Tina Turner, At 83, Unveils Six Music Icons Who Stirred Her Deepest Desires

Tina Turner, the undisputed Queen of Rock and Roll, whose powerful voice and electrifying stage presence captivated millions for decades, has, at the age of 83, offered a candid and surprising revelation about the artists who ignited a different kind of fire within her. In a deeply personal and often humorous interview, Tina leaned back in her chair, a mischievous glint in her eyes, and openly discussed the six male artists who, at various points in her illustrious career, made her “weak,” tempting her to “step off the stage and straight into trouble”. This is not merely a list of fleeting crushes; it is a raw, unvarnished look into the emotional and physical chemistry she experienced with some of music’s most legendary figures.

“Baby, are you really asking me that? Of course, there were!” Tina exclaimed with her signature raspy laugh when asked if any artists ever truly tempted her. She confessed, “I spent decades shaking my hips in sequins and stilettos standing next to the sexiest men in music. You think I didn’t have thoughts? You think I didn’t feel the heat? Please.” She emphasized her professionalism, always delivering a show, but admitted that at 83, she wouldn’t pretend she didn’t fantasize. Her honesty is refreshing, painting a picture of a woman who, despite being a superstar, remained undeniably human in her desires.

Mick Jagger: The Wild, Unpredictable Storm

First on her list was Mick Jagger, a name that immediately brought a knowing smirk to her face. Tina described Jagger as “pure chaos wrapped in leather pants”. Their chemistry, famously showcased during their iconic Live Aid performance in 1985, was, according to Tina, far from rehearsed. “We were tearing clothes off, bumping and grinding like the world was about to end, and the truth, that wasn’t rehearsed; that was just us two people who could barely keep their hands off each other once the music hit”.

She reminisced about Mick’s wildness, an unpredictable energy that promised a night of survival rather than sleep. “He’d have kept me up all night, bouncing off the walls, laughing, sweating, making noise till the sun came up, and honey, I can’t lie, there were nights I thought about letting him”. Tina saw Jagger as pure temptation, a man who didn’t offer flowers and promises but instead came at you with fire. His restless electricity was infectious, making her “buzzing like I’d had too much champagne and sometimes all he’d done was hold my hand”. Despite the palpable tension, Tina confirmed they never crossed the line, but the fire of their unacted desire “would have burned hotter than anything we ever sang on stage”.

David Bowie: Glitter, Mystery, and Blurred Lines

Next, Tina’s eyes softened and then sparkled as she spoke of David Bowie, describing him not just as a singer, but “a planet all his own”. Bowie possessed an unparalleled beauty and strangeness, walking into a room “like he’d written the rules of attraction”. Tina was captivated by his gaze, which seemed to penetrate beyond superficialities, pulling out hidden desires. “He wasn’t loud, he wasn’t pushy, he didn’t need to be. Just one smile, one little tilt of the head, and suddenly you were imagining whole stories you’d never dared tell anyone before”.

His voice, she purred, was “like velvet and fire”, a sensation that touched her everywhere without physical contact. The thought of him whispering lyrics in her ear would have led her “right out of the studio and not looked back once”. Bowie’s allure lay in his ability to blur every line – boy, man, angel, devil – all at once. Being around him made the world seem richer, more colorful. “And I’ll admit, more than once I wondered what it would feel like to see those colors in private”. Bowie, for Tina, was “temptation dressed in glitter and mystery”, making her want to break her own rules, believing it would set her free.

Prince: The 5-Foot Giant of Electricity

Prince, though diminutive in stature, carried himself “like he was a giant”, gliding into a room on his own rhythm. Tina confessed that with Prince, “every woman in the room felt it”. His sly smile and look were enough to signal trouble. “Prince had this energy, electricity, pure and simple. Standing next to him was like standing too close to a live wire; you wanted to touch but you knew you’d get burned”.

His guitar playing was like a lover, his singing a sin, and his movements transformed the world into his private bedroom. “And Lord, I would have signed up for detention”, she joked. What also struck Tina was his stillness, commanding attention without a sound. “That’s when you realized the man didn’t need volume; he was the volume”. The way he held his guitar and slid into a note felt like “foreplay”. Tina admitted to having to remind herself to “sing, not to misbehave” while on stage with him, as “every glance, every gesture was an invitation, and Lord help me, I wanted to RSVP yes every single time”.

Marvin Gaye: The Embodiment of a Love Song

Marvin Gaye didn’t just sing love songs; “he was the love song”. Tina described his voice as aimed straight at your skin, making you feel touched everywhere at once, even when he barely moved on stage. She vividly recalled the first time she heard “Let’s Get It On” live. “Baby, the whole room went still. It wasn’t a song; it was a seduction”. Women, including Tina herself, would forget their surroundings, captivated by his voice.

Marvin possessed a velvet softness with a raw, hungry edge. The way he stretched a note, letting his voice break, sounded like begging, and Tina admitted to imagining “what it would feel like to give him what he was begging for”. For Tina, Marvin Gaye made you “live inside” his songs, demanding surrender. “And if I’d ever let him catch me alone after a show, honey, I doubt I’d have walked out of that room the same woman who went in”. Marvin Gaye was, in her words, “temptation in stereo”.

James Brown: The Erupting Godfather of Soul

James Brown, the Godfather of Soul, was a force of nature. “That man didn’t just perform; he erupted”. Sharing a stage with him was like “standing next to a volcano – hot, dangerous, and you never knew when it was going to blow”. Tina was mesmerized by his raw energy, his splits, his screams, and the sheer grit and sweat of his performance. “It wasn’t just performance; it was passion, pure, unfiltered passion”.

His energy and power made her imagine what he was like when the spotlight was off, when that fire was aimed at just one woman. “Her grin turned sly, wicked if I’d ever let James Brown take me off stage, I swear to you the show would have gone on all night long. No band, no crowd, just sweat, rhythm, and a whole lot of noise”.

Al Green: Silk Poured into Sound

Finally, Tina’s eyes fluttered half-closed as she spoke of Al Green, her voice dropping to a whisper, as if sharing a secret. “Lord have mercy, that man was silk poured into sound”. His love songs were lived experiences, every note feeling like warm hands on her skin, every lyric meant only for her. Recalling “Let’s Stay Together” live, she said, “I swear the air in the room changed. Women weren’t just listening; they were surrendering, and I was right there with them thinking if he sings this to me one more time, I might just forget my own name”.

Al Green possessed a dangerous softness, making you feel safe while simultaneously taking control. His voice didn’t ask; it simply took you under. “He’d stretch a word, slide through a phrase, and suddenly you weren’t in control anymore. He was”. This loss of control, she admitted, “thrilled me more than it scared me”. If Al Green had ever pulled her aside and hummed a single note in her ear, “honey, the night would have gone straight off the rails… and I’d have let him lead me every step of the way”. Al Green, Tina concluded, was “temptation in a three-piece suit”, and falling for him would have meant never getting back up again.

Tina Turner’s confessions offer a rare glimpse into the private desires and powerful attractions of a legendary artist. Far from being a mere list, her recollections paint vivid portraits of these iconic men, revealing the profound emotional and physical impact they had on a woman who was, herself, a force of nature. Her honesty is a testament to her enduring spirit and a reminder that even the biggest stars are susceptible to the irresistible pull of human connection.