Faith Evans Talks New Album, Reality Show

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inia
inia Members Posts: 163 ✭✭
edited October 2010 in R&B & Alternatives
http://www.billboard.com/news/faith-evans-talks-new-album-reality-show-1004118627.story#/news/faith-evans-talks-new-album-reality-show-1004118627.story
by Gail Mitchell, L.A. | 10. 01, 2010 3:03 EDT

Faith Evans is a pragmatist-while she's hard at work promoting her new album, she's also outlining a book, promoting a line of hair care products, shooting a pilot for a reality show and developing a TV sitcom.


"Music is still the huge love of my life," Evans says. "It's a fun business, but the checks don't come as regularly. And when they do, they're not always the same amount," she adds with a laugh. "I'm taking advantage of all the revenue streams I can."


Those streams also include Prolific Music Group, Evans' imprint through which she will release her sixth album, "Something About Faith," distributed by eOne Music. The Oct. 5 project marks the singer's return after a five-year hiatus and 15 years since her first album, "Faith." Anthemic love ballad "Gone Already" is the new set's lead single, which is No. 39 on Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.


Evans, a former Al B. Sure! and Christopher Williams backup singer, launched her career in 1995 when she became the first female artist signed to Sean "Diddy" Combs' Bad Boy Entertainment. The Grammy Award winner and widow of hip-hop icon the Notorious B.I.G. recorded three platinum albums-including "Keep the Faith" and "Faithfully"-before seguing to Capitol in 2003 for two more albums: gold-certified "The First Lady" and "A Faithful Christmas."


Internal changes at Capitol and a fourth pregnancy prompted Evans' five-year break and the launch of her other pursuits. The latter was jump-started by her best-selling 2008 autobiography, "Keep the Faith" (Grand Central Publishing), with contributor Aliya King.


"With the changes going on at Capitol, I didn't know how a new record would be handled," Evans recalls. "So I waited it out until I got a release. It also wasn't the right time to take my focus away from family. With some time on my hands, I followed up on an earlier offer to write my memoirs."


Evans and King are teaming up for another book. Slated for next year, the project will offer advice and informational tidbits about building a career in the music industry. After announcing plans earlier this year to do a reality show by herself, Evans is now shooting a reality pilot with Misa Hylton-Brim, fashion boutique owner and mother of Combs' oldest son. Tentatively titled "First Ladies," the show will focus on the longtime friends' balancing acts as mothers and businesswomen.


Evans says she's also fielding development offers for a TV sitcom loosely based on her life that she began writing three years ago. In the meantime, she is doubling as the face for Glass Hair, a high-end line of hair care products from the Venice, Calif.-based salon of the same name.


Not one to shy away from acknowledging personal problems, Evans referenced her arrest on drug possession charges in her 2005 top 10 R&B hit "Again." She is just as candid discussing her August DUI checkpoint arrest during the weekend of the video shoot for "Gone Already." Noting she was back at the video shoot at 10 a.m. the next day, Evans says, "I definitely wouldn't have been in and out like that if it was as big a deal as it was portrayed in the media." Following a Sept. 3 court hearing, the singer was charged with two counts of DUI and faces up to six months in jail, according to TMZ.com.


That isn't stopping Evans, however, as the self-described "CEO of my career" pushes forward on adjusting the balance among her roles as mother, entrepreneur and artist transitioning from the majors to the indie arena. "I've been blessed," she says. "Things have been working out well. I do believe there will be a good payoff on the other side."

Comments

  • Super Lex
    Super Lex Members Posts: 460
    edited October 2010
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    Another one? Reality shows are like ? , everybody's got one. Damn that Keisha Cole. I take that back. It probably didn't start with her.

    They should make this a weekly VH1 special titled Singers: When the money dries up. Everybody gets one hour to tell their sorry story.
  • inia
    inia Members Posts: 163 ✭✭
    edited October 2010
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    Super Lex wrote: »
    Another one? Reality shows are like ? , everybody's got one. Damn that Keisha Cole. I take that back. It probably didn't start with her.

    They should make this a weekly VH1 special titled Singers: When the money dries up. Everybody gets one hour to tell their sorry story.
    I'm a fan of hers, but I don't really care for the idea of doing the reality show, either. I know she don't like it, either. Just another outlet to keep surviving in the business and keep doing music for a living. I wish she could keep her music career WITHOUT a reality show.
    Evans and King are teaming up for another book. Slated for next year, the project will offer advice and informational tidbits about building a career in the music industry.
    Now this is good news. I might get this book. She def. knows a thing or two about getting into the music industry. I have her autobiography. It was a nice read.
  • boat1580
    boat1580 Members Posts: 200
    edited October 2010
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    well i'll be looking forward to seeing her reality show, she's an artist that i don't know too much about or keep up with so that will be interesting for a change. i really enjoyed reading her book two years ago, very good read and a good instight to the type of person she is. lol@ her not wating to do the reality show either, just for the paycheck. i never really thought of that, most people probably dont' want to do these shows but it's a business decision.