Mary Lambert, a Grammy nominee and advocate of gender and sexuality rights, will be performing tomorrow, Friday, April 17, at the Vandament Arena
The student organization Northern Arts and Entertainment (NAE) brought Lambert to campus.
Lambert was a 2014 Grammy nominee for song of the year for her hit “Same Love” with Macklemore & Ryan Lewis.
“Same Love” remains on the forefront of the top of the Billboard for songs that comment on gender and sexuality rights, according to NAE media chair representative and junior photography major Kyle Lafrinere.
“She doesn’t let the outside world stop her from producing the music and messages she makes,” Lafrinere said.
Macklemore’s “Same Love” features a sample of Lambert’s original song “She Keeps Me Warm” as the chorus. The lyrics, “I can’t change / even if I tried / even if I wanted to” are in regard to Lambert’s stance on gender and sexuality.
The Queer & Allies club is co-sponsoring the event.
According to Stefani Vargas-Harlan, president of the Queers & Allies club and senior double major in sociology and graphic design, what makes the lyrics stand out is Lambert’s bold social commentary regarding LGBT issues.
“I’m not the biggest Macklemore fan, but I think [‘Same Love’] was a really great way she could break through and collaborate on a positive energy song about self acceptance,” Vargas-Harlan said.
NAE worked with the Student Finance Committee to bring Lambert to NMU. Funding for the show comes from the student activity fee. NAE had close to a $20,000 budget to finance Lambert’s show, according to junior environmental studies and sustainability major and treasurer of NAE, Caben McKendrick.
“Some people don’t realize the price some of these artists cost to come up and play,” McKendrick said. “We have to pay for artists’ fees and stage production including stage, lights and sound.”
The show will have a different seating arrangement compared to previous NAE shows, according to McKendrick.
“I can’t remember a time in the past, other than Phillip Phillips, where we’ve had an acoustic-indie set,” McKendrick said. “It makes for a more intimate setting and I still think people will get into it and we can draw a big crowd.”
Lambert’s most recent single, “Secrets,” is off her 2014 album “Heart On My Sleeve.”
According to junior nursing major and NAE secretary, Kayleigh Heynen, the song speaks volumes not only to the LGBT community but also the entire college demographic.
“We are in this transitional point in our lives,” Heynen said. “These are the years that we grow and figure out who we are. I think young people are attracted to artists who also embrace and stand up for who they are. I think that voice really speaks to us.”
The opening acts for Mary Lambert will be Canadian hip-hop artist Jesse Dangerously and New York folk artist Mal Blum. The show begins at 8 p.m. and tickets are $5 for students and $8 for the general public. Tickets were still on sale as of Wednesday evening.
