Singer Barry Manilow has shared that he was a little bit disappointed with the reaction to his coming out announcement back in 2017.
After keeping his sexuality private for decades, at the age of 73 the singer shared the personal information in an interview with People magazine.
Now in a new interview he says the reaction to his coming out was underwhelming.
“You know, it was a non-event,” the Brooklyn-born singer, 81, exclusively told The New York Post. “I was kind of insulted. I thought it was gonna be a big deal.
Manilow said there was almost no reaction to his announcement. Then he realised that his fans just loved his music and were probably happy that he had someone to come home to.
Manilow had been in a relationship with his manager Garry Kief since the late 1970s. In 2014 they got married, 36 years after their relationship began.
“We’d been together for so long and then, you know, we were able to get married, and it was no big deal,” Manilow said.
The singer shared that the music industry in the 1970s when he enjoyed his biggest hits was not welcoming of artists coming out, but all his friends knew he was gay, and he always felt his fans knew too. He said today’s pop stars had very different lives.
“Well, you can do that now,” he said. “When I started off, you couldn’t. It would ruin your career. You couldn’t even say the word ‘gay’”.
The singer has had some very memorable songs including Mandy, Copacabana, I Write the Songs, Can’t Smile Without You, Looks Like We Made It. He also wrote Could It Be Magic which became a hot for Take That in the 90s.
He released his first album, the self-titled Barry Manilow in 1973. His 32nd record Night Songs II arrived in 2020.
Manilow’s music career began in the 1970s. He famously played piano for Bette Midler early in her career, including her legendary shows at New York’s Continental Baths.
