World Rock ’n’ Roll Tribute Artist Champion Luisa Marshall — who performs as Tina Turner — has been leading quite the glamorous Hollywood lifestyle with appearances on Ellen DeGeneres and Oprah. Through it all, she has her family by her side, who she’s performed with for many years.
“We’re like the Partridge Family in Vancouver, Canada,” she said with a laugh. “It’s not easy I tell you, but it’s just a lot of fun,” she said with a laugh.
In her upcoming show, she will perform with her husband, who is also her drummer, her daughter the guitar player, her brother who is a dancer and her daughter who is the other singer (who won’t be at this show).
“And we’re all getting along on stage!” she said with a laugh. “You won’t see any pouting or any arguments … everybody’s just happy,” she said through more laughter.
Marshall will perform the best of Tina Turner’s hit songs like Simply the Best, What’s Love Got to do with it, Proud Mary and more.
“This performance is just crazy. Everybody’s just going to have lots of fun.”
It’s also a performance, she said, that’s more meaningful to her as she’s able to more engaging to the Tina fans in the audience.
She will also perform other songs from some of her other favourite divas.
“As Tina Turner I also pay tribute to some of my favourite divas like Shania Twain for my girl power awareness,” she said with a laugh, adding that she performs songs by Lady Gaga and Amy Winehouse too.
Marshall’s star-studded career began in 1995 with a large show and a wig.
When in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, she performed in her cover band to hundreds of different clubbers and night owls.
Long before Marshall dressed up as Turner, she would perform songs and their were some there who loved Turner’s music.
Many of the British fans, she said, had an idea for Marshall to wear a wig while singing her Proud Mary cover.
“And every night they bugged me to put on a wig and then finally after two months of them bugging me, we went to a mall and tried to look for a Tina Turner wig — in Dubai of all places.”
The wig, which resembled more of a rock n’ roll Rod Stewart wig, was $10 at a novelty store and it’s a wig that began her Tina Tuner career.
Among her many big moments, the in the entertainment industry was her appearances on Oprah and in 2015, Ellen DeGeneres, where she was asked to perform and be included in Ellen’s Squad war with Taylor Swift.
Marshall said being on Ellen was a crazy experience, as she was introduced as Tina Turner, Luisa Marshall as Tina Turner.
With a standing ovation and a selfie with singer Selena Gomez and the media ranting and raving over her appearance, everyone thought Marshall was actually Turner herself.
“I was just waiting for a backlash … ‘that’s not Tina Turner, I know her!’” she said with a laugh.
Ellen’s Squad came up as a joke about her not being included in Taylor Swift’s squad after she was on her show before. Feeling left out, Ellen created her own, consisting of Kimmy from Full House, Carrot Top, Bob Harper and Tina Turner (really Luisa Marshall).
“I didn’t realize I was the only fake one, everybody was real but me!”
Marshall, who got to dance with Ellen to one of Tina’s hit songs, said she was able to tell people she was a tribute artist after the show.
“It was really heartbreaking. I had to keep my mouth shut, I couldn’t say ‘no I’m sorry don’t cry I’m not the real Tina Turner.’”
When asked if she met Turner, she said she performed for her on the Oprah show twice.
The first time was in Chicago at the Oprah Network Studio and the second time she was invited again for Oprah’s biggest show ever at Caesar’s Palace Colosseum.
While there she performed in front of two icons, Cher and Turner herself, along with 4,000 fans.
“I was mesmerized for many months after that,” she said.
When it comes to Turner, Marshall said she is one of the most inspirational women artists she’s ever known in her life.
“She is so inspirational in the way that she has the courage and she has the triumph that she survived the abuse, she survived everything that any woman female artist could possibly experience,” said Marshall.
“She represents a strong, firm, passionate and powerful woman and I think her life story is so interesting...”
For tickets to her Feb. 24 show at the Mary Winspear Centre call 250-656-0275.