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00:00:00
Speaker 1: Quest Love Supreme is a production of iHeartRadio. Ladies and gentlemen, Welcome to Quest Love Supreme. Neil's Quest Love. We have Teams Supreme with us. This is a morning episode of Quest Love Supreme. So it would be very interesting to see how the energy is this morning.

00:00:23
Speaker 2: Because you know how you doing.

00:00:27
Speaker 3: Tries you ready to go?

00:00:29
Speaker 2: That's an instant Jiff b there. I think it's Kiff. It's not Jif. Steve is Jip. Jip is a peanut butter.

00:00:39
Speaker 1: Bro yo man before Money died.

00:00:45
Speaker 2: Before he passed, he told me it was Jiff.

00:00:49
Speaker 4: Hey man, it's just like the thing.

00:00:53
Speaker 2: Come on, man, draw draws. I get it all right, all right, I'll roll with the mob.

00:01:00
Speaker 5: Call the creator of the gift.

00:01:02
Speaker 1: The creator of the gift, like he was one of the early people to die in the pandemic. But the last thing we did together some awards thing, and I asked him.

00:01:12
Speaker 2: I didn't even ask him, he says Jiff. I was like, how do you know? I was going to ask you?

00:01:17
Speaker 1: Like I get asked this one hundred times a day. But then he also said I should have said.

00:01:22
Speaker 2: Gift, but yeah, or used a jay if he wanted it. I get it. It's above him now, so you know he's not here, so he's above us now. He's oh god, all right, So Bill, how you doing? Man?

00:01:41
Speaker 3: I just I just googled it said. He called it a gift with a soft g. Choosy developers, he said, choose Jiff. This was, of course, a play on the peanut butter brand Jeff's line.

00:01:50
Speaker 2: Choosy mothers, choose Jeff. That's all.

00:01:53
Speaker 3: And the Internet never lies, So I'm going gift. I'm fine, by the way, thank you very much for asking.

00:01:59
Speaker 2: Well, and thank you and Steve. Yes, I'm good, Fante.

00:02:06
Speaker 4: I'm good, Man, I'm good. Been working. Men just did something, but it said, yeah, what are you working on? I don't know how much I'm a livinged to say, so I let William Bill.

00:02:16
Speaker 2: I'll explain what it happened once. Tell us.

00:02:19
Speaker 3: What it happened was Sponte and his producing partner Zoe have created a jam for the children that will air sometime in September by very famous, fantastic artist on this films today. But we're not allowed to say who that person is other than it's gonna be awesome.

00:02:39
Speaker 2: Wait, Fante wrote an Elmo jam. Yeah, I've been right, I've been writing.

00:02:46
Speaker 1: Anyway, ladies and gentlemen, I will say that our guest today, what's an understatement to say that she is a monster talent, as talented as they come. Uh, she's an unworldly singer, one of the you know, there's there's people that ooze with charisma, and I mean I've probably have been. Yeah, I think we're our careers are borderline neck and neck. So since the roots have been.

00:03:15
Speaker 6: Years older, but that's okay.

00:03:16
Speaker 2: Yeah, but like I just started late.

00:03:18
Speaker 1: Okay, so our guest started when she was two years old. Okay, anyway, Yeah, no, I'll say that, even if my memory serves me correct, whenever the Roots would come to the Bay Area, I believe that this person has been kind of a presence in the entirety of my career. And even from the first moment we've laid eyes on her, like just absolute charisma, Like she owned the stage and that's that's something that you can't find anywhere pretty much in entertainment.

00:03:52
Speaker 2: Like that's a special gift.

00:03:54
Speaker 1: As of now, as we speak, her eleventh album, entitled Good Life, has just been released. By the time it gets on the air, it should have been out by then. So in addition to a Grammy Award winning music career in multiple genres, he's also an actress of stage and screen, don't forget, an author, an educator, and an advocate for others.

00:04:15
Speaker 2: And this is a long time coming.

00:04:17
Speaker 1: So welcome to QLs today we have let usy welcome to question.

00:04:22
Speaker 6: Thank you so much. What that means a lot just hearing you talk about me because I see you DJing all the time. You know, I would always go to your shows. That's like one of my favorite things.

00:04:36
Speaker 2: I know. This is the thing.

00:04:37
Speaker 1: As long as we've known each other, like, we've never had a moment to really just chop it up like in every real way. So this is almost like our first real, in depth conversation, even though you know, again it's it's been several decades.

00:04:52
Speaker 2: And you know this is a long time coming.

00:04:55
Speaker 7: Uh.

00:04:55
Speaker 1: Well, I'll ask you because you know today's is the what I say, the birth day of your new album. Do you still get excited about these things as if it were like your children out in the world, or like you still get like butterflies and anticipation and excitement of presenting it to the world.

00:05:17
Speaker 6: I am so nervous right now, but I really every single time. But I think this one even more so because of the growth. I never chase relevancy. It's not my thing. I love growth and perseverance in history more than anything, and so me, I'm always adding colors to my version of whoever I am in that era and hoping for people to see another side of myself that I never get to show. So this is another side and kind of full circle, coming back to the root of feel good music, like when I started, you know, so this one, I'm kind of grown and I don't care what people think anymore. I just want to put feel good out there. I think we needed it. I needed it, And what I'm nervous about is, after three years of work, is it enough? You know?

00:06:18
Speaker 1: Yes, I'm so glad you said that, because right now we're going through a cycle. I mean, you'll be maybe the fourth or fifth artist that we've interviewed in which their product is kind of a direct result of whatever they learned from the pandemic. This restart thing, like it happened with Brittany, with Brittany Howard and also with Green Bailey Ray.

00:06:47
Speaker 6: Yeah.

00:06:47
Speaker 1: Yeah, Like you're seeing these artists who kind of had either a pivot or a transformation, or they got to know themselves better. They have a lot of self work and the creativity that normally went on their product before twenty twenty is not the same way as it is now.

00:07:05
Speaker 2: So would you say that for you? That's also the case.

00:07:09
Speaker 6: I think I'm a chameleon every album, though I've always been different every project. I think I did a complete pivot by doing Lettucey sings Nina when I'm an R and B. You know me as an R and B artist, but I've seen classical and opera and in French and Italian, but I never get to show that in R and B. So to me, it's like for me, it's how I feel, And a lot of it has to do with ownership, being my own under my own label and doing my own thing, so I've never had that. The pandemic only pushed me forward to be more active in socially active online and talking to people. Before I was more like just putting stuff out and going away. This is new for me, actually talking to people more.

00:08:02
Speaker 2: Wait, so you're not an engager, No, I try to be.

00:08:06
Speaker 6: I've gotten better. Twenty twenty taught me that I have my own podcasts. I started talking more to my friends privately, but then I'm like, I might as well put this out and show people that I'm talking. You know, no one knows and knew anything much about me, but you seeing me around, you know what I mean. I'm like the the oh let Usy said the show, what is she doing here?

00:08:28
Speaker 5: You know what I mean?

00:08:29
Speaker 2: Well, you know what, I would have thought the opposite, because when you're.

00:08:32
Speaker 6: On stage, that's another thing you do.

00:08:37
Speaker 1: But when you're on stage, you do this like zero to one hundred in two seconds. And you know, I'm not even trying to blow smoke up your ass or anything, but literally like charisma, connecting with the audience, talking to the audience, engaging them, telling jokes, yeah, talking about your life. Like that's a hard thing to do. Like I avoided it all costs, you know what I mean. I hide behind a drum set. I hide behind turntables and the internet and all these things like where you have to be out there. And I just naturally thought there was one show I saw where I was like, I will be none surprised if you know, you get an OPRAH platform just the way that you were doing one on one with your your audience. But that's weird to hear that in your personal off stage life that you're you're saying you're an introvert sort of or worth I'm a little.

00:09:31
Speaker 6: Bit of both, but more so introverted, really shy stage though. It's I think of the audience more so. I don't think of myself. I think of them and making time and moments to come to the show and entertain them and be honest and authentic because I wouldn't want to pay for that and then put myself in their position. But what would I if I'm sitting out there watching you guys? I want to be like this, you know what I mean. I want feel something. So if I'm standing there like glue, just letting it dry, just boring. So I always think of put myself in the audience's position.

00:10:11
Speaker 1: Well, look, so if you are shy in your personal life. And this is something I'm just discovering maybe in the last two or three years and talking to artists like on this platform and also just interviewing them in general. I think a lot of the general public is rather shocked that some artists might have anxiety, social anxiety, that sort of thing. And so I'm often finding out that they have to sort of psyche themselves up, like a half hour before going on stage or like transform into a new character, that sort of thing like so what is your process to get out of your social shyness of non stage life into like what is your process like an hour before the before showtime?

00:10:55
Speaker 6: A lot of breathing High Hills does it for me.

00:10:59
Speaker 2: I love wearing, so you become a new character that I love.

00:11:05
Speaker 6: High heels, I love makeup. I just love this becoming grown woman like energy. It's so good for me. It says I belong, It says I'm worthy, it says power, and inside my heart is racing. I'm still afraid. But I recycle the fear into win and gather tell them about who you are, where you come from, the music, the root, everything, it's not it's bigger than me. But all of that gives me power to just execute the stories. We're storytellers, we're creative, so we gotta It's not about us, It's about what we're trying to ignite and inspire other people. They want to feel something. So I go back to that, and but the high Hills six it ashow hold. I can get it off even one.

00:12:00
Speaker 3: Keeping clothes again the first the first guest to go and grab their shoessal.

00:12:07
Speaker 6: I will fight you.

00:12:08
Speaker 5: That is not a way.

00:12:09
Speaker 6: What that is my uncles? Oh your ankles so much fun. That's a whole performance and notes. Yeah, yes, ma'am ninety's Warrior ninety minutes. I love a good hell. It makes me taller. I'm five five. I need some y'all are.

00:12:27
Speaker 1: Tall short, all right, so noted, I will be writing crocks for.

00:12:37
Speaker 6: I have some nice make her some nice high crocks. Me. You have some heels with cracks.

00:12:44
Speaker 2: They actually have platform crocks.

00:12:46
Speaker 6: But have some, but they.

00:12:48
Speaker 2: Don't they don't go beyond size fourteen.

00:12:50
Speaker 6: So you know, I don't know. I need.

00:12:55
Speaker 5: I love it.

00:12:56
Speaker 2: It's happening, but I'll produce it.

00:12:58
Speaker 6: Down in two years as well. Do it as long as I can watch those hips.

00:13:04
Speaker 2: Yeah, let to see.

00:13:11
Speaker 1: I thought you were born in the Bay Area, but I found out I was wrong.

00:13:15
Speaker 2: He tell us where you were born.

00:13:16
Speaker 6: I'm originally from New Orleans, Louisiana, and my family comes from the Holly Grove area. I don't have an accent because I moved when I was twelve years old to the Bay Area, so it's raised in Oakland, East Oakland. But when I get mad, my accent comes out really nicely bit bad. It gets round.

00:13:40
Speaker 5: A new Ornan's accent.

00:13:43
Speaker 7: Wait, can I ask the question of mirror that I feel like we might have to skip because I need to know where lettu see anee by day came from.

00:13:50
Speaker 6: It's a year but where my mom named me. It comes from a Ochoca song a year but word God, my mom loves year of a music and would sing it. And that's where the name. It means to bring forth is let us see and aniba day means to bring luck, so bring forth, bring luck. And so that's my real name. My mom and dad named me. They were kind of hippies and uh that was their thing, you know. So that's where my name comes from.

00:14:24
Speaker 2: Do you remember what was your first musical memory.

00:14:29
Speaker 6: My mom would sing at this park across the street with her band, and she had this big afro and bell bottoms, blue jeans, bell bottoms in a green shirt and some big hoops, and she had this tambourine but she would hit it with her hip all the time, and I just love every time her hip would move her, she'd sing the audience would just I just saw them go crazy. I didn't know what that meant, but the sound of her voice always would do something here. So that memory always, I always remember that before I go on stage. But that was my one of my first memories of music. The other one is the A track. The band would record to the A track and it would sit in our room. We had a shotgun house to just go straight ahead and in the living room. The band would record in the living room and my mom would record her vocal part with the A track in our bedroom, which was the next room. So I would stare at the A track and watch my mom record on the edge of the bed. And then when they pressed play and her voice came out of it, I was just blown away. And that's when I like those two memories. That's when I wanted to sing.

00:15:46
Speaker 4: Did your mother does she like make records of you're recording artists?

00:15:49
Speaker 6: Or did she just sing? And she was a recording artist. She had her own band called car Nova in New Orleans. They had their own band. It was interracial race bass player guitar. My stepdad played drums. That's why I started on the drums. That's why I love watching drummers. That's why I became a fan of me. And I would watch the way drummers set up their snares. It slanted, is it low? Is it below their knees? Like every little technical thing. So I started on the drums and I would watch them perform rehearse in our bedroom. But we were too young to go in the club, so they would have the car close to the side door so that my mom can babysit while performing, so she would do double duty. So I'm a kid from that kind of era where they did a lot of performing and recording at the same time. But she had her own band lead singer, and her and the bass player would write songs together all the time.

00:16:53
Speaker 1: Wow, I know you're probably obsessed with Darwy Jones if you're trying to figure out drummer angles, because.

00:17:01
Speaker 2: I'm still trying to figure that out right, that's set up.

00:17:05
Speaker 1: It's crazy, Okay, are you still drumming now?

00:17:10
Speaker 6: Like? Do you can paradiddles on a pad when I get nervous or things like that? But not Nah. The band always trying to make me play, but I won't play it. I told you, I get a little nerdy on certain times and that's one of them. I don't want to play in front of it. I know, like an African beat and a James Brown beat. That's all I know right now.

00:17:32
Speaker 2: You don't think your audience would go crazy if you just suddenly started.

00:17:39
Speaker 5: It was a little especially for afrobeats.

00:17:42
Speaker 6: Let's go. You think I can do it?

00:17:44
Speaker 2: I mean I know you can do it. You know you can do it.

00:17:48
Speaker 6: I'm in practice. If you're there, definitely not doing it.

00:17:52
Speaker 2: Do you own a drum set?

00:17:54
Speaker 6: No, I think when we get a bigger house, i'll get one. But right now, I'll wait. I have a I have a road. It's right there.

00:18:01
Speaker 2: I'm sending you a drum set.

00:18:03
Speaker 6: Really what?

00:18:05
Speaker 1: Well, yeah, you're also helping me because you know I'm a hoarder and yeah, the less less boxes I have.

00:18:12
Speaker 6: Well, if you send it, I'll practice and then i'll play and record.

00:18:15
Speaker 1: I'm not bullstitting you. I'm trying to get rid of these boxes. I'm giving you a drum set.

00:18:19
Speaker 6: So well, thank you. I appreciate it. I love the doms, you know what, My monitor's mirror, the rim shot, the snare and the kick and my vocal. That's it. That's all I have in my my monitor ears. Everyone's like, you're crazy. I'm like, I need to beat Yeah.

00:18:36
Speaker 2: I know this, No, this, this is great. I encourage this highly. I encourage What was the first album that you owned?

00:18:47
Speaker 6: First album? My own Thriller, Purple Rain was there? Those two was what I had, But.

00:18:53
Speaker 2: Thriller was allowed to listen to Purple Rain.

00:18:56
Speaker 6: I snuck it in.

00:18:57
Speaker 2: Okay, I'm just gonna say, sneak it in.

00:19:01
Speaker 1: I think I think we've had one guest on the show that was like freely allowed to listen to Prince in their childhood, Like Prince wasn't contraband after the.

00:19:11
Speaker 6: Movie, they let it go because we had saw the movie. It's a rap, you know. The Thriller was the one that was the that.

00:19:19
Speaker 2: Was okay, what about your first content?

00:19:23
Speaker 6: I didn't you know my during my time, we couldn't go. It was run DMC, a fresh vest. It was, yes, we couldn't go. I couldn't go. My parents wouldn't let us go. So I have my little General Electric radio and I would just play the cassette on the porch and just listen like that and pretend like we were there. But I didn't go to a concert until I was in college and the first concert, yes did never had never been a concert. My first concert was Dian Reeves opening for George Benson in Sonoma somewhere. It was a date. This guy took me on a date. That's I got to go to a concert. Crazy, right.

00:20:07
Speaker 1: It's funny you said that because for some reason three days ago, what was the song about Grandma better Days? Yeah, I don't know why I had this need to hear that song, like it was always on radio when I was in high school.

00:20:27
Speaker 5: Really, oh god.

00:20:29
Speaker 1: That was like I forgot there was a time in which like Diane Reeves had like the number one song on Power ninety nine, like and that was the thing that also.

00:20:38
Speaker 4: Likely record and also kind of a Piano in the Dark by.

00:20:42
Speaker 8: Brenda Roshrenda Russell Yeah, yeah, era, well that still gets played on like Piano the Dark has this travel to well I don't call it yacht rock radio, but whatever, like yeah, yeah, wherever when you're in CVS at three in the morning.

00:21:01
Speaker 7: That's one of the best albums of all time, the Russell album.

00:21:07
Speaker 1: It is tell us about your your musical development, Like do you have any siblings or is it just you?

00:21:12
Speaker 6: I have an older sister, a younger sister, and on my dad's side, I have I have eleven and I think I'm twelve. I'm twelve in there in that mix. I know you're interviewing, but I wanted to ask you about when we did the VH one Anita.

00:21:28
Speaker 2: I'm gonna get to that. I'm gonna get that.

00:21:30
Speaker 6: I'm sorry.

00:21:32
Speaker 1: That is all right, all right, let's just have it now, all right, I'm trying to rap up to this. You know, the thing for me is, as an artist, the two things that I look forward to most in life is when someone puts me onto an album that will later like change my life and all that stuff. So, I mean, I've had that a few times, you know, like Jill handing me her record, Oh shit, Fonte handed me his you know, the the Little Brother album or record blow or whatever. But the only thing that tops that for me is when I witnessed a star is Born moment and to see what transpired that day. Now we're doing VH on'es uh.

00:22:28
Speaker 2: It's not women who rockets, it's is a divas. Was it Divas?

00:22:33
Speaker 6: I think I can't remember. Yeah, I think it was Divas R and B Divs.

00:22:40
Speaker 1: And I've told many stories of whenever I'm put in those situations in which you got to curate a bunch of artists.

00:22:48
Speaker 2: That's the first.

00:22:48
Speaker 1: Time, like, but even before Hip Hop fifty, that's the first time I had to learn that it's not just about music, but you also have to manage artists in general personalities, personalities which I didn't know. Now the first half of the story kind of isn't mine to tell all the pieces of the jinga fell down with seconds left on the clock and or when I say seconds left on the clock, I mean, you know, in TV world, one should at least thoroughly kind of you know, at least have three a minimum of three hours of working out kinks and whatnot. I mean, we probably had all of twenty seven minutes before we started taping, and.

00:23:34
Speaker 2: You know, we have a giant, gaping hole of.

00:23:38
Speaker 1: Space left that needed to be filled, which is who's gonna now sing sweet love? You know you did it in such Now I realize that, Yeah, you're telling the truth about your shyness because you kind.

00:23:53
Speaker 2: Of very don't.

00:23:54
Speaker 1: Was Sondra there as well or was it just you?

00:23:57
Speaker 6: No, it was me and Sindra. Yeah, because I had done a tribute ever on television.

00:24:02
Speaker 2: That was like, right, first, first, correct me if I'm wrong.

00:24:05
Speaker 1: What were you initially there for Aaron Jones, Karen Jones. Yes, what I do remember was I didn't go to you first. I think I went to Sundra.

00:24:15
Speaker 6: No, Marcia, right, Oh, you went to Sundra to talk to her?

00:24:20
Speaker 1: Yes, right, I mean, well she was there in proximity because she was also like, were you there to watch the rehearsal?

00:24:27
Speaker 6: Yeah, we were trying to watch rehearsal, and then we got kicked out of a room and we went back to our dressing room and stayed out of the way, which is what I love to do.

00:24:36
Speaker 2: Because I'll wait all I'm going to say.

00:24:40
Speaker 1: The only thing I'm going to say, I don't know if I ever shared this part of the story. So again, yes, the initial plan for that moment was in motion, like both artists were on stage and verse and the parts and whatnot.

00:24:54
Speaker 2: And then this is the craziest.

00:24:56
Speaker 1: Real moment of all time I've ever witnessed an artist due and I'm respectfully recapitulating the story, So.

00:25:03
Speaker 7: You are so respectful right now, I can't even understand the story.

00:25:06
Speaker 2: Look after I'm losing my mind.

00:25:09
Speaker 5: I'm like, I need to get a less respectful remix.

00:25:10
Speaker 1: Yes, story, I know that we're about that, but I've already been roasted by another artist, by her other group members. I was the wicked boy, and I had nothing to do with it.

00:25:23
Speaker 2: You know. Again it's it's above me.

00:25:25
Speaker 1: But anyway, the whole point was that there was a moment right after the bridge in which the song started to go rogue, and Anita Baker decided that this moment's not going to go down. She literally like, so go after the bridge of Sweet Love, like, and she's walking down the stairs, she's singing. Then she puts her coat on and she's still singing the song. And then we get to the chorus and she's putting a pocketbook on and then she's like walking down to the audience.

00:25:54
Speaker 2: You know, we're camera blocking and all that stuff.

00:25:57
Speaker 1: Yo, She sang the last of those ad libs, walked out the door, hailed the cab, and it went straight to the airport.

00:26:09
Speaker 5: Like but that was rehearsal though, right, that was I mean it.

00:26:13
Speaker 1: Was it was camera blocking for a show we were gonna shoot in two hours, like the average person would have been like, hey, stop the song, guys. I appreciate this, but I cannot do this. I'm leaving goodbye. She didn't do that, like she literally sang the song and then like the way mister Rogers like puts a sweater on, and she put her coat on.

00:26:34
Speaker 5: You see, did you see?

00:26:36
Speaker 6: No, I wasn't in the room. We were kicked We were kicked out way before the song even started.

00:26:41
Speaker 2: Yeah, it was a lot of drama.

00:26:43
Speaker 1: And but seriously, when I think at what point she ye had govern her mouth like this, like she put her pocketbook on and all that stuff, and but still doing it for Bata swing and and she was like in the vest of you. She left the theater still singing with the microphone in the rest of you. And then she walked out of the hammersteam Ballroom, and I'm looking at Nelson George like, wait, what's going on here? But the way she left, I've never seen a person with a cordless microphone.

00:27:18
Speaker 2: Walk out the building, start on the stage, walk in the audience, then walked the rest of you. Like that's wow.

00:27:26
Speaker 6: It sounds accurate though, Yeah, m h.

00:27:35
Speaker 1: James James James boys and hang on, hang on, wait wait, Dame Steak.

00:27:41
Speaker 2: James, Yes, were you with us for VH one? Divas Anita shut up? Uh, I think I do something from old man brain. I think you know, James, that you're just afraid to I think I remember hearing about this. Was that not playing keyboards? Who else would play keyboards? Yeah?

00:28:10
Speaker 6: I don't know either. I can't.

00:28:13
Speaker 2: He wasn't in the loop like that. It was you were definitely there.

00:28:15
Speaker 5: It was a long time ago.

00:28:16
Speaker 2: Maybe it was Omar. Yes, Oh yeah, I do remember that. Wait what I feel like I'm having.

00:28:23
Speaker 1: I'm feeling like I'm having a little boy that cried wolf moment. I'm telling him the way that you would need a baker left the stage. I've never seen someone walk off the stage still singing.

00:28:35
Speaker 2: Grap her coat, still singing her pocketbook.

00:28:39
Speaker 1: Sheoot a stick of gum and literally ad libbed herself into a cab, went to the airport, and I asked Nelson George, I'm like, wait, what happened?

00:28:48
Speaker 2: And he was like, she went home, And I'm like, she was a luggage like she literally I do remember that. I do. I do remember that when you.

00:28:58
Speaker 6: Asked when they said the room started buzzing around that she left. Yes, and we were backstage going what's going on? And they were like, no, Anita Baker left. I was like, what, I wanted to meet her? Why did she leave? She coming back though? Right? They were like, no, she's not coming back. They're trying to call her. So I and when you came to my room to ask me about singing it. When you finally showed up, I was like, why is chues Love coming to my room? What I do?

00:29:30
Speaker 5: And I thought it was the trouble I was.

00:29:32
Speaker 6: I didn't do anything, and then you came in and explained, we need But this is the thing I didn't tell you is that after you asked me, I called ab Queen Anita Baker and said, can you police come back?

00:29:49
Speaker 2: We would love it.

00:29:52
Speaker 6: Even after you asked me, because I felt, you know, I love honoring our grades no matter what. And if you asked me to do their song, I always call them and say, hey, I'm gonna be performing your song. That's just something I do. But I felt weird a little bit, so I called her and said, hey, are you all right? Just checking on you. She was like, I'm fine, going home. I was. She didn't she didn't tell me what went on. She didn't say anything. She just said baby. I said, well, they're asking me to sing your song and I was hoping you would sing it, and I thought you were singing it with another artist. I would love for you to she and I hope she wasn't thinking that you put me up to that. That was just saying please come back because it's VH one and it was you know, and she was like, do a great job, honey, You're gonna be great.

00:30:51
Speaker 2: But I do.

00:30:52
Speaker 6: And that's all I heard. And I didn't ask her what went on. It was none of my business to know. My job was trying to get her to come come back. And because I knew a whole nother generation wanted to see that because she hadn't been on television along and it was a big event to see that.

00:31:11
Speaker 7: So hey, ps, just real quick because I know he's going to try to get out of here like Peter on The Family Guy, James Poyser, can we get your commitment to being a guest on Quest left the premium the next two months?

00:31:21
Speaker 6: Please?

00:31:21
Speaker 2: So she meet Homer Simpson.

00:31:23
Speaker 7: Homer Simpson, I'm sorry, you're right wrong guy.

00:31:29
Speaker 2: How much your pain?

00:31:37
Speaker 1: James do an episode already?

00:31:42
Speaker 2: Fred Havin. He was.

00:31:44
Speaker 3: He was in his sam ash basement. Remember I love you? Let us.

00:31:51
Speaker 2: Wait? Can I ask a.

00:31:52
Speaker 3: Question about the needed Baker thing? Were James? At any point did the band look at each other and be like, where.

00:31:59
Speaker 2: The need a go? Was that?

00:32:01
Speaker 3: Or it is just like it didn't matter.

00:32:02
Speaker 2: It was just she was gone. No, I'm gonna tell you why.

00:32:06
Speaker 1: Because the thing is the way that the stage was built kind of like a pyramid thing, and I'm at the top.

00:32:13
Speaker 2: And what was supposed to happen.

00:32:14
Speaker 1: Is these two, these two were supposed to saunter down these long ass stairs left and right, singing together.

00:32:27
Speaker 2: There's this sort of rosy ending to this thing.

00:32:29
Speaker 1: And the whole thing was that when I think Sondra was next to me and I asked, I see Sondra, I think she said or someone from your team was like, oh, let's you knows that song like the back of her hand.

00:32:41
Speaker 2: She will kill that Baker fan.

00:32:44
Speaker 6: She's also one of my greatest mentors and friends. I love it. Maybe there might be things, you know to me, every artist has a thing, they had their cork and what they need and require to be comfortable. I don't know what the situation was I'm just saying, and everybody got a thing, they got quirks.

00:33:03
Speaker 5: You know, you wasn't even going there with this conversation.

00:33:06
Speaker 6: What was your I wanted to know for Emir doing that kind of show, the mass it was so massive with so many women, like it was R and B and soul that night, you know what I mean. It was huge for me, and I wanted to ask him, having that control over that kind of playlist and all these artists in one room, what was that like for you? Well, you answered it, But that's why I wanted to bring it up, like, because that was the first time I said, come out of being the drummer to being like a conductor.

00:33:41
Speaker 2: Run whipping bag. You want to know something funny though, Well, you know something funny.

00:33:47
Speaker 1: That was the second most stressful moment of a night because I had another situation backstage with a Mota legend whom, like drummers will all always get no pun intended the short end of the stick, mainly from singers who now I understand that if there's certain insecurities lying under, usually when a person wants to micromanage tempo or that's not right, there's another issue at hand, you know, that that's not about the song's too fast or you're playing it too slow. So you know, I was dealing with another drama with a motown legend that she browbeat me, and she did it something so smooth, like I'm drumming behind her and at one point she's so on.

00:34:40
Speaker 2: She sings something, sings the chorus and turns around says kill you.

00:34:46
Speaker 6: Oh no, a mirror R and B is a whole nother beast. It has you know this samir is so different, right.

00:34:56
Speaker 1: So no, just to let you know that, like that situation with the needle was sort of like that was in second place. There's something else I was dealing with. It taught me to be careful what you asked for. And also I'll say that surviving that prepared me for.

00:35:10
Speaker 2: Hip hop fifty.

00:35:12
Speaker 6: Yeah.

00:35:13
Speaker 1: You know I've told our listeners that, uh, you know, I've lost the body part uh because of the stress of that. But that's also that's also me not you know, advocating for myself and volunteering to be a whipping boy.

00:35:27
Speaker 2: But I.

00:35:30
Speaker 5: Said, that's what I said.

00:35:32
Speaker 2: The main one I told you all my tooth fell out.

00:35:39
Speaker 7: We all smoke and drink, so we be forgetting the camera, you know, with our brother.

00:35:48
Speaker 5: But you know, we just still.

00:35:53
Speaker 2: And we can put this to bed. Let me put the cheery on top.

00:35:55
Speaker 1: And say that you came out with twenty seven minutes left.

00:36:01
Speaker 2: You ran through that song.

00:36:04
Speaker 1: And it was the most beautiful thing ever, even to the detriment of not seeing that magic moment happen. What that taught me was one I said to myself, like wow, like I rarely see an artist that's like ready for their close up, and for me, that was the stars born moment, because like you were trending number one when that aired, and it was a whole nother comment. It was as if people just discovered you for real, and it was such a moment where I was like, that's that's the way it was meant to be.

00:36:40
Speaker 6: Honestly, I was scared to death and I because I didn't have time to do what I normally do prepare, overthink, I know, overthink, and I just did it. Marcia Ambrosius did it too, and I was happy to have her there as well to help sing part of the other part. But you were like so happy. I was honored to finish out what you had started and do my best, but I was freaked out, but I did try to get a B back. I did. I didn't know what was going on. I was out the dark, out of the room. Still don't know what happened, but I'm just.

00:37:18
Speaker 2: Having euros up here.

00:37:21
Speaker 6: Your face though that night, well that's why I wanted to ask why it was So how was it for you? Because your face was you wore out.

00:37:31
Speaker 2: Yeah, I didn't know about meditation. Job.

00:37:34
Speaker 6: You did a wonderful job. I have to.

00:37:36
Speaker 5: Say, y'all, is this the BT Award twenty eighteen?

00:37:39
Speaker 6: Oh it was VH one.

00:37:40
Speaker 5: So you didn't say Anita Baker sweet love?

00:37:42
Speaker 6: A couple of times I did, but I didn't do I did it first with a mirror.

00:37:46
Speaker 7: That was making sure because I know people are listening, They're like, how which one is?

00:37:49
Speaker 5: I want to find it't not that.

00:37:50
Speaker 6: So that was the first tribute I had ever done. I do a lot of tributes, but that was the first one on a big platform like that. It was all R and B people, soul, R and B. The lineup was incredible. I couldn't believe I was there.

00:38:06
Speaker 5: I was still rmb das.

00:38:07
Speaker 2: Yeah. So did you notice a paradigm shift after that?

00:38:10
Speaker 1: Moment, Absolutely tell me about it, because I still maintained that, you know, one, you trended the entire night it was on and just reading all the comments, like people were really engaged with how you handled it and they loved it.

00:38:26
Speaker 2: So what happened after that moment?

00:38:29
Speaker 6: They were my shows got bigger, more people started wanting to know more about me. But I wasn't really social, like I said earlier, we didn't have enough of that. I didn't even know what trending was. I was too busy surviving as independent artists, you know. But I noticed in the club environment more people were coming out to my shows after that, and there was a level of respect. But I also got called to do more tributes, so it kind of opened the door for that, which I was like, what is going on?

00:39:04
Speaker 1: Yeah, You've done a lot besides Anita Baker. Who are your north stars in terms of you know, who you look to as far as like your your vocal idols.

00:39:13
Speaker 6: Or like I wanted to be an opera singer. So Leontine was one of the biggest uh Dinah Washington because there would be no Aretha without Dinah. She was a big influence for Aretha and then of course Aretha Franklin because she could sing, She sunk, sung everything, and I love uh. My mother was a huge influence. It starts at home for me. She had the most beautiful soprano voice. And when she had cancer in the throat, and she survived and and won, but she her voice got lower. She was worried and said, Mama, you gonna sing. You could sing an out good old alto and tenna. You'll be fine, you know so. But she's one of my biggest inspirations, is my mother, because without her, I wouldn't have been introduced to all these other vocalists. And I love Patsy Kaine. She's another big voice, storyteller. We forget country is like not that everybody's having that country talk. I've been on it. My mom listened to Willie Nelson and Bob Dylan. I was like, Mom, why they can't really sing. She's like, it's the stories, you know. She's like, the stories are the thing. So I was the nerdy, weird kid that liked all the opposite. I didn't start at the church. I got the church stuff later when we moved to Oakland and I met the Hawkins and Darryl Coley, and.

00:40:37
Speaker 2: Learned that church.

00:40:39
Speaker 6: My mom did. She was in their choir, so we would. I would visit here and there. But I wasn't a church I'm not a church girl. I loved the nerdy. We were raised Catholics, so we were Mama me more. You know, we didn't do all the squalling. I learned all of that because Tremaine said, come on, baby squall. And my mom grew up Baptist, so I heard her voice. That's where I got it from. Do you know what I mean? I'm the Yeah, she taught me how to do my first squaw. She was in the studio. You go, like the squaw all that you asking and I ain't doing that now.

00:41:17
Speaker 2: But wait, if you know what Jamaine. Have you ever met Lynette Stephen Hawkins?

00:41:21
Speaker 6: Oh, absolutely met her as well.

00:41:23
Speaker 1: She like, man, like, just listen to all that records, like you never see pressed on any of them.

00:41:28
Speaker 6: So she had her own church. So they're really quiet, you know, they're nerds like well, I can't say like us, but yeah, I guess they like us, right you can, yeah, I can't, okay, but yeah, they're really quiet. But you know people who were loved the music and they keep it there. They love being private as well. Not all of us like to be in the front.

00:41:52
Speaker 1: I'll say that the number one scene that I really regret that I had to drop what in Summer Soul was? I mean, yes, they taught me off the ledgend I put O Happy Day in, but really there was there. There was a solo between uh Tremaine Walter and Lynette when they were teenagers, when they were you know, like.

00:42:18
Speaker 2: Nineteen years old. So that's one of the scenes I had to drop.

00:42:21
Speaker 6: You know what I wanted to say about someone's soul, Luther Vandross is a huge influence. Why didn't you put Luther such a good question?

00:42:31
Speaker 2: Because Luther was ace an eighteen year old.

00:42:35
Speaker 7: Nobody air quotes, nobody taped it, didn't it a little singer?

00:42:40
Speaker 2: And they were like, well, we're running out of tape.

00:42:43
Speaker 1: So you know that that local Harlem band with Luther Vanros and Phonsie Thornton and practically Luther's whole entire crew from listening to my brother oops they yeah. They also the weird thing was the same the same people that shot A Summer of Soul, we're also the same people that shot the pilot of Sesame Street, and so to them, Luthor was just like Luther was the first musical guest on Sesame Street because of the band he was in singing about the number twenty.

00:43:18
Speaker 2: I searched tying Low. There was no good footage of Luther at all.

00:43:22
Speaker 1: The last time we had a singer of your caliber or your vocal prowess, I'll say that's one of the unfortunate episodes in which the audio didn't work. Are that you're talking about, Well, you're saying it. I was just finally, So I'm gonna ask again. I want you to not not to spell a myth, but the way that singers have these very specific requirements for their their vocal to be open. I'm very cynical, and I believe that's psychosomatic. But I've heard like Fante clap back every now and then by saying like, no, that's real.

00:44:06
Speaker 2: But he explains me what is the deal.

00:44:09
Speaker 1: With like with the artists that are you know, they can't have air conditioning on because they're voice up.

00:44:17
Speaker 6: This is real it Your vocal cords will clam up from the cold air. I have gotten sick. I remember singing what was it called Biscuits and Blues in New York whatever that is where.

00:44:33
Speaker 1: I want some biscuits and blues.

00:44:38
Speaker 6: But it's closed now. I literally the air conditioning was right here, blowing into my face as I'm opening my mouth. It just dried my vocals out, and you can hear as I'm singing the show, my voice slowly go away cracks. Everything I said, can you turn the air off? They wouldn't turn it off because it was too It was underground. It was a club in New York on Broadway, but I can't remember the name of it. But it's gone now. It just took my vocals out and we had to stop the show. It's better when it's warm, it keeps it fluid. I don't want to sound gross, but you need it to be in there. You need water, you need moisture, you need you need your vocal courts. They're really thin and they have to flap. You should know that.

00:45:28
Speaker 2: Come on with the I don't sing.

00:45:31
Speaker 6: You yell yeah, I've heard you many times.

00:45:36
Speaker 2: No, But it's just I don't know.

00:45:40
Speaker 1: There's certain I'll look at the writers of singers and you know some things I'll know like, okay, well they need lemon and honey and dad whatever.

00:45:52
Speaker 6: But yeah, I get it too.

00:45:54
Speaker 1: So do you have a warm up process before you get on stage or yeah.

00:45:59
Speaker 6: I don't talk it all. I do the Celine Dion thing. My room is at eighty eighty degrees like Luther and.

00:46:07
Speaker 5: The sweat stole.

00:46:08
Speaker 6: Yeah, the sweat is good. I sing all the high notes. Knows, he knows. It just feels good. It makes you ready to go.

00:46:17
Speaker 7: It's funny fun They do be sweating, and it'll be hot when I go see him sing on stage, that might be.

00:46:22
Speaker 6: And then I have a steamer. I steam my vocal cords. See that's heat, and it's making it loose and everything opens, all your chests. It's kind of like when you put vapor rub all over and it goes. That's how you want your vocal cords to stay open. So it is a real thing for me. The good ones, the real singers do that kind of stuff. The one that sing like classical. They don't like all that because by the time you're on the stage too, it's freezing cold, so you might as well stay warm. So that's what I do, okay, And I don't drink a lot of liquids, and I yeah, the steaming is incredible. I also opera singer turned me onto the CITRONTI. That's really good. But I love that.

00:47:11
Speaker 3: You transitioned to theater like all your theatrical work, both in solo shows and kyliner change and blah blah blah blah. What was the impetus behind that? Why so why go there?

00:47:21
Speaker 6: To survive? To pay bills? In the Bay Area, before I became an artist, that you know is let us see, I was waiting tables and working at a place called Beach Blanket, Babylon where you wear these big hats. I auditioned when I was eighteen years old, right out of high school, and I was going to college at the same time working in theater. And luckily with theater, I learned how to reach past four rows and not just perform right here. Now I can fill the whole room with my voice and all that because of theater. But I had to do it to pay bills, to survive. I was waiting tables at the same time. After my thea gig, I leave at eleven thirty and go rush to my gig. That everybody would go see me underground at Cafe Denor with one hundred people in the room, so they would wait for me for two hours, and I would rush there after doing the theater gig with full makeup on, so that I can pay bills, do what I love and do what I need to do at the same time. So did you finish school? Huh?

00:48:22
Speaker 5: Did you finish school?

00:48:24
Speaker 2: No?

00:48:24
Speaker 6: I did not.

00:48:25
Speaker 5: Where'd you go?

00:48:26
Speaker 6: I went to cal State Heyward and I studied at UC Berkeley in the summers during high school. So, because like I said, I'm a nerd, loved all that classical music there. That's where I studied. But yeah, I never finished because I had to survive, had to pay bills and be I left home at eighteen. Like I said, I left home at eighteen and took care of myself and school and waiting tables. But theater was I love acting because I did it in high school and to be able to do cabaret shows. And then I was going to quit the music industry because I had been in it for as independent artist for two years and nothing. I just kept spending all my money and when I was quitting, I only had two suitcases in a house that I got a commercial off of doing a Sprint commercial. At the time when Sprint existed, all Sprint it hasn't Sprint back in the day, but I'm the same time, I miss on my side and I got you.

00:49:26
Speaker 2: Hello, what year was this?

00:49:28
Speaker 6: It was like around two thousand and man, was it two thousand and two?

00:49:35
Speaker 2: Oh?

00:49:36
Speaker 4: Okay, okay, thousand and.

00:49:37
Speaker 6: Two or three after two thousand and three. Yeah, because Feeling Orange had came out after that.

00:49:43
Speaker 7: You didn't have to audition for that. They found they just knew you, they knew your voice, and they were like, I was.

00:49:46
Speaker 6: Still I was teaching during the day sometime middle schools and going carrying instruments around. I mean, I was trying to make money. You're on your own. But I would also audition for voiceovers to do children's books and children things, and I ended up getting that Sprint commercial that way through someone who, hey, what a friend of mine needs a voice for this. I didn't know what it was for. I just sang it, and then the little check start rolling in.

00:50:14
Speaker 5: I was like, oh, I know.

00:50:19
Speaker 6: There, you know that's that's that's how I mean. My living was teaching and waiting tables and it's crazy, and doing gigs late at night and cabaret shows.

00:50:33
Speaker 7: People act like the first time they saw you on screen acting was the I want to say the Nina short that you did the women, Oh yeah, yeah right with a shout out to Lisa Cortez and Gabby Sabe.

00:50:46
Speaker 5: Right who were behind it before.

00:50:48
Speaker 7: Years Yeah, talk about that. I wanted you to talk about that because I was like, did that come first? And then the Nina album? Like you and Nina got some things going on?

00:50:55
Speaker 6: Well? The first uh, Gabby was inspired by my Nina Simone tribute that I did with Black Girls Rock. So that was the second time I ever been on television, was doing another tribute and I came in saying I want to be Peaches. I was like, I gotta do the Peaches part. And they could have kicked me out, you know what I mean, But I was like, I knew what part I wanted to sing, and it was me, Jill Scott, Marsha Ambrosius, and Kelly Price. So I sang Peaches and then Gabby said the writer and Gabby and a couple of producers they were saying they were inspired by that and they wrote me into that short and they always wanted me to play that role. Later and years later, I would meet Gabby just in passing with Lee Daniels hanging out and she said, I got a part for you, and that was the role in the four Women short that we did. It was amazing. Gabby's a great director.

00:51:55
Speaker 5: That debut too at a black Star shout out to me or too dope.

00:51:58
Speaker 6: I loved it.

00:52:00
Speaker 1: So, speaking of which, can you talk about the moments that led up to you playing Maheleia Jackson and remember me and what that was like?

00:52:10
Speaker 6: By the way, thank you. I said no to that role a couple of times, but.

00:52:14
Speaker 2: The I love Why did you say no? Initially?

00:52:18
Speaker 6: Because I had did it in Selma, you know, the little snippet I did, and I wanted to so many other people were doing it, so I didn't want to be a part of that, you know, the Mahela thing, because I already did it, and uh, I wanted there's another role I wanted to do one day. So I was just waiting for a bigger debut, you know. But I love the director so much, Erica, Erica, the producer, to I mean, the whole team, Erica is amazing. I just wanted to be a part of it. After I met them, we met on a zoom and I said, that's it. I got do it and ended up doing it. It was amazing to dive into Mahelia. We had so much in common, like being from New Orleans but transported into another city and then coming trying to come back to pour into New Orleans, and it was just amazing role to sing, but it was it was enormous because you have you have to sing gospel music and they don't play at all, you know what I'm saying. So it wore me out. And then I had to gain a little weight because the director wanted me a little you know. She said, Mahellya, it was bigger. And when I saw Summer and Soul, I said, oh wow, I had never seen her like you know that you gave us her and I was and I was so happy my heart. I was like, there she is. And I before I did even sell my visitor a grave, like I said, I told you, I honored ancestors. I was in New Orleans. I said, I want to know more about her, was researching and I went to a grave and visitor and thanked her. And then that's when I got Selma. And here she is again. Like the answers is to me, they call I, let stuff happen to me. I just do the work and get out the way. That's why I got Nina, That's why I got all these tributes. They just happened, and I don't ask for them. I say no to all the time. I say no, no, no, and then you have to do the work. Finish, finish.

00:54:29
Speaker 5: The work is their favorite experience.

00:54:31
Speaker 7: I just wanted to know, because you did mention a couple of times that you've been called to honor a few times. But I just got to know, like, was there a favorite experience and why.

00:54:41
Speaker 6: My two favorite tributes I've ever done is Shaka and it It. It's still Shaka, that Shaka tribute. People are still talking about it. You can go online now.

00:54:55
Speaker 5: No, I've seen it live. I just forgot because I smoke, but I.

00:54:57
Speaker 6: Got it that that was years ago and it's still amazing. That was my favorite only because she was the first person to bring me back out of quitting the business, meaning she was the first, one of the first artists, her and Rachelle Farrell. But Shaka let me open for her and gave me a gig, and that's what made me want to come back after meeting her, cause she's like, you can't quit there's no quitting, you know what I mean?

00:55:25
Speaker 1: Just pussy talk about that real quick, Like, what was the decision that led up to that?

00:55:30
Speaker 6: Well, the industry kept saying, you're not pretty enough, you're not good enough, You'll never make it. Then I went ahead and did it myself. But I was spending so much money and didn't have the knowledge that I needed, and we didn't have internet.

00:55:44
Speaker 4: Then, to elaborate more on that, like being an independent R and B artist, Like speak about because R and B generally, I mean, anybody you know R and B is a money game, you know what I mean? Talk more about just independently, Like what was it like being an R and B artist.

00:55:59
Speaker 6: I came out at a time where you know, it's about who you know and who's going to give you the leg up. I didn't have a leg up. I would do Black Lily here and there. People would come out and see me, and they didn't like the way I look. Industry people. Yes, I did back Lily and invited a couple of industry people. They said, well's just the start.

00:56:23
Speaker 7: I remember when you came to those phrenology sessions too.

00:56:28
Speaker 6: I went, I hung out with a mirror in the studio. That was so much fun. You know what I learned from you a mirror. I learned from you about simplicity and more about what hip hop does, why the space is so important. And I never forget it. I said, Amir said less do less, just more, this is more And when that was my first time hearing that, and uh, and I carried it. I still carry it with me today. But anyway, those things, I would hope to meet people and they would help me or do a gig with me, or for me, or endorse me. But really I just had to keep endorsing myself. I had to spend my own money to get a publicist, and my own money to word of mouth. I would chop up flyers. Back in the day when we had Kinko's, I would do programs and make up my own flyers and pass them out. Because we didn't have internet. I would go to the flea markets. I would go to the record stores when they had record stores, Please take my CD on consignment. That's what I was doing. Me and Sundra, we would call and beg people, Hey, give us a leg up, help us out. That's what I had to do. Now you get to go online. Sing a song. If they like you and you have enough followers, then boom, you're relevant. That's why I stopped chasing that game. The long term for me is if I can get five people, I'm happy. If I get ten people, I'm happy more and more or artists, I got all the legends, they're on my side. I gracefully. I did it in God's timing and not trying to push things to happen, because every time I pushed, it wouldn't happen. But I always had to honor them first and say thank you, here's let me sing the song and honor you, and then it brought more people in. That's the only way. And all the things you saw me on is because somebody believed in me. It'd be one person in the room.

00:58:25
Speaker 5: In a should be here.

00:58:27
Speaker 6: This is the only person knew me on Black Girls Rock for That for Women was Faverly Bond and Kim Verse all the other people. They didn't have a clue of who I was, but they knew me from being an independent artist. And I know a lot of artists I'm gonna be honest here that saw me and could have helped me, and they didn't.

00:58:47
Speaker 7: I was about to ask you how you do how did you maintain your not being angry? Now these people are singing your praises and they're like, yeah, I've been known that it was great?

00:58:54
Speaker 5: How do you do that?

00:58:55
Speaker 2: Is this also why you advocate?

00:58:57
Speaker 1: Because I know that you work with Naris and the Grammys or artists and you play a major role into that. You've had a hand in these new categories. People don't know like you're behind that. Is this why you also into that area?

00:59:12
Speaker 6: Because the Recording Academy came out saw my independent show, said why aren't you a member? Come be on a panel for Grammy You the Youth. I saw that they were helping the elders with advocacy with a Grammy museum, and I was blown away because I didn't want to be the industry thing. I didn't even want to be signed to a label. I did it to survive because I was gonna quit. But when I did, it opened another kind of door. So when I went in the Recording Academy, all I focused on, not the Grammy. I focused on the youth. I went to Grammy Youth, did all the panels and talked about my journey, rejection, recycling, rejection and fear into winning. Just complete your work and do your best work. And if you get five people loving you, those five will talk about you and it'll bring more people. And I told them about focusing on their craft and all that. I love advocating because that was me. That's how I got to study classical music. My mom couldn't afford the violin or the piano lessons or the classical lessons. She had to Someone came to our school said we have free programs, and that's why I joined. So I'm that person now, you know.

01:00:35
Speaker 7: Let me go back to my question originally, So have you always been that person? Or did that take some self work because that moment and knowing that you've done all this work and now, like I said, people are now like.

01:00:47
Speaker 5: Let us see, I've been known, I've seen you. I say you there like you know, like.

01:00:51
Speaker 2: Being hose didn't want me.

01:00:52
Speaker 4: Now I'm hot holes all on me.

01:00:53
Speaker 5: There we go, tell me about that.

01:00:56
Speaker 6: See. This is the part why I love being from New Orleans because we are prideful people. We know we're dope, but we don't have to brag about it. We remember what happened, but we don't have to bring it up, because what we do is just take the energy and refeel it. It's a faith thing, it's a honor your parents thing. Don't cut up embarrass them exactly. Come on, Miror you know, I, me and your sister are good friends. So it's like we we just do our classy work. I just follow the lead of the ancestors. But on the side, yeah, we talking, but I don't want to talk about it in here.

01:01:40
Speaker 5: With human in that way. I'm sorry.

01:01:42
Speaker 6: I am very human you too. But a lot of people could have helped, but they didn't. But it wasn't for them to help. That's how I look at it every now that I to see it unfolding. It's supposed to happen this way. I'm supposed. I have so many strong relationships advocating than I do in my own industry, just being an artist, from artists to artists. When you do be of service, it's the best gift for your career ever ever, so it comes back to you.

01:02:15
Speaker 2: Mm hmm mm hmm.

01:02:17
Speaker 6: Absolutely, I was as you.

01:02:20
Speaker 4: About one of your you know, people that haven't helped, but just one of the people that has a REX rideout. Yes, one of your on all your albums. I just see him as like, you know, someone you've always worked with, and I just want to talk about you guys creative partnership and how it was developed over the years.

01:02:36
Speaker 6: Well, when I was gonna quit, we were outside his garage talking and I said, that's it. You know. We met on doing My Sensitivity with Bonnie James. Verve had a tribute for Luther Vandross they were doing and that was the one song that Bonnie James had agreed to have me sing on and he was actually telling me how to sing, which was trippy, but I did whatever he asked because that was the session. And when they found out they came to when Rex came to a live show, He's like, oh my god, I'm so sorry. We were telling you how to say but then we started. I told him, you know, in private, I'm quitting this industry is too hard and I don't think I fit in with everybody. I'm gonna go teach and be comfortable there, get a freaking health insurance, you know what I mean. Chill out. And he was like, don't quit. You know, I'll help you with better signing with a label, just to get in and start somewhere. Because they are interested in you. Verb was and here's a jazz label at the time, interested in the R and B singer. I said, I'll only do it because I'm like anti be entrepreneur, you know, own your stuff. But I was like, well, I gotta survive. Okay, I'll try it. He said, just record, just record, So we started recording together. We did a whole bunch of songs and Verb went crazy and wanted them. And the first song that I wrote was all Right. When I was on doing Carolina Change. I wrote it and I was recording in this box on my bed with my microphone because I didn't have anything to cover the mic. So it was singing this life get mad, you know what I mean, trying to riet on the bed. I was such a techy because I interned there's a yeah, exactly techy. So I was trying to record it right for Rex, so I would send him my vocals and all that, you know, back in the day, and all Right, blew up. Just it was the first song that came out that people got it. I told the truth. I don't know if I this is rough out here, you know.

01:04:46
Speaker 7: I was wondering that if people walk up on you and ask you because you you talk about relationships and self love and strengthen so much.

01:04:53
Speaker 5: And I'm like, do people walk up on you a lot? And is that?

01:04:55
Speaker 7: Is that a lot of pressure to how do you? I just I didn't need them advice quick girl.

01:05:00
Speaker 5: Because I'm in a situation.

01:05:02
Speaker 6: You know. No, they don't do that, but they do tell me how a song has gotten gotten them through.

01:05:08
Speaker 5: Okay, that's a little easier, all right.

01:05:11
Speaker 6: It is the one they love those songs the women. I gravitate towards women a lot. That's just what it is. But yeah, that's I don't get the therapy questions.

01:05:23
Speaker 4: Okay, good, speaking of therapy. Nice segue. What was she like in real life? Because I watched y'all Love Fixed My Life and well, I mean it used to come home.

01:05:36
Speaker 6: He is who she is on that show in person direct and I met her. She was the first time I met her, she said, oh, you have daddy issues. You need to fix that.

01:05:50
Speaker 5: Hello. I just said hello.

01:05:51
Speaker 2: I just said he.

01:05:54
Speaker 6: You, But in front of a whole group of people. That's just how she is. She's direct, you know, and she's like, you got to fix this and that.

01:06:06
Speaker 4: I love her and also I want to ask you as well, doing Black Love with your husband? What was Oh no, yo, yeah, what was the experience like? What was the aftermath?

01:06:19
Speaker 2: Y'all?

01:06:19
Speaker 5: Did Black Love?

01:06:21
Speaker 3: Yeah?

01:06:21
Speaker 6: Man, that was We did it during the pandemic. I always been a fan of the show. They've always asked me to be on it, and I didn't respond because I feel like, you know, those parts of my life, like I said, I'm private, I love, I want to stay married. I don't know about y'all. You know Coston, Philly though he is from Philip He's amazing too. But I'm glad we did Black Love because you know, people got to see another side of me, you know, and uh and see who I'm with and it was great. But there I love Tommy. Tommy is incredibly good people, the good people. So yeah, we did that show. And that's all I'm gonna say.

01:07:05
Speaker 1: Tell us to the plans for the Good Life Tour that's coming up that you're about to do.

01:07:09
Speaker 6: Yes, I'm going on the twenty seventh city tour with the great Raheem Devine is coming with me the Good Life Tour BJ the Chicago do it a couple of dates when Raheem can't do it and I'm just looking forward to it the band. We did our final rehearsal last night and it just sounds so good and it feels good. So I'm excited about it. I hope. I'm trying to see if these hills gonna work, but we that's the ones.

01:07:39
Speaker 2: I want to.

01:07:40
Speaker 6: See what happens. But I'm looking forward to it. I'm gonna do a lot of a mixture of the old and the new, the well my classics and the new, a lot from the new album, so I'm really looking forward to that.

01:07:51
Speaker 7: I feel the thing I was gonna say the single delt too oh you like Yeah, I love it, Thank you Good Life.

01:07:59
Speaker 6: That was a great project to work on. It was hard, but I'm happy it's out and uh again with Rex. I got DJ Camper on it again. I'm working with Camper and the sell you No Dreams new producers No Dreams God and Joshi. I've never worked with them before that I think one of them is from London.

01:08:19
Speaker 2: And also Brown.

01:08:22
Speaker 6: Butcher Brown. We did a song called quality Time that I wrote with Corey.

01:08:30
Speaker 5: These are That's what I was thinking.

01:08:32
Speaker 6: To and I wrote quality Time together on the Butcher Brownton I've been always wanted to work with her. We've known each other for about five six years, but we never could find a song. So I got one. I think this is the one we should get together. I love writing with songwriters. I love sharing on this show too.

01:08:49
Speaker 5: I love our little Quest Love Supreme Extensions.

01:08:51
Speaker 6: I know we got to go on here.

01:08:53
Speaker 2: Thank you for doing this with us, Thanks.

01:08:56
Speaker 6: For having me. Thank you, I finally get to talk to you.

01:08:59
Speaker 1: I know a right longtime company on behalf of Aya and I'm baby Bill and Chudie, Steve and Fron Tigelow and.

01:09:09
Speaker 2: The Great Letter see Quest Love.

01:09:11
Speaker 1: We're signing off and we'll see you on the next go round of Quest Love Supreme.

01:09:16
Speaker 2: Thank you for your support. Thank you for listening to Quest Love Supreme.

01:09:20
Speaker 3: This podcast is hosted by a Mere Quest Love, Thompson, Liyah Saint Clair, Fante Coleman, Sugar, Steve Mandell, and myself unpaid Bill Sherman. The executive producers are Meir just walked into the Goddamn Room, Thompson, Sean g and Brian Calhoun. Produced by Brittany Benjamin, Jake Payne and Liah Sainclair. Edited by Alex Conroy. I know Alice Conrad, producer for iHeart by Noel Brown.

01:09:45
Speaker 2: West.

01:09:45
Speaker 1: Love Supreme is a production of iHeart Radio. For more podcasts from iHeart Radio, visit the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.