.:: BLEU MAGAZINE - It's A Lifestyle ::.

BLEU ARTIST PROFILE:
CHERI DENNIS
Interview by Adam Benjamin Irby
adam@bleulife.com

Cheri gets personal with Bleu about Diddy and "Making The Band", love from the gays, her new life, her new songs and why it all took so damn long.

BLEU: So what's taken so long for the album to finally come out? I know you probably can't go into very explicit detail, but the streets have been waiting for a minute. You've been dropping singles since '04, but no record until this year. What was the hold up?

CHERI: I was supposed to have an official release in June of 2006 and that didn’t happen because we needed to restructure the album. The recording process has been such a long time coming for me that we felt that certain records were dated. So we needed to put some new records on to breathe new life. I also needed to clean house. I have new management and I needed to take care of some things personally in terms of my business.

A lot of elements play a part in why an artist sometimes is supposed to come out and doesn’t. Label politics and sometimes that creative directions aren’t the same. Sometimes other things that are going on within a label have a lot to do with why certain artists don’t come out as fast as other artists. So there were a lot of elements that played a part. It wasn’t just one thing.

How is it working with Diddy? On "Making The Band", let's just say he doesn't make himself out to be the easiest guy to work with. I'm sure he never made you walk to Brooklyn to get cheesecake, but is he really the hard-nosed guy we see on MTV or is he a big softie once you get to know him?

He’s not the easiest person to work with, but at the end of the day he’s very focused and very driven. That can be a little intense at times and that can be misconstrued into making him look like not the nicest person. But when there’s a job to do and you’re in control of a million different things, being nice is not always the objective, getting the job done is the objective. He is a very intense guy and for television it’s amped up a lot. It’s television and they’re seeking ratings and a lot of those situations could seem a little crazy because you have to try to fit them into that hour or that thirty minutes, or however long Making The Band is. At the end of the day there’s a job to be done, somebody’s gotta be the overseer and he is it.

The walking for cheesecake was just a metaphor. It’s like what will you sacrifice in order to attain this dream that you want? It don’t come easy for everybody and here it is just being presented to you. Here you have the opportunity of a lifetime that people have scraped and struggled for for years and now this opportunity has just fallen into your lap. What are you willing to sacrifice for it? I never walked for cheesecake but had I been asked to do it. I probably would have done it too because that’s how bad I want it. That’s how bad I wanna be a superstar and that’s how bad I want my music out there. So in that respect I don’t think he did it to be mean. Walking a few miles to go grab cheesecake for somebody who’s about to give you the opportunity of a lifetime is a small price to pay for all the blessings that come with this job.

Speaking of the Diddy, you are the first female artist signed to Bad Boy since Faith Evans. People have said that you have big shoes to fill. How do you feel about that?

I feel like it’s cool, the fact that I could be mentioned in the same sentence with Faith Evans, someone who I’m a fan of, that I’ve worked with, that I’ve done some background work for. I think she’s a phenomenal artist, a phenomenal singer. I don’t feel any pressure to be like Faith, or to fill Faith’s shoes. I just feel like she set a tone, putting out quality music and I just hope that I put out quality music like she did. I just try to compete with myself. I don’t try to be like any other artists or fill anybody else’s shoes. I just try to do me but I know that everybody is gonna make that comparison.

We first talked a few months ago after a showcase you did here in New York where I missed you, being fashionably late, and of course I was pissed. I told my then boyfriend, who told his friend, your publicist about it and then I got a call from you on my cell phone that night at 2 o’clock in the morning. That was the coolest thing ever. In my book, since every artist wants a title now that makes you officially "The Realest Chick In The R&B Game" to me. In this, the entertainment industry where everyone seems so fake, what you did for me as a fan was definitely outside the norm. It seems like nowadays artists drop one single and get all "Hollywood" on everybody. How do you as a person who's been in the industry for a minute feel about going out of your way for fans and regular folks like me?

On a personal level, my whole objective for doing music is to connect with people. So when you have access to those people why not make the most of that situation. I get something out of that too, it’s not just for them. I feed off that energy when people come up to me and tell me “Yo, your record got me through this situation” or “Your record is the soundtrack to me and my girls getting ready to go out.” That right there is what motivates me to make music and to create. If I have access to that, why not take advantage of it? When you get to certain levels of success you can’t sign every autograph or shake every hand or hug everybody. So now that I’m in a place where I can still do that and get those hugs and see those tears and see those people who are like “I love your music.” “I live for you.” “I’m a fan.” “You inspire me to do this or that.” That is a beautiful thing for me as well; it’s therapeutic to me because that’s why I create music. I don’t consciously think ‘Oh God I gotta go out here and sign these autographs,’ it’s a natural thing for me. It’s like these people are out here supporting your music and making you successful, wouldn’t you want to thank them? Wouldn’t you want to connect with them? For me, it’s just a natural thing; I don’t even think I second guess that.

The album, “In And Out Of Love” has been available for download on iTunes since last November, but the physical embodiment of it hit stores on February 26th. Tell us about that deal with iTunes.

The iTunes release was really cool because iTunes doesn’t normally do exclusive urban album releases and just the fact that they were even interested in my project and wanting to be instrumental in making it successful was really cool for me. It gave me exposure to a broad audience. A lot of times it ain’t us, the urban community, buying music online. So it gave me access to people that might not listen to R&B or hip hop or soul music, who might not be aware of who I am. So now they can log on and see me and ask “Who is this girl, Cheri Dennis?” and listen and maybe become a fan of R&B or soul music. Music is about change and why wouldn’t we think that the record industry at some point would have to adapt to technology and the new things that people are doing. The industry’s gonna change, either you’re gonna change with it or be stuck behind the times.

Wasn’t “Remind You” picked as iTunes “Single Of The Week” at one time?

Yes it was and we had 300,000 downloads, which was a good look and we got great write-ups from people about the record. The exposure it gave me was incredible. With the music industry going into this whole digital world I think that the fact that I’m one of the first, if not the first artist that iTunes has done this for on an urban level and as other urban artists follow suit, it’s cool that I have set a trend. I’m all for doing new things and stepping out the box and that’s what that was.

What about the songs on the album itself? Who did you work with, production-wise?

The record is called “In And Out Of Love,” it’s about love. I didn’t come up with that concept going into the recording process. It was after I listened to all the songs that I saw that that was the overall theme, being in love at times and out of love at times. I think it’s a very universal thing. We all desire to be loved, to be in a relationship and have that person who cares about us. We’ve all been in love or out of love, or transitioning from one to another. I think it’s something everybody can relate to.

We worked with a whole host of producers; some of their songs didn’t make the album. As I said before the recording process had been such a long time coming. There’s Timbaland, Rodney Jerkins, Mario Winans, Souldiggaz, who did the first single, the “Portrait Of Love” record. Amadeus did a record called “Waiting.” Missy Elliott did a record, it didn’t make the album, but she was still very instrumental in the creative process. We worked with a lot of different people on the album.

It's pretty much common knowledge that the gays are huge supporters of pop and R&B music, especially the female artists, Janet, Britney, Madonna, Kylie, Girls Aloud, Beyonce’, etc. What has your relationship been like with us, the 'mos, the kids, the churren? How do you feel about the love you receive from the gay community?

I have always gotten love from the gay community; one of my best friends is a gay woman. I don’t see those types of things. I’m aware of it, but I just deal with people as people. I have a host of other gay friends, male and female, I go to gay clubs, male and female. I have no problem with the gay community. I just love people, people are people and all kinds of people love music and I want my music to reach everybody, young, old, gay, straight, black, white, I don’t care. As far as the gay community loving me, I love it. It makes my life more meaningful that I can reach out to all kinds of people and have them reach back to me.

Anyone who knows me knows that I am fun, carefree, easygoing, outgoing, I’m up for almost anything, I wanna be embraced by everybody and I try not to put myself in a box. So I’m gonna hang with who I wanna hang with, I’m gonna do what I wanna do and I don’t care what anyone thinks about it and if the gay community is showing me love then more power to it because I need love from everybody.

Have you ever been to a ball?

I have been to many balls. I never judged a ball but I have been to many a ball, I’ve even been asked to walk and I had a great time. The energy and the excitement that goes on is just bananas!

What artists would you want to tour and collaborate with in the future?

I would love to collaborate with Kanye West. I would love to do something with Pharrell. I love Keyshia Cole, There’s a young lady on TVT records named Teedra Moses. I live for Teedra because she is phenomenal.

Cheri Dennis “In And Out Of Love” in stores now.

Photo Credits:
Photographer: Oluwaseye
Stylist: Myron Brooks

Top Photo:
Top by Original Opposites by Melissa Carter
Earrings by Bijules

Bottom Photo:
top by Sylvia Heizel
Earrings by Bijules
Bracelets: stylist's own
Belt: stylist's own
Leggings by Original Opposites by Melissa Carter