YOKOSUKA NAVAL BASE, Japan — Lt. Cmdr. Macy Gray, F-18 pilot?

It’s tough now to envision Gray, whose unique voice has earned her a Grammy and millions in record sales, flying off a carrier deck, or even fitting her vertically inclined hair into a pilot’s helmet.

It might not have seemed so strange when, as an 18-year-old, Gray briefly considered the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps before attending the University of Southern California.

Instead of joining the military, Gray burst into the public consciousness in 1999 with the soulful hit “I Try.” After some career ups and downs, Gray released her fifth album, The Sellout, in 2010. The single “There is Beauty in the World” from that album was used for the series finale of the TV show “Ugly Betty” last year.

Gray is currently in Japan, where she is playing free shows for servicemembers on Okinawa and at Yokosuka and Naval Air Facility Atsugi on mainland Japan, along with concerts at Billboard Live in Tokyo. Stars and Stripes spoke with Gray on Wednesday following her show at Yokosuka Naval Base.

Nobody has to come and do a free show for the military. Why did you decide to come?

I’m a big supporter of the troops … my father was in the Army and a bunch of my cousins, so my heart is all spent up with [them] putting themselves on the line like that. I think that’s the most heroic thing you can do. I’d do anything for the troops.

What interested you in [ROTC]?

I was going to college, and if you go to ROTC, you can go for free. So my mom was like, ‘Peace out, you’re going to ROTC.’ But I talked to my dad and I got out of it somehow. I kind of wish I had, because I knew a bunch of kids in it and they used to have a ball. And you always have this crew while you’re in school. So I kind of wish I had done that.

What do think you’d be doing if you were in the Navy right now?

Probably flying. I really want to take flying lessons, because everybody says I can’t drive, so I want to try flying.

What have you seen in Japan that’s interested you so far, that’s made an impression?

We were in Tokyo for three days, so we had time to, like, look around Tokyo, and it’s so busy there. ... We always come out here for the electronics, because they get everything first.

As a child, you were shy about your voice. You got teased … and then you become a singer, of all things. I’m wondering what it felt like for you that first time, with all those childhood insecurities, to get up and sing in front of a live audience?

It was kind of an accident. I used to hang out with a lot of musicians when I was in [college]. I got invited to be in a jazz band, and we started doing shows every Sunday at the Ramada Inn for brunch. One of my other friends needed a singer for his rock band. ... we started doing clubs, and then I just fell in love with it. Then we started sending demo tapes out to record labels. One night … at this place called The Roxy in Hollywood, a guy from Atlantic Records happened to be there, and he signed us two weeks later.

In your playlist, you’ve got a huge variety of styles: Radiohead, Metallica, Deee-Lite …

I know; how did that go over?

I thought it went over well. There are a lot of rock fans in the military. Is that something you normally do?

I’m a big fan of rock n’ roll. One of my first bands was a rock band. I used to listen to Eddie Van Halen all the time, Kurt Cobain, Robert Plant, so I’m a big fan of those songs. We do a lot of covers, but like you said, I think those are always a surprise to people.

Anything you want to say to the folks who were in attendance here?

I just want to say, we didn’t know what to expect, and then we had a really great time, and just that I’m very honored to be invited out here, and really surprised at how many Americans are posted out here. I think it’s cool. I’m proud of you guys, and thank you for everything, and [playing a concert] was the least I could do. So, thanks for having us.

slavine@pstripes.osd.mil

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