The gratitude of Eve

There was an 11-year stretch between Eve’s popular 2002 album Eve-Olution and her fourth album Lip Lock in 2013, but the Grammy Award-winning rapper/songwriter and actress, producer and fashion designer known for her 2001 single “Let Me Blow Ya Mind” with Gwen Stefani has kept herself busy. I sat down with Eve, who came out as bisexual in 2009 and has since then spoken out encouraging more hip-hop artists to come out, after her June 29 performance during San Francisco Pride about her future aspirations, living in London and living in gratitude.

Robyn Vie-Carpenter: What I really want to know is, what do you want to do next?

Eve: I would say the next thing I really want to do is produce a TV show, and direct as well.

RVC: Are you just waiting for the right project?

EVE: No. I think I’m still kind in that state where I want to pause — you know what I mean? I’m still in that space where, as much as I want to do it, I still talk myself out of it, but I know it’s going to happen. I feel it. I’m getting more excited about it. But, I’m ‘that kind’ of person — I think it might be a Scorpio thing because we live in our heads a lot. Once I get out of my head, I’ll be able to do it.

RVC: Tell me about living in London.

EVE: It’s great. Honestly, I love it. It’s a nice place for me to be to renew myself, and soak up a lot of their culture to put it in my life. And coming back and forth to what I appreciate here (in the United States) a lot more — it’s been very positive. I feel more ‘foreign’ when I’m here.

RVC: But you haven’t lost your American accent yet.

EVE: (Laughs.) Not yet, but I’ve only been in London a year. I still can go and explore and see what’s happening in London. I feel like I’m not jaded yet, not like, (raising her pitch) oh yeah I live in London, I know everything there is to know. I don’t know half it, so it feels nice to be able to do that.

RVC: Do you have a certain amount of anonymity there?

EVE: Oh yeah. You can get lost and just fit in, and like — disappear, I guess. It’s like, when people do stop me they say you know who you look like? and I’m like oh yeah, they tell me that all the time. Or if they do recognize me, they’re like do you have a concert? A lot of people don’t know that I live there.

RVC: I always thought London feels a lot like New York, and yet, it’s still foreign.

EVE: Completely. I’m still adjusting. The first couple of months were really hard. I had no friends. I was nagging my boyfriend all of the time, when are you coming home?  Now, I have friends and I know how to maneuver (around town) much better.

RVC: Did you have fun performing here for Pride?

EVE: The energy was amazing. You never know what to expect. And I don’t ever walk in like look at me, I’m the shit, you know? I won’t ever do that. I always take it for what it is. And that (pointing back to the stage where she just performed), was beautiful.

RVC: So you live in gratitude.

EVE: I do, truly, truly, truly. The first thing I do every morning when I wake up is say, thank you God for this day. That’s the first thing I do. I don’t think people get that still. I had to learn it though.