Hi Macy, where are you and what can you see?

I'm at home in LA. [Sounds sleepy] I can see some trees. I'm looking out of my window.

Oh, are you still in bed?

Hm-hmm.

Have I woken you?

No, I'm awake.

Do you still live in that amazing house you had on MTV Cribs (1)?

Oh no, we moved actually, to a house I like a lot better.

What happened to the fish, Justin Timberlake and R Kelly?

Oh, the guy that bought the house wanted the fish. He bought the fish. It was in the contract.

Did he like the leopard-print bath suite you had installed?

No, he didn't like that. He liked the glass rug and he wanted a table ... He wanted a bunch of stuff.

Is it true you went to school with Marilyn Manson?

I did. We didn't know each other then. They did a special on him on VH-1 and I saw my picture in his class photo. I knew we were from the same state, but I didn't know we were in the same class. Oh, Brian (laughs).

Why were you expelled?

Not expelled ... It was suggested that I leave my boarding school [laughs]. I was getting into a lot of trouble. I wasn't prepared to be on my own at that age.

When did you first realise you had a unique singing voice?

Really late, not until I was in college, so in my early 20s. I always had a kind of funny voice and it never occurred to me that I could sing. I went to college and sang around a bunch of musician friends because I had been taking piano lessons since I was seven, so I kind of gravitated towards musicians. I started forming bands and writing songs just for fun and then I really got into it and got attached to it. Then a friend of mine asked me to be a singer in his jazz band. He gave me all these jazz CDs and I studied all these different singers and I kind of taught myself how to sing for a gig, but I didn't take it seriously until later. I was really awkward. I was just doing it for fun.

With that in mind, were you surprised at the success of I Try and your first album?

By the time I did my first album I had done a lot of singing and performing, but I was surprised by the success of I Try specifically. I thought the chorus was too wordy (2) and I didn't think people would remember it. I didn't realise it would be that much of a big deal.

In 2001, way before Twitter hashtags and all that, you wore a dress to the MTV VMAs bearing the slogan "My New Album Drops Sept 18 2001. Buy It" (3). How did that go down?

A lot of people got really upset about it. I read this article in the LA Times where the writer used it to talk about how artists would use these award shows to promote their albums! What do you think everyone's doing there? It's all about helping sell your records.

Do you still have it?

It's in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland.

You also pre-empted Christina Aguilera by forgetting the lyrics to the national anthem at an American football game and getting booed. They're quite tricky, aren't they?

I just forgot. I know the national anthem! I was in my home town and all my relatives were there and it just flew out of my head. I skipped the entire first section. It was my own version, basically.

You were on Bravo's Celebrity Poker Showdown. What's your technique?

I've been playing for a while and I love it, but I'm not very good. I wouldn't advertise my technique, because it doesn't work. Sometimes I'd do really well and other times I'd be really bad. I think I'm too easy to figure out. If I get a good hand I just go, "Awesome!"

You're joining pop luminaries Blue, Geri Halliwell and Alexandra Burke for a Children In Need special that involves you appearing in Thriller the musical. Are you excited about that?

Yeah I'm very excited. I'm just learning all the words and stuff. I'm doing a Michael Jackson song but I can't say much about it. I haven't heard much about a storyline or anything yet. I think it might be happening in December.

Are you a fan of Geri Halliwell?

Oh yeah, I've always liked her. The Spice Girls were everywhere. I always liked Geri and I liked Posh a lot.

Do you still own a bronze statue of yourself naked?

Yes. It's in my garage.

Why is it hidden away?

I don't have a proper fountain in my garden yet. I'm going to do it for sure.

It needs a fountain?

[Laughs] The water comes out of my hair.

But where does the hose go up, Macy?

Where does it go up? [Laughs] That's for me to know.

Do you still have your own clothing label?

It's interesting you brought that up because we're working on it now. We've been developing it for quite some time.

Will there still be a line called Humps for voluptuous women?

Yes, that's what we're doing. Modern fashion excludes a lot of different shaped women and shopping is really challenging if you're not a small girl. A lot of designers don't even make over a size 8. They don't want that size representing their clothing, which is really insulting and silly because most women are not a size 6. I'm excited about it. It's really for myself and my friends and just to have clothes available for you is great.

You're quite tall aren't you?

Yeah, I'm 6ft.

Not that I'm a woman or that this is a competition, but I'm 6ft 7in.

Are you married?

I'm not, no.

Oh great.

Shall we get married?

Yeah. I need someone tall. I see really tall guys with short girls and I'm like "what?"

How was filming The Paperboy? Were you there when Nicole Kidman took a wee on Zac Efron (4)?

I was not. I missed that one. It was awesome working with that cast of people. Really legendary actors, and being around that calibre of people was inspiring. I learned a lot.

What do you enjoy about acting?

Erm, it's a challenge for me. I'm not close to mastering it, so I enjoy getting better at it. It's a good exercise for my brain and it's refreshing. I really like the studying for it and getting into character.

How did you decide which songs appeared on your recent covers album, er, Covered (5)?

Mostly it was lyrics for me. Songs that I felt I could translate and I could sing it and mean it. I'm a fan of all those songs and I particularly wanted to do songs that were more rock songs. I'm a huge rock'n'roll fan and I didn't want to just do old soul songs or anything that people would expect, or that would be easy.

Has Thom Yorke heard your interpretation of Creep?

I don't know. I saw him in an airport lounge once and I talked to him and I told him I did it, but he probably hears that everyday. He said: "Wow, I'll check it out." That's all he said, so I'm not sure if he's heard it.

People can get quite precious about people covering their favourite songs can't they?

Oh yeah, I think some people do. I do too. I think some songs shouldn't be done over.

With that in mind, you've covered Stevie Wonder's Talking Book to celebrate its 40th anniversary, haven't you?

Yeah. I still worry about whether people actually want to hear my version of it, but it's actually really beautiful. The songs are definitely different from the originals and it's a new take on it. It's something I really love and I wanted to try. I don't think anyone's done a remake of a full album yet. We didn't do the arrangements exactly but the songs are in the same order. It's one of my favourite albums of all time.

Foot notes

(1) In 2003, Macy showed MTV around her six-bedroom LA home, with its own basketball court.

(2) "I try to say goodbye and I choke / Try to walk away and I stumble / Though I try to hide it, it's clear / My world crumbles when you are not here"

(3) Macy's second album The Id sold 1m copies, a sixth of her debut album's sales

(4) In Lee Daniels' new film, Charlotte (Kidman) pees on Jack (Efron), after he's stung by a jellyfish.

(5) It features covers of songs by the likes of My Chemical Romance and Arcade Fire.