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Who are your favorite poets and authors?
Teena Marie-Maya Angelou,
Ntozake Shange, Nikki Giovanni is probably my favorite and then
I like classics like Thorough, Elizabeth Barrett Browning people
like that I was an English major.
At this point in your career do you still enjoy touring?
Teena Marie-Yeah I do. I
love to get up on stage and perform for people.
You are getting ready to go on the Tom Joyner Cruise this weekend.
Are you looking forward to that?
Teena Marie-Yeah. I leave
Monday. I'm going to be on the cruise for about three days.
I looked at your website and I saw that you are going to be
in New Orleans at the House of Blues in early June.
Teena Marie-That's right
after the Tom Joyner cruise. We fly to New Orleans and I have
two shows there.
Will this be your first time in New Orleans post Hurricane Katrina?
Teena Marie-Yeah and I was
on one of the last flights to get out too. I was there.
Oh you were there.
Teena Marie-I got out on
Saturday night. Of course the hurricane was Sunday morning.
I was down there looking for a property. It just didn't feel
right. I told my daughter "Let's go to the airport now.." Our
flight didn't leave until 7 but we left at 4. We were blessed
but later that night they stopped flying out of there.
So is it bittersweet returning or do you look forward to returning?
Teena Marie-Well I have
a lot of extended family down there and of course the Cash Money
Millionaires are down there. Some of my family….it's sad. It's
very very sad. The feeling and the atmosphere I am going to
try to inspire at my shows and inspire the people that are still
down there.
What's it like working with Cash Money?
Teena Marie-Actually, we
really don't work together. I kind of do my own stuff and then
turn it in and then they put it out. I produce my own album
and write my own songs. The last two that I did, well the first
one was done before I got with them and this last one I finished
it and turned it in.
What are your favorites songs from La Dona?
Teena Marie-"Still
in Love" and "My Body's Hungry."
One of my favorite songs on the album was Makavelli Never Lied?
Teena Marie-Thank you. Because
of the content.
Can you tell me the inspiration behind that song?
Teena Marie-I was just
thinking back on all the great artists that have given so much
to the world and I wanted to give back to them for that and
I love Tupac of course he is the notorious Makavelli. He was
the main character in the song and I placed everyone around
him.
One of the first songs I ever heard of yours….well this is probably
going to sound strange but I am just now getting into my 30's.
The first Teena Marie song that I ever heard was "Lovergirl."
It wasn't until later that I discovered your other songs. What
was your career like and the feeling around the time "Lovergirl"
was out?
Teena Marie-Oh those
were really fun times. At that particular time I was a big big
pop star so we were traveling all over the world and I really
felt like a rock star. That was one of my very first videos
that was played on MTV.
I was reading in the press bio and I didn't realize this,
that you were the first R&B singer to rap and sing on a song
on "Square Biz." Was the concept hard for the record company
to accept?
Teena Marie-No, no they
loved it. Sugar Hill was out and a few other rap groups and
I felt like that would be really cool.
What would you consider to be the highlight of your career?
Teena Marie-I have so
many I don't think I could pick just one. I have so many wonderful
memories. I love seeing the different ages of people, the young
people to all the way up. I just did a show on my birthday and
there was a 12-13 year old girl in the audience singing my songs.
And there was a couple there they looked about 80 and they were
over on the side dancing to the show.
I recently asked Mary J. Blige this same question. Is retirement
every something you think about as a singer?
Teena Marie-Of course. Of
course it is. All throughout my career. More so now. I'd like
to work with other people.
Do you think you will every write a book?
Teena Marie-I've already
written a play and a poetry book.
How involved are you with the whole Internet thing? Do you
ever get a chance to get on your website and communicate with
your fans?
Teena Marie-Right now the
website was just down for awhile because there were some things
on it I did not like but it's back up now and I have a page
where they can talk to me. You have to be really careful because
no matter how many people love you there is always someone who
has that hateration going on. And you know that's just not cool.
When you finished the album did you always know "Oooh Wee" would
be the first single?
Teena Marie-No. I had no
idea. I told them I didn't want to pick it. I was too close
to the project. I probably never would have picked that one
first.
I love your album covers all the time and the inserts. How involved
are you in the packaging and the inserts and the styling of
the covers?
Teena Marie-Very involved.
It was my concept and then we just found the stylist who played
off of my idea.
What are your feelings about the whole hip-hop poetry movement?
Teena Marie-I think it's
great. I love hip-hop. I love where hip-hop came from. I don't
look at the gangsta stuff as hip-hop. True hip-hop in its purest
form is uplifting. I like the Def Poetry show. I'm supposed
to be going on there. They heard the piece I wrote for Rick
at the BET Awards. They want me to come on there and do one
of my pieces.
What was it like working with Smokey Robinson on the Sapphire
project?
Teena Marie-That was awesome.
I idolized him. I feel like he is the person that most influenced
my musical writing skills. When I was young I used to study
his music and I wanted to be that same kind of love poet that
he was. I would study how he would write bars and cadences and
really spent a lot of time…so be able to work with your idol
it was a blessing. He was so gracious and wonderful and creative
in the studio and when he heard the song he was really happy
because he really saw the Smokey/Teena influence. He heard it
one time and I was like you want me to play it a couple of times
and sit down here with the guitar and he did. He got it one
time and it was awesome.
Your daughter Alia Rose has a beautiful voice. Was she comfortable
working in the recording studio?
Teena Marie-Yes, she was.
Alia she's a Capricorn she wants to know how much she's getting
paid. She's a sweety.
What do you like to do in your down time?
Teena Marie-I'm an archer.
I like to do archery. I like to spend time with my daughter.
I like to barbecue by the pool. Just relax. Have a good time.
Related Links-http://www.teenamarie.com
May not be reprinted, copied or distributed.
Interview copyright Dorrie Williams-Wheeler, imissthe80s.com
2006
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