JC: Some songs (Comeback, Still In Love With My Ex, Ghetto, Flashback) were removed from the re-release. Whose decision was it and why ?
Kelly: It was my choice, I wanted to close a chapter and move to the next step, so people asked me why I wouldn’t do a whole new record but the Freemason remix of Work took it to the next level.JC: By closing a chapter, do you think of songs such as SILWMX ?
Kelly: Not really, I just wanted to have another view on the record and close the Ms. Kelly chapter.JC: With Work being a international hit, why wasn’t it released in the US ? At least the original version that could fit better the American market ?
Kelly: I don’t know, seriously, I feel like I didn’t have anything to do with the success of Work in Europe. The Freemason remix took the song to the next level, fans kept requesting it on the radio. Look at Say My Name, the fans in the US made it a single, they made it happen, I didn’t have that little extra with Work over there.JC: It looked like Work (Put It In) was originally supposed to be the first single ? Who decided that Like This would be a better first single and why ?
[I explained that way before the album got released, Work, under the title Put It In, was up for pre-order on different websites]
Kelly: Wow, really ? It was considered as the first single but I wasn’t sure of myself, I didn’t think it could be a hit. And then I read that blog and it made me feel bad, I got confused. So we picked up Like This, it sounded like a new beginning to me. But I wanted Work to be a single just like I wanted Still In Love With my Ex to be a single.
JC: Then why was Ghetto released as the 2nd single ?
Kelly: It was my decision. *SILENCE* (-I could feel she somehow regretted that choice-) I was in that zone, I wanted to release it.
JC: Do you already have any themes in mind for your third album ?
Kelly: I’m really inspired by the 70’s, 80’s, 90’s because there was more meaningful lyrics like Stevie Wonder. Look at Stevie Wonder, he is an inspiration for everybody, Whitney said she was inspired by him and she’s not the only one.
JC: So you want to do a couple of old-school songs ?
Kelly: Not really, I want a mixture, but I don’t want to give too much away. But we’ll do another interview together when the album will be ready, I’ll preview the tracks to you [ ] and I’ll also do blogs when I’ll be in the studio, with the producers”.
JC: When do you think it will be released?
Kelly: Top of next year, yes, top of next year. I wanna make sure I do the right choices, each single being a hit.JC: You’ve said you really like Kanye, Alicia Keys, Will.I.Am, Danja, Timbaland… have you been in contact with any of them ? Possibly for the third album.
Kelly: These people are very busy, I gotta get the right timing. Actually one day Will.I.Am was in a studio, next to mine, and he started playing tracks for me, and there was this one track… I fell in love with it. So we’ll see…
JC: You recently saw Nelly at the Radio 1 Event… Would you like to work with him again, for your next album maybe?
Kelly: Yes, we talked about it, the idea of doing a Dilemma Part II or renaming it. We’ll go to the studio together and see if something magical happens.
A real interesting read, if I must say so myself. A new album due early 2009; Kelly sounds real focused about making sure everything is done right the next go round. Here’s hoping she shines like many know she can.
Any thoughts?