It’s hard to imagine the music world without high-flying, truth-telling, power house vocalist, P!nk. A standout musician and change maker, the 44-year-old has long made her mark with life-changing music and performances, but she wasn’t always on the right path.
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During an interview with Cecelia Vega for 60 Minutes, the Pennsylvania-native reflected on her troubled youth and shared how she came to her senses after a childhood filled with anger, violence and drugs.
"I had a chip on my shoulder," Pink admitted of her younger years. "Basically, I grew up in a house where every day, my parents were screaming at each other, throwing things. They hated each other. And then I got into drugs. I was selling drugs. And then I was kicked out of the house. I dropped out of high school. I was off the rails."
Her years of being “off the rails” reached a peak in November 1995 at a rave when the singer recalled almost losing her life to an overdose. “I was on ecstasy, angel dust, crystal, all kinds of things. And then I was out. Done. Too Much,” she said.
While at the rave, P!nk’s friend encouraged her to get on stage and perform. While she was in no shape to perform at the time, the working DJ made her a promise that ended up changing the course of her life forever.
"Come back tomorrow, I'll give you a guest spotlight,” they promised. “But you can never touch drugs again." P!nk kept her word and never looked back as that gig launched her into a place that had her auditioning for music labels just weeks later.
Nearly 30 years later, P!nk has experienced next-level success selling millions of records and concert tickets, but what matters most to her is the connection her past allows her to have with fans.
“We’ve sold three million tickets in the last six months, but you don’t really hear about it unless you went,” she shared. “So, at the end of the day, do I really give a s*** who talks about me? As long as the mom and the daughter, or the dad who’s in the Pink t-shirt as well as his daughter and her three friends had a fantastic time. Or the gay couple that came together and felt super safe at my show because no one heckled them. That’s what really matters.”
As her current tour nears its end on November 19, P!nk has her sights set on what’s next and she has big hopes it’ll be a Las Vegas residency. "I would like to have the best show that Vegas has ever seen,” she said. “And I think that I can. For a performer like me to have a stage that doesn't have to travel, oh my God, you can do so much."
Hear more about P!nk’s future goals and rise to fame by watching her entire 60 Minutes interview above.