With her heart still heavy, Ashanti paid homage to her idol Whitney Houston with a stirring performance on “Good Morning America.” The R&B singer covered Houston’s classic “I Have Nothing,” which she has performed live before, and tweeted about the loss of the late legend.
“I still can not believe we have lost one of the most, powerful, soulful, soothing and classic voices of our time,” wrote Ashanti. “Her beauty, strength and poise touched millions around the world. She paved they way for women such as myself and her music brought generations together. Every little girl sang a Whitney Houston song. Having the honor of her being in my video and being the huge icon that she was, she always seemed like your favorite aunty. My heart goes out to her daughter and family. RIP the Amazing Whitney Houston.”
She also spoke with host Robin Roberts and performed her new single “The Woman You Love.”
Ashanti turned heads while attending the premiere of Safe House at the School of Visual Arts Theatre in New York City last night. The “Woman You Love” singer bared her cleavage and glistening legs in a body-hugging dress and Louboutin heels, posing with the film’s star Denzel Washington and her momanger Tina Douglas. Following the premiere, she hit up Kiss & Fly nightclub where she partied with Super Bowl champ Victor Cruz of the New York Giants.
Blue skies are ahead for Ashanti. After a fallout with her former label Murder Inc., the R&B princess picked up the pieces and launched her own label, Written Entertainment. In an interview with “Access Hollywood Live,” the 31-year-old entertainer spoke about moving past the darker days and taking her career into her own hands.
“The label I was with kinda fell under an indictment and that actually put a hold on everything,” explained Ashanti, who will release her first album since 2008’s The Declaration this year. “It was like a black cloud that I had to kinda come out of and we had to do a lot of damage control. I felt that I wanted to distance myself from that.
“I did Broadway, I did some films, I did John Tucker Must Die, I did Resident Evil. I just had to regroup and say we’re gonna have a fresh start and I’m gonna try to put my business hat on and try to look for a different angle to approach the music. The industry was changing dramatically in those past three years.”
The businesswoman learned some valuable lessons along the way. “Being with the major [label] taught me that I needed a way bigger percentage than what they were giving me,” said Ashanti. “It’s about the profit sharing now and everything is digital and I’m cutting my own deal with iTunes. It’s about learning the behind the scenes to become a better businesswoman.”
Ashanti’s fifth album is due this summer on Written Entertainment/eOne. The first single, “The Woman You Love” featuring Busta Rhymes, is available now on iTunes.
Ashanti shared love and laughter her fans during a Ustream session at Platinum Sound Recording Studios on Monday. With by her momager, sister, and producer Jerry Wonda by her side, she answered questions while promoting her new single “The Woman You Love.” The topics included scouting new talent for her label Written Entertainment, playing a “saucy, sexy” character in a new film, her favorite female rappers (Nicki Minaj, Lil’ Kim, Eve, Remy Ma), her single status (“…As a dollar bill, baby”), and album release date (late spring/early summer). Get up to speed with Ashanti.
Ashanti was back on the scene. In addition to visiting several Atlanta radio stations on Friday, the R&B singer graced the stage at Tom Joyner’s “Sky Show” to celebrate the release of George Lucas’ film Red Tails. In addition to her classics, she performed her new Busta Rhymes-assisted single “The Woman You Love” live for the first time.
“I have a new record out right now. It’s called ‘The Woman You Love,’” Ashanti told the crowd, which included T.I. and Tiny. “And I know we’ve all been in a situation where we just tryna do everything, tryna be the perfect person—whether you’re a male or female—you just want that person to love you.”
Ashanti stopped by “The Rickey Smiley Morning Show” to discuss her new single “The Woman You Love,” patching things up with her former Murder Inc. family, recording with Busta Rhymes, and launching her own label, Written Entertainment.
On reconciling with Ja Rule: “We had a three-and-a-half hour conversation and we just hashed out years and years and years of stuff. That’s my brother. I love him and I hope he’s doing well. I think he’s in good spirits. We’ve all been through a lot. We’ve all grown. We’ve all learned. We were all young starting out in the industry. We hashed out a lot of stuff and we needed that.”
On recording her single with Busta Rhymes: “We were listening to the playback of the record and [Jerry Wonda] had the speakers knocking crazy, so Busta came in the room like, ‘Yo, what is that?’ So we had to bring the beat back. And he was like, ‘Shuck! My sister, queen. I need to be on that.’”
On launching her own label, Written Entertainment: “I am the first artist on my new record label, so I’m super excited about that, so you know that profit share is big, homie.”
He may be filling baby bottles at home these days, but Jay-Z was back to popping bottles of Ace of Spades on Wednesday night (Jan. 18). The Roc Nation boss snuck out for his first public appearance since becoming a father at the grand reopening of his 40/40 nightclub in New York City.
Ashanti, Wale, Swizz Beatz, Rico Love, ?uestlove, Adrienne Bailon, Grandmaster Flash, Selita Ebanks, Irv Gotti, and Fabolous were among the VIP guests who came out to celebrate with Mr. Carter. A crowd gathered outside the venue to congratulate Blue Ivy Carter’s dad, who responded, “Thank you!”
Even billionaire Warren Buffett, who shared the cover of Forbes with the hip-hop mogul, was seen throwing up the Roc. But despite rumors of an appearance, new mom Beyoncé was a no-show, opting to stay at home with their newborn daughter while her husband walked the red carpet and greeted well-wishers.
The sports club underwent a multi-million dollar renovation that includes four 165-inch video screens and gold bats lining the walls.
Ashanti is taking the independent route with her next album. A day after releasing her Busta Rhymes-assisted single, the R&B diva has officially announced her new record deal.
