Linda Perry doesn’t answer the phone like a rock star. She picks up like someone already deep in the studio—because she is. “I’m in my studio,” she says casually from Los Angeles, where most of her life is a swirl of songwriting, producing, and whatever creative curveballs the universe lobs her way. “I constantly find myself in really amazing, creative places,” she says. “The journey is continuous.”
That journey began with the global breakout of 4 Non Blondes’ 1992 single “What’s Up?” from their album Bigger, Better, Faster, More. Writing and producing megahits for Pink and Christina Aguilera followed. More recently, she’s received unsolicited calls from legends like Ringo Starr and Dolly Parton. Yes, that Ringo. That Dolly.
Perry speaks in free-form thoughts, unscripted and disarmingly sincere. Her energy leans more “cosmic transmission” than “media-trained talking points.” But that’s kind of the point. She’s never really played by the rules—and she’s not about to start now.
From Dolly with Love
The story of how Dolly Parton recorded one of Perry’s songs is peak Dolly: “She just called one day and said, ‘Hey, I recorded your song. I hope you don’t mind—I changed a couple things to make it more me.’” Perry’s response? “Who’s going to mind if Dolly Parton covers your song?”
What followed was a whirlwind. Perry added acoustic tracks and vocals from her home base, then flew out to film the video with Dolly herself. But she’s not one to rank moments by celebrity wattage. “I don’t rate my best moments based on how popular someone is,” she says. “It’s about what touches my heart.”
Enter: Ringo
The call from Ringo Starr came out of nowhere— “and you know it’s Ringo when you hear that voice,” Perry says with a laugh. Starr asked her to write a song for one of his EPs. That turned into two. Then, an entire EP (2024’s Crooked Boy, for which Perry also produced, engineered, sang, and played multiple instruments). Eventually, he told her she was the best songwriter he’d worked with. Let that sink in: Paul McCartney has written for Ringo. And Ringo said Perry was the best songwriter for him.
“It’s pretty stellar,” she admits. “That’s a pretty big compliment.”
Producer, with a Side of Fire
You’d think Perry’s early work on What’s Up? would’ve cemented her status as a producer. It didn’t. “They didn’t see women as producers then,” she says bluntly. “Even though I produced and saved that song, they just saw me as the singer with opinions.”
So she built her own studio. Bought gear she didn’t yet know how to use. Offered free demos to local San Francisco bands just for the chance to produce. That hustle led to “Get the Party Started,” which she wrote and produced for an up-and-coming artist named Pink. This led to writer and production credits on half of Pink’s megahit breakout album, M!ssundaztood. From there, the doors finally swung open. Christina Aguilera followed. Recognition followed that.
Equalize Her: Linda Perry on Fixing the System
Perry doesn’t just talk about systemic inequality in the industry—she does something about it. She co-founded Equalize Her with Alicia Ballard to help girls see the full range of possibilities in music — not just as performers, but as producers, engineers, and tour managers. “There are so many avenues unattended by female energy,” she says.
The organization provides scholarships, hosts workshops, mentors, and gives girls access to real working environments—backstage at Olivia Rodrigo and Brandi Carlile shows, for example, or in the studio with Perry herself. “All I can do is step in and try to do my best.”
Equalize Her has already touched down in Nashville, with Perry hosting live performances, panels, and soon, recording sessions during Nashville Pride. “We’ll have girls at rehearsals, backstage, and in the studio,” she says. “I’ll answer questions. Share tricks. Whatever they want to know.”
The 4 Non Blondes Reawakening
Perry says she’s not touring with 4 Non Blondes—but she’s also not not doing it. What began as a casual openness to a reunion became a confirmed slot at BottleRock, then a handful of festivals, then a new album in progress.
“It just felt like the right time,” she says. “I didn’t want to rehash anything, and I didn’t want to get deep. I just wanted to have fun.”
Fun is the operative word for the upcoming Nashville Pride set—4 Non Blondes’ first Pride show in over 30 years. “We’re a great band. The players are incredible. We’re doing new songs, and it’s going to be fun.”
Still, you get the sense that Perry isn’t just dusting off the past. She’s integrating it. Giving it new life, new meaning. And maybe, for the first time, she’s letting the universe throw her a victory lap—on her terms.
As she puts it, “I have no idea what’s going to be thrown at me. But I’m sure something massive will be.”
