after hit album
Hi, KT! How has life been lately? I live in Santa Fe, New Mexico. I moved to America about 10 years ago. I lived in LA for a while – first in Venice Beach, then Topanga – basically doing all the classic musician holy grails of where to live. But I'm just not a big city person. I love a smaller place, so we found Santa Fe in the mountains and moved a few years ago.
And we hear you've found love? Yes, my partner Chris and I met during lockdown. We both adopted dogs and met at the dog park. It was like something out of a John Hughes 80s movie. A love story! My rescue dog is called Mini, and his is Nova. Mini's a miniature pinscher and has PTSD, she doesn't play with other dogs. But that day, she started playing with Nova. I looked up, and there's this 6ft 3in jiu-jitsu instructor and I thought, 'Oh, hello!'
It's been 20 years since your debut album, but you've said you weren't a natural pop star. How so? I was rubbish at being a pop star! I'm great at performing, touring, but the shiny, hobnobbing side of it? I'm c**p at that.
You became famous almost overnight... Yes. I'm a bit of an introvert, a lot of artists are. When I first got big, I ended up pulling the 'performer' lever, even in social situations. I'd have drinks after the show and was a bit of a party animal but I was actually pretty anxious. I had a lot of fun, but it was an unsustainable way to live. In my forties, I realised I was burning out.
What was your most surreal celebrity encounter from those early days? Definitely at the Q Awards. I turned up thinking I wasn't going to win, had a few too many drinks, and then I won. I met Chris Martin, Noel Gallagher, Nick Cave… I went to the toilet and Björk was there, washing her hands. I introduced myself and said, 'I just won Best Song,' she said, 'I know… Who are you?' and I was like, 'Björk, that's too much of an existential question, I can't answer that after a gin!'
Health-wise, you're facing losing your hearing... About 15 years ago, I took a long-haul flight and went straight to a Spice Girls concert. I'm not blaming the Spice Girls, but I think it overloaded my nervous system. I woke up with ringing in my ear, like I'd gone underwater. I couldn't hear the car indicator or a shower in another room. Then in 2018, I went deaf in my left ear overnight. It's called sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSHL). They don't know why it happens. It was a huge shock.
I'm 97% deaf in that ear now and can't use a hearing aid because it's too far gone. But the worst part wasn't the deafness, it was the vertigo. I lost my balance completely, for two or three months. That was really disabling. Thankfully it passed, and I can still write, record, perform – just in mono. I started seeing it as a message from the universe telling me to slow down, look after myself. I still tour, but I'm more careful now.
How has it shaped your attitude today?
I'm turning 50 this year, and it's the 20th anniversary o f Eye To The Telescope. It feels like the end of a chapter and the start of a new one. I'm loud and proud about my age. There aren't loads of women in their fifties in UK music, which is why I print 'KT Tunstall 1975' on my merch. I want younger women to know how old I am and feel empowered. I feel like I'm shutting the door on the first half of my career. Now, I've got this new avenue in musical theatre.
Did writing the songs for th e musical Clueless take yo u back to your teens?
Totally. Clueless is a classic. I didn't grow up in a house of music. Mum and I didn't listen to records but the first artist who made me want to do what she did was Kim Wilde. I was obsessed with Kids In America , and that's on the Clueless soundtrack. So it became this crossover of wanting to be a rocker and loving this cult film.
What were you like as a youngster?
A complete tomboy. For my 11th birthday, I had a Grease party. All my friends came as Pink Ladies, and I went as Danny Zuko.
What's next in this new chapter? Part of the joy is not knowing. I love working in a team after 20 years as a solo artist – it's such a relief not to be in charge of everything. We're re-releasing Eye To The Telescope in September with unreleased tracks I wrote at the time. It's like a time capsule. I also want to get into pottery – you may see some KT mugs one day!
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