How did the tour with Doja Cat and Ice Spice come about? What are you looking forward to most?
So, I have no idea how it came about. I got a call from my agent saying that Doja Cat requested me and it was amazing to get that call. I actually wanted to ask her for a feature; God had bigger plans with a tour, so it’s amazing. I’m looking forward to putting in the work and performing in an arena, expanding my fan base, and pushing my stamina more than before because this will be a longer tour than what I did on [SZA’s]. I’m ready to do back-to-back shows.
Since you wanted a feature, do you have a record ready for Doja to get on?
Absolutely – it’s on my album, but I can’t tell you the name. I do have a record for her, though.
Will you be performing new tracks on the tour?
I’ll do snippets here and there, but that’s it. I have some collabs for the album, but I’m not going to share it yet.
You landed your first major role in Earth Mama. Has acting always been another form of storytelling you wanted to explore?
Definitely – I always implemented acting in everything I do and I’m theatrical even in my performances. I used to make skits on YouTube when I was younger and make my own movies, so it’s not too far off. To get a serious role like this was great and I look forward to acting more in the future.
The theme is motherhood – is that something you’ve thought about or want in your life down the road?
Oh, yes, for sure – I want six to 10 churrin’ (laughs).
Six to 10? (laughs). You want a football team?
Mmmhm, I want a football team – a tribe, honey (laughs).
You’ve mentioned your mother kept you enrolled in sports and other activities, and you eventually discovered the arts. What was her reaction when you wanted to pursue a full-time career as an artist?
She was excited but worried. The way I did it, I said, “I’m gonna go to New York and become a star.” She was like, “But you don’t have any money” (laughs). It was a conflicting, challenging moment of wanting to protect your child to make sure they are okay, but also support their dreams. When it came to me being a full-time artist, we bumped heads a bit because I did some extreme things that didn’t make sense, but she had faith in me and now I’m here.
Who would you say is your musical mother and why?
Beyoncé – she’s an overall entertainer and I know every Beyoncé performance ever. I’m being so serious; if there was a gun to my head, I could tell you which performance it was. From her tenacity to branding, I really look up to her. She’s THE one.
Are you going to “The Renaissance Tour”?
Oh, I am – tickets are already bought, hello!
How do you make your own rules in a world that tries to limit and pigeonhole your artistry?
I continuously remain myself. In these situations, I’m going to let y’all do what y’all are going to do, and however you want to define me, make the comparisons, but I’m going to continue to push and challenge what “genre” means and what it is. I think my music challenges that.
You dropped a project called she / her / black b**ch. What inspired the name?
I was watching one of [Diahann Carroll’s] interviews, and she said she wanted to be the first Black b**ch on television, and she said this years ago. I was so amazed and it’s an interesting way – not to mute it down to take insults, but you have to be a Black b**ch and resonate with it to understand it, so that’s why I made it the project name.
