Singer LeAnn Rimes visits Bizarre HQ
LEANN RIMES was a Nineties child star who inspired country artists SHANIA TWAIN and TAYLOR SWIFT to make the crossover to pop.
And now, after a three-year absence from the charts, I’m so excited to reveal LeAnn is back after striking a huge deal with Sony’s RCA Records.
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The two-time Grammy winner, whose back catalogue includes chart monsters Blue, How Do I Live and Can’t Fight The Moonlight, will drop her first new music in three years with brilliant ballad The Story at the end of the month.
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At Bizarre HQ, in her first chat since her comeback, LeAnn revealed how her early success – which has seen her sell more than 44million albums across two decades having started her career at 11 – left her battling anxiety and depression which saw her almost quit music for good.
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I lost my mind in private. I’ve gone through a lot, every transition and every feeling that goes along with being a child star
LeAnn Rimes
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She said: “I lost my mind in private. I’ve gone through a lot, every transition and every feeling that goes along with being a child star.
"I can see now why at 33 things happened the way they did and all of these lessons I’ve learned. But it was hell at times.”
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Five days ago, LeAnn tweeted a throwback photo with troubled star BRITNEY SPEARS at the 1999 Billboard Awards.
'Love is love'
THE singer has sent a message of love to the LGBT community after an IS gunman killed 50 in a gay nightclub in Florida on Sunday. She said: “It’s devastating. The most political I get is with the LGBT community and equal rights, equality is huge for me. I have such a fan base there and in my heart I’ve never understood that other point of view. Love is love and that’s it.”
I asked how her scale of meltdown compares. She told me: “Britney and I never spoke about it, but we should have. There’s nobody that really relates to that – most of them in that position are not with us anymore, because of that reason – being a child star. It’s a trippy place to be.”
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At breaking point, LeAnn checked into rehab. Anxiety issues were compounded by cruel “slut-shaming” after she cheated on first husband Dean Sheremet with actor EDDIE CIBRIAN – who she is now married to.
Safety fears
LEANN was devastated to hear about CHRISTINA GRIMMIE, The Voice USA star shot dead while signing autographs at a gig in Florida on Friday. She said the attack heightened her fears over musicians’ safety. LeAnn said: “I’ve been doing this a long time, I’ve had run-ins with frightening people. You really never know what could happen.”
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She adds: “I’m very happy now. We’ve been married for over five years and I have my two stepsons, but the shaming thing, that’s where I had severe anxiety and depression.
“It was a mistake but it also led me to my marriage. I didn’t know how to deal with that and it became this snowball effect.”
It’s great to have her back.
Bizmeter: LeAnn's fave Brits
ADELE: "I've loved her from the start. She is so ballsy. I met her at the Grammys once. I told her I was a huge fan and she went: 'Oh my god! I've had your picture on my wall since I was little.'"
David Gray: "I was in Hawaii when I heard his song Babylon. We were driving to the beach and I turned back to buy it from the store. We played The One I Love at my wedding right after the kiss."
James Bay: "When I heard Let It Go for the first time, I wore it out to the point where I can't listen to it anymore. When we talked about signing over here, he was the sound that inspired me."
Elton John: "He's the ultimate icon. We used to talk all the time. I think all artists have been inspired by him. He's a risk taker and set the tone for his era. His outfits were incredible."
