The former Danity Kane singer previews what’s ahead for her third solo album.
Richards formal introduction came in 2004 on the third season of MTVs reality-dance-pop-bootcampMaking the Band.
She emerged a member of the all-female pop-outfit Danity Kane and was signed to Puff Daddys Bad Boy Records.
Credit: Sasha Samsonova
The singer says the songs cheeky attitude is representative of the album as a whole.
All my other songs have had this Joan of Arc-feel, she explains.
[But] I wanted this to be about being content in the struggle that Ive had.
This is when I was really stepping into my own and what I created as a brand and businesswoman.
The lyrics are super sexy and strong.
I want to dance.
I want to get up and celebrate something and why not celebrate being a woman?
Shes teamed up with producer Machinedrum (born Travis Stewart) for production help.
One of the first things they worked on was Above.
The track was different as I had written it, she recalls.
It had this 80s vibe and was kind of cheesy.
So we sat down and it was this crooked marriage between soul and trance, soul and jungle.
It was then that the projects ethos emerged.
Music and dance is part of everything in New Orleans, she says.
So I grew up appreciating it all.
That was certainly true of the her home life.
As for dance, It was a no-choice thing, she remembers with a laugh.
As a result, her music almost always arrives with highly-produced videos and dance routines.
[Theyre] all married, she says.
I couldnt do a record without knowing Ill translate it into something visual.
Becoming a household name without a label behind an artist is, at this moment, still unprecedented.
And while only time will tell if Richard becomes the first, fame is not what motivates her.
I write for myself.
Right now, I just want this era to be my best work ever.
I think this is going to be our riskiest moment, and also our best.
REDemptiondoes not have a firm release date; Richards upcoming live dates are listed below.
