Ashanti has long been about her business and is sharing a valuable lesson with those eyeing a career as long and fruitful as hers, and that lesson is in ownership.
During a visit to The Tamron Hall Show, the R&B veteran revealed that she now owns the masters of her 2002 self-titled debut album – which is home to hits such as ‘Foolish’ and ‘Baby.’ It also held the record for the highest first-week sales of a female debut album for seven years.
As for fresh plans for the LP, Ashanti also shared that she is gearing up to re-record the project.
Head below for quotes and clips…
On finally owning the masters to her debut album:
“You know, it is, again, it’s so surreal. I have an amazing legal team, and I got my first record deal when I was 14 years old, so understanding and seeing how things have changed so much from then to now and conceptually understanding what you’re signing is so imperative, it’s so important nowadays. The fact that I’ll be able to re-record my first album, and put everything together.”
On the opportunity to re-record her first album:
“It’s so humbling. It is such an honor. I’m so grateful. It’s such a blessing, you know, the fact that we are still here, we’re living through a pandemic, and these blessings are still coming in, it just makes me so happy again, so humbled and such a believer. There’s a higher power, you know what I mean and I think that just being as a person and praying and putting your heart into things you get that energy back, you know, and I think that’s so important. So I’m just really really happy.”
On her writing process as a young woman penning her debut album:
“You know what is the most bizarre thing? So I used to live in the basement of my house. I wanted to feel like I had my own apartment. So I used to be downstairs in my own section and I would put on the Cartoon Network on mute and I would just write. It sounds so crazy, but I would be watching, like having cartoons on, playing the beat, and then just writing.. It was just, I don’t know, it made me feel comfortable. It allowed me to kind of get into my zone, You know that was one scenario. The other scenario, I would be in the city at the studio. Murder Inc studio, and I would be the only female and there would be guys and they like rolling dice and doing things that guys do and throwing money on the table and you know there’s a lot of stuff in the air, and I wouldn’t be in the corner, you know, and just writing.”
On meeting SZA, Grammy-nominated artist who was an Ashanti superfan back in the day:
“You know, that moment for me – I’m like a little bit emotional – it was so surreal because it was so genuine and I’m a fan of hers and she actually posted the pictures of herself and me, when she was at the signing of the book, and I was like, ‘oh my gosh!!’ Like I was so touched and stunned and I just felt the love and, you know, I’m about women empowerment and encouraging women. So for us to have that exchange and for it to be so organic and so genuine, I didn’t want to stop hugging her! Oh my gosh I’m like, ‘you’re like my sister!’ you know. So it was such an amazing, amazing feeling and again it was just so natural and so organic. So I really appreciated it and she’s amazing.
On her unexpected reunion with her ex Nelly after six years:
“I really didn’t expect it, I didn’t know he was gonna be there, honestly. So when I saw him kind of coming across the stage, I was just like, ‘oh…’ and it was so weird because we haven’t seen or spoken to each other for over six years so that was the first time in six years, so it was a weird feeling. I always, like when we first broke up, I would be like, ‘ Oh my God, when I see him.’ You know I went through that, and then it was like, ‘Oh, I’m okay.’ You know what I mean. So it had been so long, I didn’t know how to feel or what I was going to feel when I actually did see him. So, that’s what it was like.”
More power to her.