- 6 hours ago
ESSENCE Live at ESSENCE Festival continues with a all-new episode! Check it out as we chat with Kelly Rowland about her new show, contestants battle it out to become the king and queen of ESSENCE Fest and we talk to Mary J. Blige about her new music.
Category
🛠️
LifestyleTranscript
00:01And Miss Kelly Rowan!
00:03Give it up, you guys.
00:05The missus.
00:07What's up, what's up, what's up?
00:11Oh, my God. Yes, you are right here.
00:13I guess this is you.
00:15Hello, everybody.
00:17Are you guys as excited to see Kelly as I am?
00:20This is my girl.
00:21I'm excited to see all of you.
00:23Oh, my God, so we have so much to talk about.
00:26Yes, we do.
00:27What are you doing here at Essence Festival?
00:29Well, earlier today, a part of the Samsung experience
00:33was actually about myself and Frank Gatz and finding new talent.
00:37Yes.
00:38We have put together this great idea to form a girl group.
00:42We know all about girl groups, as you guys know.
00:45Hello, you are the ultimate.
00:47Come on, Destiny's Child, you guys.
00:49The ultimate girl group ever.
00:51I'm just saying, hello.
00:52This one knows about it as well.
00:54And I think you completely understand the dynamic of being in a group
00:57and finding really important group members
01:00and just making sure we have another generation of a girl group.
01:04There hasn't been one to really, like, have an impact.
01:08And myself and Frank, that is our soul's purpose right now.
01:11So we're so excited about it.
01:13With BET.
01:14So, yes, the documentary.
01:15So it's a show?
01:16It is a show.
01:17It is a show.
01:18It's a television show.
01:19It'll be shot documentary style.
01:20It's not like, you know, the X Factor's American Idol.
01:23This is on our terms.
01:24And it's the way the record labels used to go out
01:27and actually find the talent.
01:29Wow.
01:30This isn't a cattle call.
01:31It's us, like, going to you and saying,
01:33girl, you know such and such from such and such church.
01:36Do you know it?
01:37Can she sing?
01:38How old is she?
01:39Do you think she'll want to be in a group?
01:40It's actually being that into the project,
01:43which is what we've been doing.
01:45I'm very excited.
01:46Yes.
01:47That deserves an applause.
01:49That absolutely deserves an applause.
01:51And I love that you're doing that.
01:52So what was happening here earlier today?
01:54Today we saw, I think it was seven or eight girls.
01:58Okay.
01:59Frank actually looked at them yesterday.
02:01I got a chance to see them today.
02:02So I was just as surprised as the audience was today.
02:05And I think we found something special in New Orleans.
02:09What I'd like to do is find some girls, like, in certain places.
02:14You know what I mean?
02:15And have their hometown be completely behind them.
02:18I remember the way Houston was behind us.
02:20New Orleans was behind us.
02:22The whole Southern Belt was really behind us.
02:25And we really appreciated that.
02:27So it'd be great to find a Southern girl,
02:29maybe a West Coast girl, Midwest girl.
02:31We'll see what happens, but...
02:33How would you guys feel about that?
02:35Right?
02:36Somebody repping New Orleans?
02:37I think that would be super dope.
02:39Absolutely.
02:40So are they going to be picked one by one?
02:42And how important is the chemistry between the girls?
02:45The chemistry to me is the most important thing.
02:48I have a little chart that I've written down for different challenges,
02:54I'll say, that I want to exercise with the girls to see how they really maneuver in a group.
03:00Because it takes a special person to be in a group.
03:03It's really important to be able to know exactly what you bring to the table.
03:10Because then if you don't, you're going to be jealous of Sally or whoever,
03:14because you feel like something about you is lacking.
03:17And that's not the way this system should be set up at all.
03:20Because if anything, I want them to be great role models.
03:23To a newer generation, to other women out there, that's what this is all about.
03:28It's about us as women completely empowering and uplifting each other,
03:33and having a dang-gone good time while we're doing this.
03:36Yes, absolutely.
03:37So I'm excited about it.
03:38I love that.
03:39Now you always look absolutely beautiful.
03:41Don't you guys agree?
03:42Thank you very much.
03:43I love that you have your own style, you do your own thing.
03:47What would you tell young women about finding their own personal style?
03:50I have been through everything.
03:52I can't even tell you.
03:54Let me see.
03:55I remember one week I was Cameron Diaz from Something About Mary.
03:59Another week I was Dorothy Dandridge, because I wanted to have that whole style,
04:03that era of style.
04:04Another week I think I was stuck in the 70s.
04:09Yes, I think it's trial by error.
04:12You have to see exactly what works with you.
04:15You know, what kind of hair you want to rock.
04:17You best believe I match my hair with my outfits.
04:20Like, it all has to tell a story.
04:22And that's what it's about.
04:24I think that, you know, the way you dress and what you put into yourself,
04:27that's your art.
04:28That's your self-expression.
04:29And, you know, it helps when you go in for your job interviews,
04:33when you go out on that first date,
04:35when you have this sort of chemistry with your other girlfriend,
04:38you know, ooh, she got cute pants on all the time.
04:40I'm going to go shop on her.
04:41Or whatever it is.
04:42You know what I mean?
04:43It's a part of a chemistry.
04:45It's the way you express yourself.
04:46It's one of the most beautiful things I think about us there is.
04:49I'm not a mom yet, but even talking to you,
04:52what is that like?
04:53And what has that experience been like for you being a mom?
04:56It's so cliche and it's so corny,
04:59but that is the, he is the greatest thing to ever happen to me.
05:03He really is.
05:04He really is.
05:05I don't even remember life like before him,
05:08but he's my best little friend.
05:10He really, really is.
05:12I'm just grateful that God trusted me to bring his life into this world.
05:17So I just, it's my duty to make sure I train him up the way he should go
05:21and continue to pray over my baby.
05:24Bring the love and stay on the scene.
05:29The Essence Fest social scene.
05:31Use hashtag Essence Fest and hashtag bring the love in all your posts.
05:35And you may be a star in one of our big screens.
05:38And remember, visit EssenceFestival.com to see and share everything that's happening festival weekend.
05:44We can't wait to see how you bring the love for the 2015 Essence Festival,
05:49July 2nd through the 5th, presented by Coca-Cola.
06:03Welcome back to Essence Live.
06:04I'm Dana Blair and no, I'm not going swimming.
06:07This is the set up for our round three of the King and Queen of the Essence Festival.
06:11I have six new contestants.
06:13How y'all doing?
06:14All right.
06:15So I'm going to explain this challenge to you.
06:17This little tubey pull thingy, I need you to balance it on your hands.
06:22You're not allowed to cup it like I'm trying to do right now.
06:25You have to keep your hand completely flat.
06:28You can move very little.
06:30The last one standing on the female team and the male team moves on to the final round,
06:36which is happening a little bit later on in the show.
06:39Okay?
06:40So I have joining me Rodney.
06:42Come on, give him a round of applause.
06:45Bugsy.
06:46Okay, Bugsy looks aggressive.
06:49Bugsy looks ready.
06:50Yannick.
06:51Come on, come on, let's get some energy.
06:54I have Monet, Wanda, and Shata.
07:01All right.
07:02So are y'all ready?
07:03Remember, keep your palms flat.
07:05Everybody back there in the control room is watching you.
07:09On the count of three.
07:11Here we go.
07:12One.
07:13Two.
07:14Three.
07:15Up.
07:16Up.
07:17Up.
07:18Up.
07:19Oh.
07:20Oh.
07:21Oh, we got...
07:22Oh, y'all are focused over here.
07:25Flat hands.
07:26Flat hands.
07:27Flat hands.
07:28Flat hands.
07:29Oh, this is serious.
07:31Flat hands.
07:32Oh.
07:33Flat hands.
07:34All right, all right, all right.
07:37All right, control room, let me know.
07:40Who do y'all think won this one?
07:44Monet.
07:45Give it up for Monet.
07:46You're our winner for round three.
07:48Give her a round of applause.
07:50And Bugsy, round three winner.
07:52Give it up, give it up, give it up.
07:54Okay, so y'all are gonna stick around with me
07:56because we have a final round that's happening.
07:58I hope y'all get along and have good energy
08:00because the final round, you'll be facing off against
08:03the couple from Friday's show and from yesterday's show.
08:06to put together a 30-second dance routine.
08:09And we have some special celebrity judges
08:11who are gonna see if y'all had the moves for this dance-off
08:15and so that y'all would be crowned the king and queen
08:17of the 2015 Essence Festival.
08:19All right, y'all up for the challenge?
08:20Oh, all day.
08:21All day, all day.
08:22All day, all day.
08:23All right, so I'm heading over to the Samsung Galaxy Experience.
08:27I had a chance to catch up with Mary J. Blige.
08:29Check it out.
08:30Don't go anywhere.
08:31Essence.com and Essence Live will be right back.
08:36Welcome back, Essence Live.
08:38I'm Dana Blair, live from the Samsung Stage
08:41with the queen of hip-hop and R&B, Miss Mary J. Blige.
08:48How are you?
08:49I'm great. How are you?
08:50I'm fabulous. You look beautiful.
08:51Thank you so much for joining us here at the Samsung Stage.
08:54Thanks for having me.
08:55All right, I'm just gonna go ahead and jump on into it.
08:57Congratulations on your 13th album, The London Sessions.
09:02We have grieved with you, grown with you, rejoiced with you.
09:08What message did you want to convey in this album to your fans?
09:12I mean, for me, just change, you know?
09:15I just needed something to do something different.
09:18For about 20-something years, I had been consistent in R&B and Hip-Hop
09:23and, you know, just very consistent with my fans.
09:26But this was something completely different I did.
09:28I went all the way across the seas to do an album
09:32and to do something completely different.
09:34You're speaking to a different part of the artist that's in you.
09:37Yes, I needed to feed that because, I mean, I'm gonna always be Mary.
09:41I'm gonna always be Hip-Hop and R&B and, you know, just what we love.
09:45But I needed to challenge myself somewhere else just to see if I could do something else.
09:49Definitely, I understand that.
09:51And there are so many artists that have come out of the UK.
09:54Most currently, The Coldplay, Sam Smith, The Beatles, Rolling Stones.
10:00What is it from a creator's perspective that brought you to the UK?
10:04Was it something about maybe the artists that came from there?
10:07Or what called you there?
10:08I think it's the music.
10:10Ever since Soul of Soul would keep on moving and Brand New Heavies.
10:16Like, let's go all the way back.
10:17Right, right.
10:18And then you have all of the Amy Winehouse and Sam Smiths and Disclosures.
10:23And it's the fact that they allow the artists to just be artists.
10:27Like, Shaka Khan is a huge star in London.
10:29Yes.
10:30She's not an old singer.
10:31You know what I mean?
10:32So I think they allow people to just be artists and they don't hold them back.
10:37They're all about the music.
10:39And I hate to cut into your question about Gladsenberry, but the thing I love about Gladsenberry is that we got a chance to see so many people come together in rain and mud just for music.
10:52They really, really loved the music.
10:54They stood outside.
10:55They had mud up to their knees.
10:56They had teepees and tents.
10:58So they really, really loved the music.
11:00And that's what made me go over there.
11:02And you've been touring a lot.
11:04You mentioned Gladsenberry.
11:05You're now here with us here in New Orleans.
11:07How do you stay centered and focused while on the road with such a busy schedule?
11:13I mean, my centering is the mornings.
11:16And the morning is prayer.
11:17It's meditation.
11:18It's focus.
11:20Getting my spirit right so I can deal with all of this.
11:23Because there's so much going on that you need to be centered and one with God so you can get on.
11:32Here at Essence we've been talking a lot about the transition in Hollywood where so many African American women are breaking down doors, going behind the lens and that sort of thing.
11:41Right.
11:42You yourself are a pioneer in the music industry, taking such a big footprint in a male-dominated industry.
11:52Do you consider yourself a pioneer?
11:55I mean, yeah, at this point, yes.
11:57And the transition now, seeing more women in the space as producers and more writers, more artists, what has it been like seeing the industry grow from your perspective?
12:07It's been amazing from watching it grow from my perspective because there are so many artists that are pieces of Mary J. Blyde that makes me smile.
12:17It's like, wow, look what I've birthed.
12:20Yes. Yes, you have.
12:21It's amazing to watch.
12:22Yes, you have.
12:23Yeah.
12:24So, I have to also ask you, you've been busy doing AMFAR, Global Citizens, Earth Day.
12:30Knowing that it's for a good cause, does it add a little something, something, something, if you will, to the performance?
12:36Yeah, it makes you more passionate because it's about saving lives.
12:39And these people, you know, they're raising money for research, you know, and AIDS, when here we don't even speak about it anymore.
12:46And they're raising billions of dollars while people are still dying, you know, they're still talking about it.
12:53And so it makes me very excited and very happy and passionate to sing for AMFAR.
12:58Thank you for that.
12:59And we consider you family here at Essence.
13:02You perform multiple times here at the festival.
13:05What keeps you coming back year after year?
13:07I mean, just Essence.
13:09They keep calling.
13:11We won't leave you alone.
13:12So I keep coming back.
13:14We won't leave you alone, basically.
13:16And the fans, the experience with the fans, when you give them what they want, it's priceless.
13:21The gift in return, the energy, you can't buy that anywhere.
13:26And you leave so full, you know, fulfilled with all the energy from the fans.
13:31And I have to ask you, I'm a Louisiana girl.
13:34I know whenever I'm back in town from New York, first thing I do is eat.
13:37Catch up with my family, eat.
13:38What's the first thing you do when you're hearing NOLA?
13:40Eat.
13:41Go to mothers.
13:43Yes, yes, yes.
13:46What do the good people of Essence Live have to look forward to for your show tonight?
13:51They're just going to have a good time.
13:52We're going to have a good time.
13:53We're going to do what we do.
13:55We're going to have a, just get ready to do what we do.
13:59That's it.
14:00And I have to say, I've seen you perform in those stilettos.
14:03You work it.
14:04How do you stay in shape and prepare for a show?
14:06I mean, your energy is here.
14:08Well, I work out.
14:10I made training a part of my everyday life.
14:12It's like a job now.
14:13So I train every day.
14:15And I take, when I'm on the road, I only train on off days because I have an hour and 45 minute set.
14:23So I can't train on that day, but I can train the day after.
14:26But when I'm home, every day.
14:29Wow.
14:30Yes.
14:31So that's how I do it.
14:32Is it always like high intensity or?
14:34It's high intensity in the beginning of the week.
14:36And then there's cardio at the end of the week.
14:39So I'm doing weights.
14:40I'm doing cardio.
14:41I'm doing legs.
14:42I'm doing glutes.
14:43I'm doing back.
14:44I'm doing back.
14:45I'm doing everything.
14:47You look absolutely amazing.
14:49Thank you so much.
14:50Thank you so much for taking the time out of your schedule to sit and speak with us here at the Samsung stage.
14:54You're very welcome.
14:55And now y'all don't go anywhere because we have something special for everyone here in the audience.
14:59We have a golden ticket giveaway for one winner and a guest to be VIP attendees to the concert tonight.
15:08I need to see some energy.
15:12Energy.
15:13Where are your Samsung phones?
15:16Put your Samsung phones in the air.
15:18I have a winner.
15:19I think I have a winner.
15:21I have a winner.
15:22Oh, right here in the purple.
15:26She's been giving high, high energy all day.
15:31Matthew, wherever he is, will come and take care of you.
15:34Thank you so much, Essence Live.
15:37Don't go anywhere.
15:38Essence.com.
15:39The beautiful Mary J. Blige.
15:56Peace, this is Common and I'm about to sound check.
16:04We're at the Superdome.
16:05We're about to light it up.
16:06We're going to send it up the way we do it.
16:08Chicago style for the world.
16:14The difference in energy of the Essence crowd to other festivals and places that I've performed is that
16:21you really get a free, like high energy at the Essence Festival.
16:25And I think because, you know, it's just people that really come to a place, which is New Orleans,
16:30that's already festive and free.
16:32And then you have all these, you know, people that's beautiful black people who have come just to enjoy themselves,
16:39come from all over the country, maybe from all over the world.
16:42And just being here and saying, hey, we just want to have fun.
16:46That's what I get from it.
16:47The times I've had the opportunity to perform on stage or even just be here.
16:52The song that I perform that gets the biggest crowd response is usually The Light.
17:01Which is, you know, probably one of my biggest songs.
17:04If not my biggest songs, one of my biggest songs.
17:07It's amazing for me because it came out in 2000.
17:10And for me to be able to perform it in 2015 and people, like, it resonate with them and it rock with them.
17:17It's like, I mean, it's just a, it's a beautiful thing.
17:24They beat the lights and they fade on us.
Comments