The interview with Janiva Magness doesn’t get off to the greatest start after my Australian pronunciation of her name comes off more like ‘Geneva’ instead of the correct ‘Jenn-e-vah’.

Graceful as ever, Magness laughs it off, proving herself to be the personable character that her music so vividly portrays. The past year has been a busy one for Magness, nearing the completion of recording for her 12th studio album, maintaining a substantial touring schedule and earning the title of Contemporary Blues Female Artist of the Year at the US Blues Music Awards.

“I am always honoured to be nominated for Blues Music Awards; that’s the fifth one of those that I’ve won, and it’s still equally as exciting as the first time,” she says. “It’s such a huge honour to be held up for that nomination and that win, especially when I’ve been so busy finishing up my latest record. There’s always a tremendous amount of decisions and deadlines – it’s crunch time at the moment. I’ve really been focused on getting this record done.”

Magness found fame relatively late in life, releasing her first album More Than Live at the age of 34. It wasn’t until her sixth LP, 2004’s Bury Him At The Crossroads, that she was signed to a label and began to gain some recognition for her work. The Detroit singer expresses her gratitude for the perspective she’s gained by finding fame at a later stage in life.

“I think I have a different perspective in what fame really is. I would say I’m a terribly successful person and apparently I’m getting some level of fame later in my career, and I’m grateful for that, and I’m grateful for the timing of that, because I think I’m a lot calmer than I used to be. Consequently, because I’m older, I think it’s more natural for me to take things in my stride.”

Fame isn’t something that most musicians find easy to talk about, and Magness is hesitant to admit that she’s achieved it, but recounts an anecdote that might suggest otherwise.

“I had a very fun thing happen today. I was on a phone call earlier, and you know how a lot of customer service centres are outsourced to other countries? Well, I was on the phone to a customer service agent, a lovely young man who went by the name Hermann from Mumbai, India, and he was verifying the spelling of my name, so I spelt it out for him, and he said to me, ‘That’s so funny, you have the same name as this singer.’ And [I said], ‘Who’s that?’ and he replied to me, ‘A blues singer – Janiva Magness.’ Then I told him that was me and he was completely gobsmacked. It was so funny because I was just calling him in relation to a personal bank account, nothing to do with my music. He couldn’t believe he was talking to me and I was thinking, ‘I can’t believe that somebody in Mumbai knows who I am.’”

Magness has a strong relationship with her fans. In mid-2014, she penned them an open latter, opening with the words: “I have been blessed with a wonderful career as a blues artist, but lately I’m a bit of a basket case.” The letter went on to give reasons for her departure from Alligator Records and the decision to release her first album made up of entirely original tracks.

“I did three records with Alligator Records over the course of six years, and they’re a fantastic label and a magnificent family and I’m very grateful for the time I spent with them,” she says, “but ultimately it was time to move on. I would have never been able to release [2014 album] Original with them – I had to do it completely autonomously, and it turned out to be the right move, but it was definitely a leap of faith. It was very stressful, it was very exciting, but there is no question in my mind that it turned out to be the right move. My fans were so excited and exhilarated by the new music that I was making, and they really embraced and supported the entire move.”

It’s this level of honesty that endears Magness to her followers, as she has openly spoken about her troubled upbringing, having been orphaned in her teens and subsequently found herself living on the streets. Magness has used her success to give back to the foster care community that provided her the chance to turn her life around.

“I’m a spokesperson for Casey Family Programs here in the States for a program they have called National Foster Care Month, and I am also part of the Foster Care Alumni of America. All of these organisation focus on fulfilling the need and helping and aiding at-risk youths in the foster care system. The reason I do this is because I have a debt that can never be repaid. When I was young, I was in a lot of trouble, and there were a small handful of people that actually stood up for me when I couldn’t stand up for myself, and it turned out to change the entire trajectory of my life. You never know when a simple act of kindness can change the life path of a kid, and I am living proof of that.”

Magness is clearly excited at the prospect of travelling to Australia this March for Bluesfest, which will coincide with the release of new album Love Wins Again.

“We’re going to be debuting the new record at Bluesfest in Byron Bay. It comes out late March and it’s got quite a heavy Australian connection on it – I collaborated with a few Australian songwriters,” she says. “I’m really excited.”

Janiva Magness performs atBluesfest 2016,Thursday March 24 – Monday March 28 atTyagarah Tea Tree Farm.

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