00:00I'm back here with the actress and phenomenal singer, Amber Riley.
00:10Welcome, Amber.
00:11Why, thank you.
00:12I have to ask what you're wearing.
00:13I love, you always represent for the curvy girls.
00:15Well, you know, thank you very much.
00:17Yes.
00:17But, you know, I went a little frugal tonight.
00:19I have on a Zara top.
00:21I have on a Forever 21 skirt.
00:23I love it.
00:23And ASO shoes.
00:24Wow.
00:25I wish you could zoom in on your shoes.
00:26Yeah, I live for a market.
00:26Because your shoes are really, really cute.
00:28Cancy.
00:28Cancy.
00:28Aw, they're so cute.
00:29I live for a bargain.
00:30I live for it.
00:31I love it.
00:31So we're here celebrating 45 years of Essence, first of all.
00:35Yes.
00:35Can you believe it?
00:3645 years.
00:37I am.
00:37I've been here for almost half of those.
00:39Yeah.
00:39Well, more than half of those years.
00:40Yeah, yeah.
00:41So I can believe it.
00:42That's incredible.
00:4345 years of black women in music.
00:45Yeah.
00:46So I'm going to dare ask you, who are your, who do you think are the most influential black
00:50women in music in the last 45 years?
00:52In the last 45 years.
00:53Definitely Whitney Houston.
00:56Definitely Chaka Khan.
00:57Anyone that kind of came in and there was nobody like them out there.
01:02Chaka Khan was one.
01:03Aretha Franklin was one.
01:04There's so many artists.
01:05Brandi is one.
01:06Yeah.
01:06You know, she's an original and I'm so excited to see all of them tonight.
01:09I was going to say, funny you should mention Chaka.
01:11I know.
01:12She's my idol.
01:13I know she is.
01:15And you've sung a few of her songs on the show and you really love her.
01:18And I did an ode to Chaka in essence.
01:20Nice.
01:21I remember that.
01:21Yeah, I did.
01:22I did.
01:23I love her.
01:23Nice.
01:24I was going to ask you again, like, who do you think, who are you excited about tonight?
01:27Definitely Chaka Khan.
01:29Definitely Brandi.
01:29Yeah.
01:30For sure.
01:31Yes.
01:31So if I were to ask you who's the woman that's influenced you the most in music, I know what
01:35we're going to say.
01:36Let's say it together.
01:37Chaka Khan.
01:39And my mother.
01:40Both.
01:40My mom may not be famous, but she's a beast.
01:42She can sing.
01:43Really?
01:43Is that where you got it from?
01:44Yeah.
01:45That's where I got it from.
01:45That's where I got the chops from.
01:46I love it.
01:47So in the morning, like, in the morning, what does Amber do?
01:49Like, are you one of those people that's like, meh, meh, meh, meh, meh?
01:51I actually do get up singing.
01:53Really?
01:53And if you ask my sister, who's getting married, by the way, she just moved out, so I'm all
01:56alone now with my dogs instead of cats.
01:59I love it.
02:00She will tell you that I sing literally all day long.
02:02Like, I have, like, singer shreds.
02:04I sing all day.
02:06That's usually how I get recognized.
02:08They'll be like, oh, I don't even know when I'm doing it.
02:11I sing that much.
02:13Since you sing so much, Amber, have you ever thought about putting out an album?
02:16I definitely have.
02:17You know, the music business is very hard, a hard thing to break into.
02:20You have to figure out your sound and what you want to do and be with the right label,
02:24so it's all a formula, but I definitely am working on music and putting it out.
02:28Yes.
02:28So we'll be looking out for that album, and always you on Glee and Fox, so congrats on everything.
02:34Cool.
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