Culture
Marie Osmond talks tour for ‘Unexpected’ #1 debut, going country & opera, 600 duet partners, cheering with Janet Jackson
By: Ian Saint
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MARIETTA, Ohio (WOUB) — The Osmond family is one of the most successful music dynasties in modern history; and Marie Osmond, being the only girl of nine children, certainly stood out from the pack on the surface. Parallels were constantly drawn between Marie and Janet Jackson, the kid sister of Michael Jackson and the Jackson 5, who hilariously impersonated Donny and Marie on television with her brother Randy — as seen in this segment on the WOUB YouTube channel.
But as she explained to WOUB’s Ian Saint, gender wasn’t the only way Marie distinguished from her many brothers that ruled the charts before she swiftly started smashing records of her own, with her very first solo single at age 13.
Ahead of Marie’s weekend of Ohio shows — she will be rocking with her band at the Peoples’ Bank Theatre in Marietta (222 Putname Street) on Friday, and accompanied by a symphony orchestra at the Niswonger Performing Arts Center in Van Wert (10700 State Route 118 South) on Saturday — Ian and Marie held an in-depth, career-spanning conversation about a wide range of topics for diehard fans and casual observers alike to enjoy, including…
* The careful thought she put into choosing Marietta and its college population for a show with her band, and giving northwest Ohioans an alternative presentation with a symphony
* Donny and Marie’s record-setting Vegas residency wrapping after 11 years right before COVID, and why she’s hitting the road as Donny remains in Vegas
* Memories of playing Ohio in prior decades
* Becoming the first Osmond to debut at #1 on a Billboard chart with her new album, “Unexpected” – which she released independently, no less
* Why she covered “Over the Rainbow,” which is the signature song for both Judy Garland and Israel Kamakawiwo’ole
* “Paper Roses” making her an overnight sensation, and how her relationship with the song has evolved since recording it at age 12
* Bob Hope being a “second father” to her
* Dispelling manufactured myths of a rivalry between the Osmonds and Jacksons, and memories of playing with Janet Jackson
* What drew her to country music as the genre for her debut; and why it was a gamble for her to go country, in contrast with her brothers
* Ian having a discussion with his mother about the complexity of eating disorders, after watching Marie’s character in an unforgettable scene with a studio executive on “Inside the Osmonds” at a young age; and Marie detailing the experience as it happened in real life
* Being candid about mental health challenges like postpartum disorder, when these topics were more taboo
* How feeling safer onstage, versus offstage, partly fueled her punishing schedule of shows
* Finding inner fulfillment, even under the constant glare of worldwide public scrutiny
* Duetting with over 600 people in all genres; her unexpected duet with Sisqo, and her experiences as a temporary Pointer Sister
* Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals, which Marie co-founded in 1983, and the lessons she’s learned as they’ve raised over $8 billion for over 170 hospitals across the USA and Canada
* Why Marietta’s college students inspired her to play a show there, and how special it is for her to see young adults enjoying her performances
Click Play on the YouTube video embedded above the headline, to stream the entire segment on-demand.
Marie Osmond will play a band show at the Peoples’ Bank Theatre in Marietta (222 Putnam Street) on Friday, September 30.