Vanessa Williams Talks New Album ‘Survivor’ and Chasing Your Dreams at Any Age (EXCLUSIVE)
Over her decades in the entertainment industry, Vanessa Williams has repeatedly proved she can do it all. From films and television to Broadway, concerts and albums, the 61-year-old beauty’s singing, acting and dancing skills have fueled a very successful career.
MUST-READ: Vanessa Williams at 60: Her Secrets to Losing Weight, Looking Great and Aging In Reverse
These days, she’s not slowing down. Known for such iconic hits as “Save the Best for Last” and “The Right Stuff,” Vanessa recently launched her own record company, Mellian Music, named after her daughters Melanie and Jillian. And on August 23, she is releasing Survivor, her first new pop album in 15 years.
“I had been in talks with a few labels on the record side and a lot of labels have disappeared, disintegrated. Everyone is consolidating, not very many people are getting signed,” Vanessa tells Woman’s World as our cover girl in discussing the current state of the music industry (Get your copy here!)
Woman's World
Feeling particularly empowered, Vanessa decided to take matters into her own hands. “Before COVID, I went into the studio and said, ‘You know what? I’m going to pay for it myself and just start recording. I want to do songs that matter to me for my life.’”
Vanessa Williams takes her music into her own hands
The result is a rich collection that mixes some of her favorite songs from the Great American Songbook with new pop, R&B and dance tunes.
“I just wanted to declare that I’m still here, still doing it,” Vanessa says of Survivor. “I still have lots of dreams, still have lots of goals that I want to reach. I still feel young, and I feel like myself, so that’s kind of why I wanted to embrace the dance genre again.”
Bettmann/Getty Images
The spirited single “Legs” debuted at No. 3 on Billboard’s Dance/Electronic Digital Sales chart. The song was inspired by a quote from the iconic Diahann Carroll.
“I remember watching Diahann Carroll on Oprah and her book was called The Legs Are the Last to Go. She looked phenomenal,” Vanessa tells WW. “She was wearing a beautiful skirt. You could see her legs and they looked great. She was just embracing aging and showing the strength you have from walking, marching and dancing through life.”
Vanessa’s music takes her down memory lane
For Vanessa, some of the songs on the album celebrate sweet seasons and special memories.
“‘Junk Man’ was one that I did when I was a sophomore at Syracuse University back in 1982. I did a revue about Frank Loesser’s music called ‘Heart and Soul,’ and that was one of the songs that I sang,” she recalls. “I remember wearing a black velvet dress with all these shiny diamonds and stuff and it was a great moment in my college career when I was studying musical theater. And not only did I do it for my performance class, but I ended up singing it when I won Miss Syracuse.”
Dominik Bindl/Getty Images
Vanessa says the songs on the album came from a period of reflection. “They all have history and even the new ones that I’ve written, I’ve written with people that made history with me. My friend Kipper Jones, who was a co-writer on ‘Legs,’ he’s the co-writer on ‘Bop.’ Kipper wrote ‘The Right Stuff’ way back when I first was starting out with my first record back in 1988. So it’s been nice to revisit the past, bring along memories. It’s definitely nostalgic for sure.”
Listen to the album here!
Want more Woman’s World exclusives? Click through below!
Celebrity Chef Cat Cora Talks Early Kitchen Influences and Breaking Culinary Barriers (EXCLUSIVE)
Shawn Johnson East Talks Life After the Olympics, Body Confidence & More! (EXCLUSIVE)
