Grammy Award-winning singers, it is generally assumed, spend the majority of their time writing and performing music. But when country superstar Trisha Yearwood, who last released a studio album in 2007, launched her recent U.S. theater tour, it was actually to give herself a break from her career as a best-selling cookbook author and the star of her own Food Network show, “Trisha’s Southern Kitchen.”
Yearwood, an avid home cook, says she has been surprised by her success in the culinary world, telling Billboard she “never dreamed” she would have a second career. But the fact is that the joining of music and food has proved to have incredible appeal to not only musicians and chefs, but also to fans of both mediums.
To that end, the Cooking Channel recently debuted a new show, “Saucy and Sweet,” starring R&B singer Kelis. Like Yearwood, Kelis is a devoted foodie (her best-known song is 2003’s “Milkshake”). But she also has substantial culinary credentials: In 2006 she put her music career on hold to train as a chef at the prestigious Le Cordon Bleu culinary school. She has her own line of savory sauces, named “Feast,” as well as a new album, “FOOD,” that features songs titled “Jerk Ribs” and “Breakfast.”
Which isn’t to say that artists are the only ones exploring this crossover realm. A new Dailymotion online series, “Feedback Kitchen,” features Mario Batali sitting down with artists like U2’s The Edge, Josh Groban and Flea. Each episode presents a meal prepared by Batali and a performance from the musical guest. “We wanted to show the nature of creativity and where it comes from,” says Batali. “I mean, we had Flea playing Bach — I don’t think there’s many recordings of that out there.”