Today Saturday March 8th, is International Women’s Day.
As the longest running website for R&B online, since 1999 – Our e-zine has been able to conduct some amazing interviews with R&B Royalty.
This year UB is celebrating 10 of our favorite Black women, with inspirational and encouraging quotes taken from UB Interviews.
Excerpts from: Brandy, Kandi, Jody Watley, Shanice, Shirley Murdock, Stephanie Mills, Sonja Norwood, Faith Evans, Kelly Price and Syleena Johnson.
Today is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women.
The day also marks a call to action for accelerating women’s equality.
Brandy – Speaks on Motherhood and Whitney Houston
UrbanBridgez.com: What’s the best part about motherhood to you?
Brandy: Being able to get better and better and better! It starts with you and you have to really want to be a good parent. You really want to lead by example, so she keeps me on my toes. I just learn so much from her, like she’s so forgiving. Children are really forgiving like if you make a mistake, they love you unconditionally. She loves me if I look crazy, she loves me if I don’t ever sing again in my whole life. She loves me for me, is what I’m trying to say. We just have a good time, we’re very affectionate and we have a great relationship. The communication is amazing, so all of that is good. it just keeps you on your toes, I really want to be a great example to her. That keeps me being a great example to other little girls who are watching me too.UrbanBridgez.com: With Whitney being partially the inspiration for the album title and such a close friend to you, what song if any on the album when you listen to you think of her, either by the vocals, lyrics or whatever it may be?
Brandy: So many of my vocals, from riffs to phrasing — I try to emulate her here and there. Of course I try to stay true to myself. But naturally because she was really the only person that I listened to non stop growing up. So naturally there are her reflections on some of the things I do on the songs. But just my behavior and my dedication to my music and really just my commitment is my tribute to Whitney. Because that’s what I promised her that I would do and I promised her that I would stay true to myself. So that’s my whole life and behavior and how I am with my career, is my tribute to her. For some reason I just feel like…I don’t want to say she passed the torch, because clearly my voice isn’t as strong as Whitney’s and only she could do what she could do. But to pass on my birthday I feel like she passed something to me to continue to do because she’s not here anymore. So I just want to do that, whatever that thing is. I know I can’t come close to her, so I’m not saying that at all but I’m going to try my hardest to live out something that she would do if she was still here. And I say that in the most humble way, please don’t take it like oh I’m going to fill Whitney’s shoes, that’s not what I’m saying (laughs).
Sonja Norwood Speaks on BRE Magazine Women of The Year and Being an Original Momager
UrbanBridgez.com: BRE Magazine recently named you woman of the year for their annually edition. How did you feel to receive such a prestigious honor?
Sonja Norwood: I was very honored to be the first woman to have the cover of BRE as Woman of the Year. It’s a great feeling and I hope it opens doors for other women who are making significant contributions to the entertainment business.UrbanBridgez.com: Do you feel that you laid the groundwork for a lot of the parent managers out today like Matthew Knowles (Beyonce’ & Solange Knowles) and Tina Douglas (Ashanti)?
Sonja Norwood: I can’t say. I did what I had to do at the moment and I’m sure many other parents felt the same way. I feel that I have taken more hits than most. Jamie Foster Brown, gave me the title – momager in 1995. Dang that’s a long time ago so I guess I laid some groundwork but it really doesn’t matter, what matters is more parents and family members are getting involved in careers of people they truly love and are willing to learn the game.UrbanBridgez.com: You’ve done it all, Management, TV Producer, major deals, you name it you’ve done it. What are you the most proudest of in your professional life?
Sonja Norwood: I’m proud that we are still family after 18+ years in the business. We love each other but we also like each other too. This business will strain relationships but the goal is to not allow it to destroy relationships. I’m proud of the careers my children have in this business, how grounded they are and how they’ve continued to love what they do. I’m very proud that my family was instrumental in helping Jessica Harris, hometown native to find a heart and receive a heart transplant. It’s a huge thing to help someone find a heart! How big is that? To me that tops it all. And I’m proud of you too. You’ve been around me for a long time now and you’ve always supported.UrbanBridgez.com: That’s great to hear because you don’t hear parents often say they learn from their children.
Sonja Norwood: What? I’ve learned a lot from my children and still learning. I’m never too old to learn and learning from my children is actually a cool thing. Bran gives me more advice and always shares reading material. Ray is a great listener. Loves to spend time with family. Both are encouraging. They believe I should try whatever will make me happy. They’re always encouraging. I love them for that. God’s gift for sure!
Legendary Jody Watley Speaks on Emerging Solo as a Fashion Icon & Love for Female Artists
UrbanBridgez.com: You’ve always been such a fashion icon, was that something you ever sought out to do?
Jody Watley: It’s just apart of who I am. I’ve always styled my own stuff, still do. That was always a battle, but I would always win over the directors of my videos. Not really an issue now because of my history and everything. At first they would be like, what do you mean you’re bringing your own stuff? It’s like I am trust me (laughs). I actually have a great collection of Polaroids, because everything I would do I would show them. I would have my Polaroid camera and take like a tester at home with clothes and like the hair. With the second album when I did “Larger Than Life,” I’m a huge fan of Italian Vogue and from the layout and that I knew I wanted Steven Meisel to do the album cover. All of the photographers I tend to work with and still do are mostly fashion photographers. I always say people who do music artist kind of have a limitation to how they shoot in light and things. So I would go in the label tear sheets of what the vibe I was gonna go for. The blessing is I get to hand pick people I work with, instead of being told who I was. My first style influence was my mom because she was a big fashion diva, we always had fashion magazines in the house. I was all into it (laughs). Another thing like now when I look at some of the artists in the mainstream, you can tell the stylish version and who is really wearing it and it’s really cool. I like Rhianna’s style, it really suits her, it’s not like the clothes are wearing her. I see some girls lately who are trying to take that fashion forward thing and it’s just wrong. You can tell it’s not really them. That’s an it factor you can’t teach or buy. You either have it or you don’t!UrbanBridgez.com: Exactly (laughs). You have so many female artists that have came after you that look up to you like Coko from SWV and Faith Evans, who inspires you from the crop of female artists that have came after you?
Jody Watley: I really like Erykah Badu, because she’s undefinable. She does records that some of her hard-core fanbase probably say why don’t you do another Call Tyrone record. They still want that again, like give me Baduizm like 25 more times. She’s always doing different things and works with different collaborators. Her style is uniquely her own, I like her very much. I love the warmth of Jill Scott’s music. I like Rihanna, I like her because of her style; she’s not a songwriter or anything but she keeps people guessing with her look and style. She can be funky or she can be elegant, I think there is an authenticity to her. I mean Coko, she’s just like a ridiculous singer come on and I love SWV. And I’m biased because when you meet artists and they’re nice you’re going to like them anyway. Faith Evans, again I have always loved her and the same thing with being biased, she’s great. I’m always inspired by artists who are not necessarily in the mainstream. A lot of my inspiration actually comes from a lot of underground artists. Foreign Exchange, For Hero and acts like that who are obviously doing it for the love. I’m not saying everybody else isn’t doing it for the love.
Shanice Speaks on Women’s History Month and Legendary Aretha Franklin
UrbanBridgez.conm: It’s Women’s History Month, who’s a woman in the entertainment field that you admire and why?
Shanice: It’s so many. I would say there are several, like Angela Bassett. When I look at her, I see strength, confidence, she doesn’t look her age at all. As a matter of fact, she looks younger than people who are younger than her. I’ve always been a fan of her work. Me and my husband kind of know her and her husband Courtney. But when I see her I’m such a fan, I kind of fan out a little bit when I’m around her (both laugh). Flex laughs everytime, because I am a huge Angela Bassett fan. And then I would say, Diana Ross. She’s just amazing! She still looks good, she’s still performing and doing her thing. Another person I would say is, Janet. I had a conversation with her one time, when I was basically talking about age. I hate when people put you in a box. Like if you’re over 21 in the industry, you’re old (laughs). If you’re 30, you’re really old. Janet was really encouraging, because she was like girl age ain’t nothing but a number! When it comes to like aging and stuff, she is very positive. I started out very young, and of course I’m not as young as I was when I did I Love Your Smile. But it’s crazy, because deep down inside in my head. You can’t tell me I’m not 18.UrbanBridgez.com: Right, me too!
Shanice: I feel like I’m like 18 or 19 years old (both laugh). So that is the list of some of the women, I admire in the entertainment industry.Shanice: Over the last I don’t know how many years, before Ms Aretha Franklin passed away. She called me so many times, saying she wanted me in her movie.
UrbanBridgez.com: Awww, now that makes my heart sink.
Shanice: It was so deep, because she would call me about it and they had auditions and I didn’t even know about it. They’ve cast it, shot it and everything now. I’m excited for everyone who got it, but I’m so hurt. I’m thinking if they could’ve just heard our conversations about the movie. She told me many years ago, they’ve been trying to get this movie off the ground for a long time. I was having a day where I just didn’t want to sing anymore. It was a dark time for me. I was having a sad day and saying forget it I don’t want to sing anymore. Then Flex came home and said I ran into someone, and they said Aretha Franklin needs to talk to you right away. So I think it was her sister in law that had gave Flex her cell number. I called her and she said Shanice, I was about to pass out (laughs). Thinking to myself, I am not on the phone with Aretha Franklin! She said I just want to tell you, we were having some early auditions. We’re working on my life story and all I thought about was you. She said because I know true talent and you got it! Meanwhile, remember this is the day when I said to myself I’m not singing anymore. I felt like that was God trying to tell me to keep going.UrbanBridgez.com: Exactly!
Shanice: So for me to hear her tell me that and I know she didn’t play! She didn’t say stuff at all, unless she really meant it. So she said, I really want you to be in this movie. She said Jennifer Hudson is playing me and I could really see you playing my sister. I said, absolutely! I told her I would honored to be in the movie. We’ve had about 5 or 6 conversations about this movie.Another story is, I was in Detroit. I had to do a concert there and I was on the local news that AM to promote it. I performed I Love Your Smile. When I walked off, the people at the news station told me somebody is on the phone for you. And they’re “saying” it’s Aretha Franklin. They thought it was a prank call and was like this can’t be her on the phone. Aretha had literally called that local news station and tracked me down. She said Shanice I just saw you perform, I just wanted to remind you that I didn’t forget about you. She said we’re still working on everything for the movie, the right script, etc. I said no problem, just let me know. So it falls back to her passing and me not having an agent. If I had one, I would of known when the auditions were taken place. I would have at least gone out for it. Even though I didn’t end up in the movie, I just felt like that was Gods way of telling me to keep going.
UrbanBridgez.com: No doubt and coming from Aretha, because she was nothing but truth & talent!
Shanice: Right, she didn’t play, she always did and said what she wanted. I loved that about her.
Kandi Speaks on Xscpae and Touring with Salt-N-Pepa
UrbanBridgez.com: Did you ever think Xscape would be as big as they were when you all started out?
Kandi: I think we did (laughs). Let me speak for myself, I think I had unrealistic expectations back then. You know what I’m saying. First of all I was in High School when we came out. Now in my mind, TLC had already came out and blew up! ABC, Kris Kross, it was just alot of groups & artists that had came out from Atlanta and was doing their thing. So in my mind, I was like okay all we gotta do is get a deal and we’re gonna be huge (laughs). So when it happened, we were blessed and we got our deal. Our first single went to #1 and our first album ended up going platinum. So it was just kind of like what I thought would happen. Only because at that time I didn’t realize how hard it was to do that. It just had seemed like everybody in Atlanta was doing it, you get what I’m saying?UrbanBridgez.com: Yeah, I know exactly what you’re saying.
Kandi: Yeah, it just seemed like everybody in Atlanta was doing their thing. So the hard part was getting the deal and once you got the deal – everybody blow up (laughs).UrbanBridgez.com: What’s your best memory of your time in Xscape?
Kandi: My best memory, let’s see… I think the first time we heard our song on the top 8 at 8, here in Atlanta (laughs). We got super excited, like wow! Just because it was on the top 8 at 8 in Atlanta, we just thought oh yea we done made it (laughs). We thought we was doing it big for real! So that was one. And when we was on our first tour with Salt-N-Pepa and R. Kelly, that was really exciting! That was really exciting to me because Salt-N-Pepa was my all time favorite girl group, even though they’re rappers. But as a kid, man I knew every word to all of their songs (laughs). So yeah to be on tour with them and they were so nice and we use to all have so much fun. We would do things like shoot water guns behind set. It was just too fun!
While celebrating Women of R&B, an Interview with Syleena Johnon, Turned into an amazing Dialogue between UB’s Tishelle and Syleena.
Syleena Johnson: How old are you?
UrbanBridgez.com: 29 and I will be 30 in 5 months (laughs).
Syleena Johnson: You are blessed to be 29, let me tell you something. There are people your age and when I tell you, they marinate in their feelings. It blocks them from getting ahead. I know women like this and 30 is a great place, because you start to realize oh wow this doesn’t matter. You start to not care about stuff.UrbanBridgez.com: Yeah, that’s where I am now.
Syleena Johnson: It’s very fun, isn’t it freedom?UrbanBridgez.com: Just the last couple of days, I have been noticing stuff. Been in the middle of situations and just checking myself. Like girl, this could of went another way. I be over it.
Syleena Johnson: Yup!UrbanBridgez.com: You gotta get sick of yourself, otherwise you’ll keep doing the same things.
Syleena Johnson: Say it!UrbanBridgez.com: And I was so happy to be sick of myself before I turned 30.
Syleena Johnson: I’m so happy you got sick of yourself, before somebody else got sick of you.UrbanBridgez.com: Well people have been sick of me and I had to get sick of me too. Or everybody is going to feel that way and you can’t continue to be around people and people be sick of you all of the time. You don’t want to be that person. I have been around older women, and literally have said I do not want to be like that when I’m their age. I don’t want to be that person, I want to start now because you can hold on to that and it can be like a cancer to you. If you do not just learn to just like, live.
Syleena Johnson: Oh my god, you should literally write a book. I know a woman right now, who is 39 years old. Who is absolutely obnoxious! You can barely be around her and she’s a professional in this industry. Her philosophy for being outrageous is this and this gets on my nerves real bad. I’m just keeping it real and I’m just being myself and I’m gonna tell it like it is. People who do that, get on my absolute nerve! They wear you out.UrbanBridgez.com: I’m speaking it and dealing with it because I’m going through that now. Me and my little sister and she’s actually wise for her age as well, she’s 23. She be checking me sometimes, we had an incident and now we are able to check each other and speak to each other. I tell her I appreciate her for checking me when I do things that she doesn’t like. Because we don’t have enough people in our lives that are willing to be like listen, you bothered me when you did this. There is nothing wrong with self correction, you can say all of your life this is just how I am and people have to accept it. Well people really don’t have to accept it, then you have to realize you get back what you give out at the end of the day. So why would you want people to just take you being that way. I want people to see me as God has made me. Not with my attitude and things, I want it to be where there is never a question about my true characteristics. How I can be, is just that and sometimes it can be ugly.
Syleena Johnson: Girl, I want to put you on Sister Circle and let you just go (both laugh). It is so many women who do not speak like you. And they’re walking around ruining folks lives. Just getting on folks nerves. Do you know that they don’t think that and the problem is they don’t think that they’re the problem. In that, is what lies the problem. They have not realized that they are actually a problem. They think that their behavior is warranted and that you’re the problem.UrbanBridgez.com: Like I don’t care if it’s your family, if I have to cut you off I will. In the meantime in between time, I can love you but I don’t have to have you in my life if you cause me pain. I don’t care if you’re my parent, none of that. Just get yourself together first.
Syleena Johnson: I am actually going to have to fire a person on my team, because they are that ridiculous. And it’s a woman and my entire team is black women. Like my entire team, from management, agents, they’re pretty much all black women. I maybe have like one white person, like my lawyer is a white man. Then I have a black male accountant. But the rest are black women and I am very very well versed in black women, because I grew up in a family with most all predominantly women. Like all women, all the time. One of them is sticking out and plaguing all of the rest of the women, because she gets on everybody’s nerve. And I wonder as you just said, if she thinks like that. Like are you hearing yourself, do you know how obnoxious you are (laughs). She’s the person, people avoid when they see. It’s bad, but the truth is she’s walking around 39 years old like it’s everybody else’s fault.
Legendary Shirley Murdock Speaks on Kelly Price, Shanice and Teena Marie
UrbanBridgez.com: Shanice and Kelly Price both appeared on the episode and said great things, what do you think of them both vocally?
Shirley Murdock: I love them both, they’re amazing! They are absolutely amazing. I remember meeting Shanice years ago and she was a big fan. And I love her voice, it’s so sweet and has such a wonderful range. She’s still using it and she’s still doing it. I’m so happy she’s still in the industry and sharing her wonderful voice with us. Kelly Price in an absolute beast (laughs)! When I met her we were both in Atlanta, we were both going to Bishop T Jakes’s Woman thou art loosed and I happened to be riding in the same car. She told me then how much of a fan she was. So she redid “As We Lay” she asked me to be apart of her video, which she didn’t have to do. And I got a chance to say, baby now I know you think that you love that man, but God’s not going to give you someone else’s husband. I love it because she understood what the song was all about and it was not a celebratory song but more about regret. At the time when I did As We Lay there was no video, so when she was able to do the video. She was able to take the story to her fan-base. She was able to take it beyond to those who didn’t know about Shirley Murdock an even further. But she was also able to explain the story even better because of the video. And we have done the song together many times. She is just amazing songwriter, and has a song that I want to do for my next project. So she’s just amazing and I’m so happy for the success that she’s having. She’s moved on to television, so it’s really really great. So I celebrate those beautiful sistas.UrbanBridgez.com: Speaking of another power vocalist. How did the collaboration with you and the late Teena Marie come together for “Solider” and what was that experience like working with her?
Shirley Murdock: Oh my gosh Teena. My husband is the musical director for Zapp. I had came out to visit them and when I do come out to see my husband I surprise them by doing Computer Love. They happened to be opening for Teena Marie. I met Teena and we talked and we just fell in love. It’s so funny because she wanted us to start a girl group. It was going to be me and her and we were trying to figure out who else was going to be in it. We didn’t really get a chance to do it, on this side of living. But we’ll get the chance to catch up on the other side and get our group together (laughs). But she was just an awesome person and very spiritual person. We were talking about the lord and stuff and like Zapp, they had prayer before they would hit the stage. Recognizing that our gifts come from God and we’re suppose to be a blessing to the people. To inspire and uplift hearts, when we sing and do our shows. So later she called me and told me that she wanted me to be apart of her album. Oh my god, you know I was honored. You know it was a yes on my lips! So we recorded it and I just felt so honored. It really broke my heart when she passed away, but again because I know she’s a believer. I know I’ll see her again. Life is the layover till eternity, so I’ll see my sister again. I know that all good gifts come from God and we might have funk night in heaven. There are so many people who I’ve met that are believers in this industry. Like my God friend Regina Belle, Kelly Price, just so many people that love God in the industry. They’re sharing their gift, but what I know about them is they are also sharing their love of the lord. And share the good news, which is the gospel. Charlie Wilson has an excellent testimony. He talks about his experience and his testimony & his love for God. We all have this wonderful opportunity to share our music and to share or life and to share or faith.
Legendary Stephanie Mills Speaks on Being A Mother
UrbanBridgez.com: What’s the best part about being a mom?
Stephanie Mills: Oh my god! The best part is that you’re nurturing this little person and the person is like a canvas, my son is like a canvas. When he came into this world, it was just blank. Now to put my love and my knowledge and my protection and everything that I know on him and let him learn on his own. My son is an A student and he plays the piano and to see him develop into his own person at 11 years old is just magnificent to watch. It’s just incredible, I’m sure your mother would tell you that there is no love greater than the love of a mother or father. My mother use to tell me that and I never understood it and until you become a father you won’t truly understand it. I really didn’t understand it until I became a mother. The love is just…I would let a train hit me for my son. There are just things a mother would do that no one else would do for a child.
Kelly Price Speaks on Faith Evans
UrbanBridgez.com: What do you love about Faith’s voice?
Kelly Price: Everything! Outside of the generation of Aretha Franklin, Chaka Khan and Patti Labelle and that generation of singers, when I first heard Faith’s music when she dropped that first album – “You Used to Love Me,” “Won’t You Come Over,” “Soon As I Get Home” – all of those songs resonated with me because they put me in the mind of the kind of singers that I grew up listening to…The Clark Sisters, Karen Clark, in particular. When you talk about Faith, she very much reminds me of her in terms of her intonation. But she brought a marriage of the power of gospel with the sexiness of R&B, if that makes any sense. And that’s what I loved about it. I love R&B music, but she was sonically familiar to me, so I loved her.
Faith Evans Speaks on Talented Daughter Chyna Tahjere
UrbanBridgez.com: You mentioned Chyna and recently she started college, how does it feel to have such a talented and beautiful daughter following in the footsteps of her mother?
Faith Evans: Oh my god I’m so proud of her! I hardly hear from her and that’s a good thing in this case, because she’s doing well. I’m hearing so much about her from other people, like yeah Chyna Doll up here doing her thing. She’s definitely got her own thing, her own swag, her own talent like she’s my child for sure, but this girl is amazing! She’s way beyond where I was at that age, she’s like a producer, a writer, a engineer, she can do it all. She just played me this Lady Gaga song that she remade for a project at school for Halloween. She did a remix of “Bad Romance” and made it a ballad. I’m like girl I want to tweet it so bad (laughs). And I’m not even the one that be putting stuff on Twitter like that, but it’ so incredible I’m like wow. She has her own dopeness and I’m just really proud of her. I miss her, but the fact that I know she’s doing so well it kind of over takes the sadness, you know what I mean. I kind of expected to be crying and everything but I know she’s doing her thing and she’s enjoying it which is a plus. She’s up there and making her mark and I know that she’s going to be successful. People are going to be like that’s Chyna Doll, that’s Faith’s daughter. Matter of fact, she’s just going to be just Chyna, Faith’s daughter is going to be so far in the background (laughs).
