Rufus Wainwright admits sister Martha may be more talented

TORONTO — Is singer Martha Wainwright more talented than her older brother? Rufus Wainwright thinks so.

In an interview with Hamptons magazine, Rufus spoke about the competitive spirit in his creative family (he and Martha are children of folk singers Kate McGarrigle and Loudon Wainwright III).

“My sister, Martha, is as talented, if not more, than me,” he said, “and it’s taken me years to even state that.”

Rufus, 40, admitted he craved attention and believed the world revolved around him.

“My mother and I were essentially in love, and we trotted around our perfect dream relationship in front of my sister. My mother certainly adored my sister, but it was a bit of a tougher relationship, and there was a lot of anger and jealousy, but therefore a lot of fuel for her to work on her own stuff,” he recalled.

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“By the time I started doing my own shows and got my first record deal, she was right there, ready and waiting with her own perspective and her fierce attitude. There were some tough years, but finally we realized that in the end, like all families, you are more powerful when you’re united and loving. Now we sing together all the time.”

Martha, 38, is working on a memoir, Stories I Might Regret Telling You.

In the Hamptons interview, Rufus — who is married to Jörn Weisbrodt — also spoke about the next generation of musical talent in his family — his three-year-old daughter Viva with Leonard Cohen’s daughter Lorca.

“There are many questions about whether she is musical, and if you asked that, I would say I was concerned that would be a pressure,” said Rufus. “That being said, she sings 24 hours a day, vocalizing the whole time. She loves dressing up and she loves to dance, so I’m quite relieved that I don’t have to pussyfoot around the issue.

“I wouldn’t say she should be a performer, but she’s definitely a child of the stage. We’ll see how that works out.”