Last night was the annual American Country Awards and LeAnn Rimes, who has been noticeably absent from recent award shows despite having just released an album, was not just in attendance but was asked to perform. LeAnn was not nominated for any awards, nor was she there to perform any songs off of her album, Spitfire; she was there to do what she does best and that is emulate one of country music’s greatest artists – Patsy Cline – in a tribute to the late singer.
LeAnn got her break in country music because her singing was reminiscent of Patsy, and LeAnn’s first single – Blue – was actually a song that Patsy was slated to record before her untimely death in a plane crash at the young age of 30.
There will only ever be one Patsy, but LeAnn is also a talented singer who does do Patsy’s songs justice, and last night was no exception. At the end of her performance she broke down in tears, but make no mistake those tears weren’t for Patsy, they were for herself.
In just a few short years LeAnn has gone from being a very successful country singer, to nothing more than tabloid fodder with no one to blame but herself. She lost public respect when she was exposed as a cheater, but garnered the most wrath when she then went on to gloat about it as well as exploit the children of the home she helped to break up. All of this as severely impacted her public image and career.
Her last two albums have failed, and in fact the last album Spitfire which was her first album that she really took more creative control is her biggest failure to date. She is currently without a label and she does not sell out big arenas like she once did. Last night as she stood before a packed house of her peers and members of the public I believe the toll of her actions and where they have led her overcame her; she was crying for what she once had, and for what she has become.
Last night as I watched her I started to understand some of her mind boggling behavior better. Since she was a little girl she has gotten praise and attention – not for being herself – but for imitating another. This certainly explains her troubling obsession with trying to morph into other women – such as Brandi Glanville and Piper Perabo.
What I also saw last night were the first signs that LeAnn is aware of the totality of the decisions she has made. As much as people like to read about a celebrity behaving badly, we also champion for those who make real attempts at change and a comeback – but it starts by owning your mistakes and changing your bad behavior, and I am just not convinced that Ms. Rimes is ready to do either.
Photo Credit: FameFlynet
