Exclusive Interview: Ava Cherry (part 1)
Ava Cherry is a force of nature. Known to readers of this blog for her work and personal relationship with David Bowie especially during the Young Americans era, Cherry has also forged a remarkable career as a solo artist, a collaborator with legends like Luther Vandross, and an iconic model. Her influence on music, fashion, and culture is undeniable, spanning five decades and reaching into the present day. Today, I’m excited to share the first part of an exclusive, two-part interview with Ava herself.
Throughout this blog, I’ve had the privilege of engaging with authors, musicians, and Bowie collaborators to explore various facets of his life and career. Yet, as much as I’ve prepared for these interviews, I was still a bit nervous before speaking with Ava. She quickly put me at ease with her warmth, generosity, and her gift for storytelling. Ava’s voice is captivating—she could read the phone book and make it interesting. Thankfully, she’s put her voice to much better use than that over the years, as you can hear in my recent posts featuring her 2015 song “That’s How Loneliness Goes” and her latest release, “Fire.”
Talking with Ava was a fascinating experience, but there were moments when I was reminded just how special this conversation was. For example, when we discussed Bowie’s first #1 hit, “Fame,” she casually mentioned that it was her and John Lennon singing the famous “fame, fame, fame” refrain—she even started doing it during the interview! It was a “whoa” moment that made me pause. Another surprise came when Ava told me that Bowie originally wrote “Sweet Thing” for her to sing. She had recorded a version of it, which I hadn’t known. After our interview, I found her version on YouTube—it’s tremendous, and I featured it on the blog earlier this week.
Ava Cherry’s impact on Bowie’s career and her contributions to music go far beyond what many realize. She played a key role in helping Bowie transition from a British star with an avant-garde following in the U.S. to a global icon. Young Americans might have been a very different album—or perhaps not even existed—without her influence. And while her contributions to fashion and culture are less often discussed, they’re just as significant. Her short, bleached blonde hairstyle in the mid-70s, for example, may well have paved the way for its wider acceptance in pop culture today. Beyond that, the public visibility of her relationship with Bowie in the mid-70s helped challenge societal norms, laying groundwork for greater cultural acceptance that we see today.
Ava is not just a musician; she’s an author as well. You’ll hear some of her incredible stories in this interview, but for a deeper dive, I recommend picking up her memoir, All That Glitters, which is out in paperback now.
And if you’re eager to see Ava live, she recently announced that she’ll be performing at a Bowie tribute concert in Amsterdam on November 7th, alongside fellow Bowie alum Carmine Rojas and the Dutch tribute band Starman. You can get tickets at davidbowielive.nl. Ava will also be featured in the upcoming Luther Vandross documentary, Never Too Much. You can watch the trailer, featuring Ava, by clicking HERE.
Now, without further ado, here is part one of my exclusive interview with Ava Cherry—a woman whose career has helped shape the last half-century of music and culture in more ways than one. Come back next week for part 2!
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