When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission.<\/i><\/p>\n Credit: Kaelin Davis<\/p>\n Greta Valenti understands the innate theatricality of rock. Raised in Louisiana with the sounds of New Orleans, musical theatre and classic rock in her orbit, she was perhaps destined for the commanding (not to mention diverse) fusions she\u2019s become known for.<\/p>\n Together with husband\/guitarist and co-conspirator Robin Davey \u2013 with roving collective Beaux Gris Gris & The Apocalypse<\/a>, having initially coalesced as blues-punks Well Hung Heart \u2013 she mixes blues, rock\u2019n\u2019roll, Americana, Cajun flavours and one of the coolest wardrobes in the business. We caught up with her ahead of their next UK tour.<\/p>\n Greta Valenti picks the soundtrack of her life<\/p>\n My grandfather playing ragtime piano. I have that piano now in my house, and the keys are worn with his fingers. I only lived with my dad until I was about four, but I remember him playing Pink Floyd<\/a>\u2019s Dark Side Of The Moon, which was pretty cool.<\/p>\n I performed Maybe This Time from Cabaret when I was ten or eleven-ish. My mom was my drama teacher in elementary school, so that\u2019s how I got into musical theatre. I was Toto [in The Wizard Of Oz] so we probably sang Follow The Yellow Brick Road or something. That was my first stage experience.<\/p>\n Rumours by Fleetwood Mac<\/a> because I love a hit, I love a song, and then also The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust by David Bowie<\/a>, because I love a concept album. I go by things that I can listen to a million times and not get sick of.<\/p>\n Freddie Mercury<\/a>. I must have heard Queen<\/a> very young, because I was an only child, and I remember performing a lot for my mom. I remember performing Tie Your Mother Down.<\/p>\n Prince<\/a>, because he\u2019s Prince and he\u2019s amazing at everything. But as a rock\u2019n\u2019roll lover it has to be Angus Young<\/a>. Because I\u2019ve been trying to make it in music for so long, I always like It\u2019s A Long Way To The Top (If You Wanna Rock And Roll). I almost tear up at it.<\/p>\n The Beatles<\/a> have honourable mentions in all these. But I think I have to say David Bowie again, because he\u2019s so creative and interesting and a storyteller. So Bowie and also Smokey Robinson; I feel like a lot of people don\u2019t know that he wrote a lot of songs that he didn\u2019t necessarily perform.<\/p>\n I\u2019m going to be cheeky and say our cover of Make It Wit Chu by Queens Of The Stone Age<\/a>. It\u2019s a cool one, it\u2019s kind of sexy and bluesy, and it got a swing to it, and we could make it our own. It fits us so well, and it works for Robin playing guitar, and we always jam \u2013 we\u2019ve done a twelve-minute version of that song.<\/p>\n I\u2019d say Hot Nostalgia Radio<\/a> [2024], because it was so diverse, and it was our most commercially successful \u2013 it got a lot of radio play. Also the first album we did together, which is Well Hung Heart\u2019s Young Enough To Know It All.<\/p>\n I\u2019ve seen a lot of great live artists: Bowie, Bruce Springsteen<\/a>, Meat Loaf<\/a>, Aerosmith<\/a> four times, Lenny Kravitz opening for Aerosmith\u2026 But Prince just put on such a show that it didn\u2019t even matter if you liked his songs, or knew his songs, he just would get everyone up and dancing. We saw him in the later years, which was awesome because I felt like he was more grounded \u2013 he was less \u2018into himself\u2019, so he kind of made fun of himself. He made the show feel like a party. So that\u2019s how we try to do our shows.<\/p>\n Mr. Clit & The Pink Cigarettes. We met them in Well Hung Heart. They\u2019re an Indiana-based punk band, two girls and a guy, and they\u2019re kind of like The Cramps meets the B-52\u2019s, but really fun and creative. They\u2019re the real deal.<\/p>\n I have a lot of guilty pleasures \u2013 I have terrible taste in music. I feel like there were years where Billy Joel was considered cheesy, but I love him, and have always loved him.<\/p>\n My number one song of all time, because I never, ever get sick of it, is Shotgun by Jr. Walker & The All Stars. And then for my \u2018Saturday night guilty pleasure\u2019, I\u2019m also gonna say Tootsee Roll by [hip-hop duo] 69 Boyz.<\/p>\n Heartbreak Town by The Chicks, written by a great songwriter called Darrell Scott. And when I\u2019m sad Robin always sings Three Little Birds by Bob Marley.<\/p>\n Only The Good Die Young by Billy Joel. That\u2019s the fun one. And Top Of The World that The Chicks covered, but it\u2019s actually a Patty Griffin song. Even though it\u2019s written by a woman, it\u2019s kind of a man thinking back on his life and the things he maybe would have changed.<\/p>\n<\/span><\/div>\n
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The first music I remember hearing<\/h2>\n
The first song I performed live<\/h2>\n
The greatest album of all time<\/h2>\n
The singer<\/h2>\n
The guitar hero<\/h2>\n
The songwriter<\/h2>\n
The cover version<\/h2>\n
The best record I’ve made<\/h2>\n
The best live artist<\/h2>\n
The most underrated band ever<\/h2>\n
My guilty pleasure<\/h2>\n
My Saturday night party song<\/h2>\n
The song that makes me cry<\/h2>\n
The song I want played at my funeral<\/h2>\n