Sheryl Crow finds love at last
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To enter London’s swank boutique hotel St Martins Lane, you first have to walk through a Day-Glo-lit revolving door. In the lobby, there’s an array of tree stumps enmeshed with life-size chess pieces, as well as bordello furniture draped with pashmina shawls.
Thrown into the mix are some quirky Philippe Starck-designed gnome stools. By the time I enter the “beam me up” purple elevator, I’m wondering why Sheryl Crow - the gal from Kennett, Mo. - chose this place to launch her new CD, Wildflower.
Once I’m inside penthouse No. 26, the design shifts to modern chic. Sitting on a sofa, wearing a pair of faded Joe’s Jeans and a charcoal-grey halter top, Crow looks relaxed and tanned. She senses my surprise at the location the music company has chosen for the launch interviews. “I stayed in this hotel for about six hours once, before I checked out.
It is the only time I’ve checked out of a hotel,” she says, smiling. “I prefer more homey places-I always gravitate to old architecture.” She adds that she also prefers to spend as much time as she can with her parents, two sisters and brother. “I love my family,” she coos. “We’re just nuts!”
For the last year and a half, the 43-year-old singer-songwriter has been away from them, spending most of her time in Europe working on her new album and supporting her beau, cyclist Lance Armstrong. She thought she’d get a break from the media attention, but instead their relationship became tabloid news.
There were false rumours of breakups, as well as speculation that Crow was pregnant or visiting a fertility clinic. “It’s so weird,” she says, laughing. “As soon as you say ‘Okay, I’m going to drop out of sight,’ it just seems like all this other stuff starts coming out.”
The singer and the Tour de France legend met at the Glam Slam for Children event in Las Vegas in October 2003 and began flirting on their BlackBerrys for the first month. They went public once Armstrong’s divorce was final, and have been together ever since, spending their time in Spain and France.
Pre-Armstrong, Crow had flown quietly under the “who’s-with-whom” radar whilst dating the likes of Kid Rock and Owen Wilson, and while she still remains guarded about her private life, Crow has no problem discussing how Armstrong has changed her life.
“I learned that it’s a really great thing to be able to support somebody else,” she says. “It showed me a part of myself that I’ve never seen before, where it’s okay to not be the brightest light shining in the constellation.” She may have been busy keeping a low profile in Europe, but who can forget the Roberto Cavalli-I Dream of Jeannie style that she sported at this year’s Grammy Awards? “I just liked it and I felt like doing something that felt kind of rock,” she says, laughing.
Gazing down at Crow’s hands, you can’t help but notice the stunning diamond ring and gold band nestled together on her right hand. “It’s a hpresent to myself,” she says simply. I then ask to get a look at her most prized instrument - her guitar-callused fingers.
“They’re good now because I haven’t played in a while! My fingernails are too long. I’ve always been in awe of Dolly Parton, that she could play with long nails.” Crow then touches the yellow LiveStrong bracelet on her wrist, saying she never takes it off.
