Stephanie Mills
A STAR REBORN
Soul Singer Stephanie Mills Comes Back Home
After a 13-year absence from recording, R&B diva Stephanie Mills makes a welcome comeback with the aptly titled Born for This. The petite-yet-powerful vocalist rose to fame nearly 30 years ago portraying Dorothy in the Broadway version of the The Wiz, and during the course of her illustrious career, Mills has distinguished herself by belting timeless love songs such as "I Feel Good All Over," "Feel the Fire," "Home," and "Never Knew Love like This Before." Here, Mills discusses what she's been up to during her time away from the music scene, her new album, and more with Barnes & Noble.com's R&B and Hip-Hop editor, Tracy E. Hopkins.
Barnes & Noble.com: Why was the timing right for you to make a new record?
Stephanie Mills: It's been 13 years since my last album. I've been touring for the past few years, and wherever I went, my fans would ask when I was going to do a new album. So I did it for my fans. They helped me to go into the studio faster than I would have.
B&N.com: What can your fans expect from the album?
SM: This album is vintage Stephanie Mills. It's just an updated version of me. People who bought "Power of Love," "Feel the Fire," "I Feel Good All Over," and "Never Knew Love like This Before" are going to love this album.
B&N.com: Anita Baker has a new album coming out, and Patti LaBelle released an album a few months ago. Why do you think there's a resurgence of more seasoned R&B artists?
SM: We really hadn't gone anywhere. We just weren't in the spotlight. This is something I love to do. I've never had any other job. I love singing and entertaining. So there comes a time when you take a break and do other things. I continued to do theater and television, and I have a three-year-old son. I wanted to enjoy my life, and when I decided to get back into the music industry, I recorded this album.
B&N.com: Is your love for singing the reason you entitled the album, Born for This?
SM: The title actually came from a song that has been around for five years. BeBe Winans wrote the song, which we originally planned to record as a duet. He asked me to come to the studio and sing it. And after I sang the entire song, he said, "That's your song," and he let me have it. At that time, I wasn't planning to go back into the studio. But I told him that if I ever did another album, this would be the title.
B&N.com: Do you think you have to compete with younger artists like Beyoncé in order to sell records?
SM: Oh no! Girl, I'm 47 years old. I couldn't compete with Beyoncé. I'm not competing with anyone. I've already established myself as an artist. I've been in this business for 30 years. There's no reason for me to try to come out and compete with anyone.
B&N.com: You're 47 and a first-time mom. What's that experience been like?
SM: It's the best thing ever. I love being a mom. This is my only child. My career was a priority earlier in my life, but now my son is definitely the priority.
B&N.com: On the album, you remade one of your own songs, "Something in the Way (You Make Me Feel)." Why did you choose to update that song?
SM: I did that because everyone told me that they still play it in the clubs. I love that song, and I love Angela Winbush, who wrote it.
B&N.com: You released Born for This on your own record label, JM Records. Did you shop the record to a major label first?
SM: Yeah, I tried to get on a major label, but they weren't interested. They all told me that I'd seen my best days.
B&N.com: How did that make you feel?
SM: It didn't make me feel good, but it definitely didn't stop me. I moved on and kept recording.
B&N.com: You made a big splash on Broadway in The Wiz. Do you plan to do more theater?
SM: I've gone back to theater several times during the course of my career. And I've written an autobiographical show called Born for This that I plan to take to Broadway for a limited engagement.
B&N.com: How do you feel about the current climate of contemporary R&B?
SM: What was important to me while I was recording this album was that I sang mature lyrics. I couldn't sing about beepers or cars. I wanted to sing about what my core audience is used to hearing me sing about, which is love and relationships. But R&B is still alive and kicking. Everything that's old is new, and everything that's new is old.
July 30, 2004
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