Renée Elise Goldsberry dishes on her childhood disco basement – and where she keeps her Tony
Reminded of the moment, she squeals. "I didn't know the (TV) audience could see that! But I do absolutely love him and I was so grateful to just celebrate the love. That all of (the original cast) was there meant the world to us and that is a blessing that doesn't exist without Lin."
The luminous Goldsberry, 54, owns a lengthy resume spanning film ("All About You"), TV ("One Life to Live," "The Good Wife," a background singer on "Ally McBeal") and theater ("The Color Purple," "Rent").
But it was her Tony Award-winning turn as Angelica Schuyler, the sister-in-law of Alexander Hamilton, that catapulted her to mainstream stardom.
Her most high-profile role since leaving the show in 2016 also showcased her comedic deftness – playing Wickie Roy, the endearingly self-centered "fierce one" in three seasons of "Girls5Eva," the Peacock-turned-Netflix series about a '90s-era girl group attempting a modern reboot.
The character spotlighted Goldsberry's vocal prowess. But her recently released debut album, "Who I Really Am," takes its title to heart with 12 original pop/funk/soul songs – plus a reimagined guitar-centric take "Satisfied" from "Hamilton" – to underscore her capabilities.
The effervescent Goldsberry tells us about her new music, the albums that shaped her and other essentials.
Renée Elise Goldsberry musical influences include Carole King, Donna Summer
Growing up in the '70s and '80s, Goldsberry immersed herself in the music of the eras. She maintains deep affection for Carole King's "Really Rosie," Stevie Wonder's "Songs in the Key of Life," Donna Summer's "Bad Girls" and, as befitting a theater kid, the soundtracks to "Grease," "The Wiz" as well as, she excitedly recalls, "Fame."
"I played that album and walked around the house like I was reliving the movie," she says with a laugh of the Irene Cara-loaded soundtrack that bore the hit title track and heartrending ballad, "Out Here on My Own."
Renée Elise Goldsberry grew up with a disco in her basement
Goldsberry was born in San Jose, California, but grew up in Houston and Detroit. No matter where the family settled, her father Ron would "put his pennies together" and remake the basement into a disco with mirrors on the wall, disco lights and a massive sound system.
She remembers spinning under sparkly lighting as an 8-year-old to Michael Jackson's "Rock With You," and watching the adults clamor around a basement bar.
"It was a place to celebrate music," she says. "That's how great the love of music was in our house, so it should not be incredibly surprising that it means so much to me."
Which songs on her new album she wants people to hear
Goldsberry jokes that she's "greedy or delusional" when asked which songs on her new album she most wants people to hear. Her hope is that "anyone who needs anything will find something."
Her stylistic shifts from '70s-tinged soul and gospel ("Twinkle," "Who I Really Am") to carefree '80s bliss ("Skate Song") are indicative of her generational upbringing and "decades of listening to radio." In the pre-digital age, music fans had no choice but to listen to various stations and make their own playlists by recording songs on a separate cassette player.
"Because we're making our own playlists now, you can't define anyone by one genre," she says. "The influences are so diverse."
Renée Elise Goldsberry loves French fries – and running
Running is more than exercise for Goldsberry. Her favorite thing to do is go outside, breathe the air and pick the furthest spot as a goal to reach.
She's been trying to find time in the midst of album promotion to "run up a hill" because "it fills my soul."
Goldsberry also tries to eat healthily, but don't put a French fry near her and expect it to go uneaten.
"I found Sara (Bareilles) at Cynthia (Erivo)'s Tonys afterparty and someone walked by with a container of hot fries and I was like, 'This is heaven!,'" she says with a contented sigh.
Renée Elise Goldsberry believes in celebrating awards
Her own Tony and Grammy (also for "Hamilton") are kept in the piano room in the parlor of her New York home. But, she specifies, her hardware is no more important than the other trophies brought into the house.
"Every award everyone gets sits above the fireplace," says the mom of teens Benjamin and Brielle with husband Alexis. "I feel like when you're a parent, there is not a place for a shrine to you, but it is important to celebrate. It feels good to see these things around in your home."
What Renée Elise Goldsberry learned from playing Wickie
Along with the inherent humor in a pack of personality-fueled women trying to reclaim their moment in pop music, the root of "Girls5Eva" is its lesson in perseverance. It's a mindset that Goldsberry can appreciate.
"I believe in the magic that really fueled Wickie and Dawn (Bareilles, who wrote "Don't Want to Love You" on Goldsberry's album) and Gloria (Paula Pell) and Summer (Busy Philipps). I believe it's never too late," she says.
Goldsberry also credits her stint as Wickie as an influence on her own album.
"It isn't an accident that Wickie came into my life. She doesn't ask herself questions, she just moves forward," she says. "And the actresses who are a part of my life – Sara, Busy, Paula – they all have so much to say. They'll never stop moving forward and putting goodness into the world and that inspired me."
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
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