Tracy Bonham is embracing life's changes with a positive outlook. Despite recent challenges, the "Mother Mother" singer says she's "strangely enjoying the focus on myself and the healing."
During a recent Zoom interview from her boyfriend's Brooklyn home, the musician shared, "I'm feeling great." This upbeat sentiment contrasts with the reality of her diagnosis: on January 25, 2024, Bonham, a classically trained violinist and pianist turned alternative singer-songwriter, was diagnosed with stage 1 lobular breast cancer.
"Physically, I didn't feel like anything was wrong," recalls Bonham, who gained fame with her twice Grammy-nominated 1996 album, The Burdens of Being Upright. "Maybe spiritually and mentally, there was something there. Something was sending me to get checked."
Initially diagnosed with invasive carcinoma, further biopsies confirmed she had stage 1 lobular breast cancer. "I'm so happy that I caught it early," she says. "I could have gone on for a very long time without knowing, until it was the size of a golf ball, which happens to a lot of women. You don't feel it in the early stages."
Just weeks after her diagnosis, Bonham had a lumpectomy and lymph gland removal at NYU Langone. The surgery was successful, and doctors declared all her margins clear. She soon shared the news with her fans. "My original thought was to keep this to myself," she admits. "But then I realized I didn't want to hide anymore. People started sharing their stories, and I felt like I had this supportive tribe. I'm really happy I did it."
This newfound vulnerability also inspired Bonham to release her poignant single "Damn the Sky (For Being Too Wide)," which addresses her failed marriage. "My marriage was not going well," she reflects. "I felt very lonely and isolated. I just sat down at the piano, and the song came out, lyrics and all. I've never really done that before."
In 2021, Bonham and her husband Jason Fine began divorce proceedings after 15 years of marriage. "I tried really hard," she says. "We have a beautiful 13-year-old son we adopted when he was 14 months old. I needed to save myself and didn't want my son to see me become a shell of myself."
Today, Bonham has found love again with professional jazz musician Rene Hart. "He’s such a support, and I've never really had that before,” she says. “It’s the relationship I always wanted."
With support from her loved ones, Bonham is ready to face ongoing radiation treatments and hormone therapies to prevent cancer recurrence. "There's some fear of recurrence," she admits. "There are always so many questions. 'What did I do to cause this? How do I avoid it?' But I'm managing the fear."
"Luckily, I have therapy and a lot of books to read," she says. "I'm strangely enjoying the focus on myself and the healing. As women, we often think about others or how others perceive us, and that takes so much energy. Right now, there's an opportunity to turn inward and grow. It's a gift."
On Friday, Bonham will release the music video for "Whether You Fall," a song she describes as "deeply powerful and uplifting about taking the hits in life and getting back up." Although written years ago, it's been a fan favorite and has helped many through tough times. She recorded a new album version in December 2023, "exactly one month before my cancer diagnosis."
The music video features choreography by Suzanne Haag and the Eugene Ballet of Oregon. "Performing on stage was such a unique experience," she says. "This performance took place only four weeks after my breast surgery, and it depicts the resolve I've needed to navigate my challenges."
Bonham will release "Whether You Fall" as her next single on June 21 and will perform at Milwaukee Summerfest on June 27. Additional show information is available on her website.
The Quran - Chapter Ar-Rahman : 56 - 59
In both ˹Gardens˺ will be maidens of modest gaze, who no human or jinn has ever touched before.
Then which of your Lord’s favours will you both deny?
Those ˹maidens˺ will be ˹as elegant˺ as rubies and coral.
Then which of your Lord’s favours will you both deny?
