Jada Alberts: from Mystery Road’s red dust to the glamour of Aretha

Television star Jada Alberts on living life out of their comfort zone - accompanied by five singers and an eight-piece band.

Talent: Jada Alberts

You’re best known for your roles in TV’s Wentworth, Cleverman and Mystery Road. Now you’re starring in the stage musical extravaganza Aretha, honouring Aretha Franklin. How did that happen? The producer Peter Rix got in touch with my agent, asking if I like Aretha Franklin. If you asked my friends or family this they would laugh, because it’s more of an obsession than a question of whether or not I like her. It’s not my world that I’m stepping into – working with five singers and an eight-piece band – but Aretha Franklin has been so influential in my life that I couldn’t say no.

Did having a musician as a father play a part in introducing you to artists like Aretha Franklin? My dad was a big blues and soul fan. We had all the greats playing in our house at that time. Aretha was always around. But it wasn’t until a few years ago, after somebody showed me a performance of hers at the 1998 Grammys, that my love for her reignited. This all happened around the time I had children.

What was it about that performance that captured your imagination? Luciano Pavarotti was being honoured with a Grammy Legend Award and was supposed to perform Nessun Dorma, but he called in sick on the day. In a strange, otherworldly twist of fate, a producer for the Grammys had heard Aretha perform the song at an event two days prior and called her in. We sort of knew that Aretha could sing anything – but seeing her perform this massive operatic aria, so publicly, was extraordinary.

So would you say becoming a parent [Alberts has three children with partner Kate Box, an actor] redefined your relationship with Aretha’s music? When you have kids, your world shifts and you become a different person. I started to rely on music in a much bigger way – it became a bedrock for me. Aretha is like my emotional support musician. My love for her goes deep.

Following Aretha’s death aged 76 in 2018, the Obamas hailed her as a defining force in the American experience – someone who captured the nation’s history in her voice. How does that translate to an Australian audience? All of the performers in our production are performers of colour. We have all come from communities that have been othered in the same way that African American people were and are, and we have an affinity with their culture. We’re not making this show for an Australian audience, we don’t need to do that. Aretha spoke widely to everybody. Everybody gets it, no matter what colour they are.

Aretha’s life was dotted with tragedy; she lost her mother at 10, and had her first child at 12. What aspects of her life will Aretha explore? It’s a love letter. It’s a celebration of her life, artistry, and the way she walked in the world as a black woman and as someone who completely changed both the industry and people on a personal level. She shifted the axis of the planet. It’s not going to be a beginning, middle and end of Aretha’s life through tragedy in song. We will touch on the heartache and the sorrow she experienced, but really it’s a celebration and honouring of what she gifted the rest of us, despite the trauma. Aretha was very private, and I hope that should she be watching, she would give us the tick of approval.

Aretha: A Love Letter to the Queen of Soul opens at Sydney Opera House on June 17-18, then goes to Melbourne and Brisbane.