UB Anniversary ReVisit: Shanice’s LaFace Debut + Shanice World

Over the next few months, we’ll be spotlighting features from our e-zines from the last 25 years. T M H Entertainment, T M Hxone and Urban Bridgez.

As the longest running website for R&B online, since 1999 – We’ve been able to conduct some amazing interviews with R&B Royalty, as well Hip Hop Legends.

Today is the 25th Anniversary of the LaFace debut of Shanice‘s self-titled fourth album, originally released March 9th, 1999. The album was one of the best R&B albums released that year.

This album is very special to us, as Shanice was the first ever interview conducted by UB founder Aries – as Shanice is his favorite singer. At the time we ran a fansite “Shanice World,” which caught the eyes of Shanice‘s team.

In this special feature, we ReVisit that 1999 interview and our 2012 feature with Shanice.

Shanice‘s self-titled LaFace debut, featured production from Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds, Dallas Austin, Warryn “Smiley” Campbell, Pete Farmer, Jazz The Man, Jamey Jaz, Laney Stewart, Leslie Brathwaite, Anthony Dent, Rashad Coes, and London Jones.

The set’s first single, “When I Close My Eyes,” shipped to radio December 16th, 1998.

The mid-tempo “When I Close My Eyes” video was nothing short of brilliant! Directed by Billie Woodruff, it began airing on BET in December. In the visual, Shanice and her dancers used sign language as apart of the choreography. Making it one of the best and most creative videos that year.

In February 1999, Shanice joined Monica, Deborah Cox, Faith Evans, and the late great Andrea Martin on stage, for “Girls Nite Out.” Shanice performed “When I Close My Eyes” & “Yesterday” on the BET special in preparation for her album release.

That same month, Shanice attended Clive Davis annual Pre Grammy Gala and was invited to the stage by the late great Whitney Houston. Shanice performed with Whitney, Faith Evans, Monica, Kelly Price, and Deborah Cox. Shanice talks about being invited up to sing by Whitney, in our interview.

“When I Close My Eyes” reached #4 on the R&B charts and cracked the top 15 on Billboards Hot 100. On April 3rd, 1999, the single made Billboard chart history when it made the biggest jump in the history of the Billboard Hot 100, moving 75 positions from number #91 to number #16.

The follow-up single “Yesterday” was released to retail and radio, but later canceled after the video wasn’t what the label wanted to put out. That was followed-up, by the release of “You Need A Man” which was also later canceled as well and the video never released. No official reason has ever been given.

Shanice stated of the release; “The new album definitely represents where I’m at in my life, since I did so much of the writing myself. Each producer pretty much let me do my thing, so I felt a lot of freedom.”

Shanice co-wrote five of the album’s 12 tracks, while “You Need A Man,” was co-written by Montell Jordan.

“When I found out that Arista had signed her and was looking for Kenny to work with her, I told them that we wanted her for LaFace,” LA stated to Billboard in 1999. “We looked at a couple of different approaches to making the album, but it really started taking shape when she began writing songs for it. She and Pete Farmer brought me some of the material she had been working on, and that’s when the skeleton for the album began to take shape.”

LA Reid saw Shanice as someone who has her own niche. “She’s not the same as Brandy, Monica, or Aaliyah – she’s older. But she isn’t a Whitney Houston or a Toni Braxton either. She can develop her own audience, and we see her as a long-term artist for us.”

Babyface brought Shanice in originally, to sing on the Toni Braxton hit “Breathe Again” on his 1997 “MTV Unplugged” set. Shanice was also featured on “Bedtime,” a highlight on Usher‘s 1997 “My Way.”

Shanice recorded for the first time for LaFace, for the “1992 Boomerang” soundtrack, on the track “Don’t Wanna Love You.”

There was a bonus track on the Japanese import of Shanice, entitled “Dreamin” written & produced by Babyface.

ReVisit with Shanice (2012)

UrbanBridgez.com: What do you remember being excited about the most when you started recording “Shanice?”
Shanice: The thing I was the most excited about was working with Babyface! Alot of people don’t know this but when I was 10 years old he wrote a song for me called “Personality” when I was on A&M. This was before the world knew about Babyface. I remember the demo and everything and he was singing on it, I really wanted it on the album. But when they brought in Brian Lorenz they wanted one producer for the album instead of having a bunch of different producers. I loved what Brian did with that album, he did the whole thing. But I had always wanted to work with Kenny since I was 10, so when I got signed to LaFace I was like wow, this is my time to do that. We had worked together before on “Turn Down The Lights” and the Boomerang soundtrack. But I was excited about going in with him for this album. One thing I remember is I’m a very shy person and the day I had to go in with him I was so scared to sing. Then I listened back to my vocals and was like that doesn’t sound right, I had to loosen up a little bit.

UrbanBridgez.com: How did you first find out When I Close My Eyes had broken the record for the biggest jump in Billboard History & what was your first reaction?
Shanice: I don’t remember where I was when I found out but I remember screaming and jumping up and down acting a fool (laughs). I was so excited, I mean I’ve been in the business since basically I was born. But everything is still exciting to me. Like if I hear I Love Your Smile on the radio I freak out still. I’m just thankful for everything and excited everytime something great happens for me. That was a great time!

UrbanBridgez.com: The video for When I Close My Eyes is still till this day one of the most creatively chorographed videos ever to me with the sign language and dancing mixed in. Who came up with that and was it difficult to learn?
Shanice: Thank you! Rosario McCoy and Jamal Sims (chorographers) came up with that. I thought it was amazing, I remember trying to learn it. It really wasn’t easy trying to dance and do sign language. But they were patient with me and we just went over it and over it and I finally got it. Then when we started doing it live, they added blind-folds. So not only did we do sign language but we blind-folded ourselves. And we were actually blind-folded like we couldn’t see, like we could see our feet just a little bit but not much. So we was really taking a chance out there. It was fun, a really, really good time.

UrbanBridgez.com: If you had your choice which song would of been released that wasn’t?
Shanice: Fall For You would of been released! We never got a chance to release it or shoot a video. Also Yesterday definitely would of. I mean we shot a video but they never released it. I mean was Yesterday a single?

UrbanBridgez.com: Yeah they put it out, but later canceled it.
Shanice: Yeah, that’s right, they just kind of threw it out there (laughs). So yeah I really wish Yesterday would of gotten more of a push and we would of released the video. That was one of my favorite songs on the album. Oh and Fly Away, I really wish that would of been released!

I (Aries) was blessed with the opportunity to meet & interview my favorite singer, Shanice Wilson. When I met & interviewed Shanice, I felt like I was talking to an old friend & Shanice made me feel like I was at home even well after the interview was finished. Some might think the whole sweet/good girl image is a fake, but I assure you Shanice is as real as they come. In the interview Shanice expresses her disappointment with her current label LaFace & their handling of her single “Yesterday”, but Shanice told me later that even though they may disagree at times – LaFace is the best label for her.

When you read the interview, you read a side of Shanice that is rarely seen on TV or in magazines. The side of Shanice that gives props to other female vocalist Faith Evans, Whitney Houston & Monica. I interviewed Shanice while she prepared to perform her second to last show with ‘N-Sync as their opening act. Shanice is more then just another singer; she’s the best. And in time the world will know the real!

August 26, 1999 – Atlanta, GA (in-person while on tour with NSYNC)

Aries (Shanice World) – Did you get your birthday wishes from the visitors of “Shanice World?”
Shanice – Yeah I did (Shanice smiles) “Thank you everybody!” Tell everyone I said – I said that I really appreciate my fans. I was so nervous coming back out again & when I read, like all the birthday wishes & people writing in & stuff that’s what keeps me going. Sometimes this business is so rough that you just don’t wanna do it anymore. Then when I meet people like you & (other) people that appreciate what I’m doing, it makes me feel real good.

Aries (Shanice World) – I’m glad. I hear it all the time about the business. Another question we really wanted to know on the site (Shanice World) was what happened with “Yesterday?” I mean we heard the video was done, the single was supposed to come out July 20th.
Shanice – OK remember when I told you sometimes it’s really rough & you don’t wanna do it anymore, well because of like the business side of it?

Aries (Shanice World) – Yeah
Shanice – Well what happened was, we shot a video for “Yesterday”… You know what I’m just gonna tell it like it is, I’m gonna tell you the real deal (laughs).

Aries (Shanice World) – (laughs) OK
Shanice – My Record Company (LaFace) threw this video together – rushed it because they were trying to rush to get it out. And we really didn’t have time to really plan & get the right people that I normally work with, like hair, make-up, (and) director. You know just the right team? So the Record Company threw this video together & it didn’t turn out right and we didn’t release it. So we never had a video on “Yesterday.” It messed up the whole song and it really hurt me because that’s like one of my favorite songs on my album. I co-wrote it & it meant a whole lot to me and when they did that it made me really sad.

Aries (Shanice World) – Alot of us too believe me. We were just like what happened? We were all looking forward to it.
Shanice – You guys can all be mad at my Record Company.

Aries (Shanice World) – Oh we were, trust me we were mad at LaFace.
Shanice – You guys can write into them (laughs). So it’s like a lot of people wanna be in the business, they think it’s all easy and it’s not. You have to stay on top of the Record Company, you have to stay on top of Management.

Aries (Shanice World) – You have the best Management though. Your mom & aunt and they been doing it…
Shanice – And I just started working with Johnny Wright.

Aries (Shanice World) – Oh really?
Shanice – He’s gonna manage me along with my mom and my aunt. He works with ‘N-Sync. He’s gonna be great to work with.

Aries (Shanice World) – That’s gonna be great! Do you write on the road?
Shanice – No and I want to. It’s just I’ve been constantly going, it’s hard for me to be creative when I’m like – my mind is on the show and getting to the bus & travelling and living out of a suitcase. So I defiantly wanna do more writing and I’m hoping, I know ‘N-Sync is in the studio working on their album. So I’m trying to write something for ‘N-Sync.

Aries (Shanice World) – That would be cool
Shanice – …and for other artist too.

Aries (Shanice World) – What do you think of Faith Evans & Monica? The reason I ask is because I have sites on them as well.
Shanice – Oh cool! I love Faith Evans & Monica. I know Faith more so then Monica, I don’t know Monica that well. I know that Faith is like the most down to earth singer that I ever met. She is really cool, we just did a show together for um…

Aries (Shanice World) – “Girls Nite Out?”
Shanice – No in L.A for a radio station called The Beat. And we did a show together & she called me over and said, did you get my message? And I was like no, she said after we did “Girls Nite Out” I left you a message telling you how sweet you are. And I was like that’s the same way I feel about you (laughs). So she’s like cool people & I love her voice. I remember her first album I wore it out!

Aries (Shanice World) – Me & you both!
Shanice – I love her new album too, I love both albums but her first album. I listened to it for like two years straight.

Aries (Shanice World) – I have the VIBE feature on “Shanice World” where you said Lil’ Kim wanted to rap on a song. What song was it?
Shanice – Yeah it was “You Can Bounce.” She heard “You Can Bounce.” At the beginning that’s me imitating Lil’ Kim.

Aries (Shanice World) – OK, like “guess who’s back, ugh (laughs)?”
Shanice – Yeah ugh (laughs) but um I let her hear it and she was like I would love to rap on this. And my record company wanted to wait til we did a remix before having a rapper on the album. I totally disagreed, because I wanted her. I wanted Lauryn Hill too.

Aries (Shanice World) – Yeah I read you wanna write with her? That would be tight!
Shanice – Yeah one day.

Aries (Shanice World) – How was it performing with Whitney Houston, Kelly Price, Faith Evans, Mary J. Blige, Monica, Cissy Houston & Deborah Cox (“Heartbreak Hotel”) at Clive’s pre-Grammy party? And were you embarrassed when Clive asked you to stand up?
Shanice – No Whitney asked me to stand up. I was at an Arista function & Clive was pointing people out of the audience & Whitney seen me and said “Shanice come on up here.” My knees were shaking & she gave me the mic and was like sing, so I had to like… I was adlibbing. It was a great experience. Whitney Houston is always – when I see her she always speaks, she’s always complimenting me & she is so sweet. I like her a lot. I like her as a person – like I hear so many rumors, you hear so many rumors and stuff & she is just like totally different from what people are saying about her.

Aries (Shanice World) – People love to talk.
Shanice – Yes!

Aries (Shanice World) – How long have you and Janet (Jackson) been friends? I have a picture of you two from like 88’ taken at Disney World.
Shanice – Right! I’ve known Janet – the first time I met Janet I was like eleven. I signed to A&M; at age eleven (at the time Janet’s label too) when my first album came out I was fourteen. I met Janet when I was eleven years old & we’ve been friends every since. As a matter of fact she’s flying out here (Atlanta) tomorrow to see my show.

Aries (Shanice World) – Oh really? I might have to stay (laughs)!
Shanice – Yeah so she’ll be here tomorrow (laughs). Yeah so she’s been like – and she’s another person that’s been like… Sometimes this business gets so rough like I said before that you don’t wanna do it anymore. And I was at that point. I was like you know what? I’m tired, I’ve been doing this for so many years I don’t wanna do this – And Janet was like, you gotta keep going ya know? So she helps me out alot & she’s been a great friend.

Aries (Shanice World) – Yeah I’ve met her, she’s really nice. Recently I talked to Kataya “Mookie” Anderson via e-mail.
Shanice – Yeah Mookie!

Aries (Shanice World) – I’ve been following her because you’ve had her name on every album. You guys have been friends for a long time.
Shanice – Yeah I’ve known Mookie since I was eight.

Aries (Shanice World) – Yeah she told me she was in a group & currently in the studio. What advice have you given her? The same you’ve been giving me?
Shanice – Everything I done told you, I done told her (laughs). And she’s still in the studio. Writing new songs & working on her group. Mookie also sang backgroud on some of my stuff too.

Aries (Shanice World) – Oh yeah & she co-wrote “You were the one” (one of my favorite songs).
Shanice – Yeah, wow you know… (laughs)

Aries (Shanice World) – I’ve been a fan for a long time (since day one). I’ve been following.
Shanice – Oh thank you!

Aries (Shanice World) – I talked to Rashad Coes recently also, who did “You can bounce.”
Shanice – Yeah he did the track.

Aries (Shanice World) – He said if he had his choice that would have been the first single (“You can bounce”). If you had your choice, what would the first single have been? (L.A Reid CEO of LaFace choose the actual first single “When I close my eyes”. He knew it was gonna be the first single from the moment he heard it)
Shanice – Well we wanted somethin’ with a little more beat to it. The first single – they (LaFace) wanted something like an up-tempo song. I said you know “You can bounce?” I wanted that to be the first single. So I agreed with Rashad. I mean because of what it was saying, it had attitude.

Aries (Shanice World) – Yeah like “guess who’s back?”
Shanice – Yeah “guess who’s back?” I haven’t been out in a long time. It just all made sense to me, but sometimes it’s hard for everybody to agree on the same thing.

Aries (Shanice World) – Rate your albums 1 through 4. Four being your least favorite!
Shanice – Aww man no (laughs). My favorite album to me, I would say is my first album (“Discovery”).

Aries (Shanice World) – OK, that’s my second favorite.
Shanice – That’s your second favorite?

Aries (Shanice World) – Yeah
Shanice – What’s your first favorite?

Aries (Shanice World) – ”Shanice”, that’s my favorite. (There’s no need for a fast forward button once you press play)
Shanice – Oh this one (picks up CD)? Aww thank you! My second favorite is this one (“Shanice”) and then my third favorite? I don’t know (laughs). I would have to say it’s a tie between “21″ & “Inner Child.”

Aries (Shanice World) – OK, I’ll take that answer (laughs).
Shanice – ..but I love – like “Inner Child” did like really well for me. “I love your smile” went #1 in like 17 different countries.

Aries (Shanice World) – You always said you didn’t want “I love your smile” to be the first single.
Shanice – I didn’t.

Aries (Shanice World) – (laughs) You said it didn’t showcase your vocal ability. What would you have released first?
Shanice – See at that time I went through this stage where I listened to nothing but rap. When I did that album. If you noticed I tried to rap alot on that album.

Aries (Shanice World) – I was gonna ask you abut that (laughs).
Shanice – Yeah I gave the rapping up (laughs). I just thought, “I love your smile” because it was such a happy bubbly song. I thought at first – I thought it was corny. I said people are gonna laugh at me it’s so corny. But um I’m glad they released it. I’m glad they didn’t listen to me, because I was wrong. At the same time I wanted a song that would make people smile because I remember the Persian Golf war was going on.

Aries (Shanice World) – Yeah
Shanice – Everyone was so depressed around that time, but it all worked out. But I did want something that was a little harder, because I was going through this rap thing. I wanted to rap (laughs).

Aries (Shanice World) – Like “Stop cheating on me” (laughs)?
Shanice – I know “Stop cheating on me” (laughs)!

Aries (Shanice World) – I like the rap on that one.
Shanice – (laughs) Thank you.

Aries (Shanice World) – Are there gonna be any remixes for “You need a man?”
Shanice – Yeah

Aries (Shanice World) – You sound so enthused (laughs) you’re like yeah.
Shanice – No, no I love “You need a man”, I co-wrote it, but once again I wanted something that had more of a beat, more up! When I listen to my album I really don’t have a lot of – I don’t have anything like really, really up that you can play at a club.

Aries (Shanice World) – “You Can Bounce” & “Don’t Fight It?”
Shanice – Right! That’s what I thought it should have been “You Can Bounce” or “Don’t Fight It”, something more up. But I love “You Need A Man” & when you see the video your gonna be shocked!

Aries (Shanice World) – Yeah I’m looking forward to it. I’ve been told it’s…
Shanice – BET has the video & they’re getting ready to add it, hopefully like tomorrow. “You Need A Man” is gonna shock you!

Aries (Shanice World) – All I know is your dancing in the street.
Shanice – Yeah we’re like fighting in the street and… I don’t wanna tell you. I want you to see it. Billie Woodruff directed it.

Aries (Shanice World) – OK cool! Your biggest fans visit “Shanice World.” Is there anything you would like to say to them?
Shanice – I just, like I said before I really appreciate all my fans and that’s the reason I’m still singing today. When I hear that people appreciate my music it keeps me going. It motivates me really. This business is rough; it’s not easy!

Aries (Shanice World) – Thank you for taking time out for this interview.
Shanice – Thank you for coming to my show.

Take A Trip Down Memory Lane with Shanice’s Self-Titled Release!