Knight, Chaka on 'Set it Off'
Hollywood -- June 20, 1996 -- Gladys Knight heads into the
studio this week to shoot the video for the the theme song to New
Line s upcoming big-screen "Set it Off" starring Blair
Underwood, Queen Latifah and Jada Pinkett. "I did the theme along
with Chaka Khan, Brandy and (Quincy Jones' latest discovery)
Tamia," reports Knight. "I'm really excited about it." The
legendary singer says she requested that all the singers appear
together in the video, instead of being shot separately because
"It'd be nice if we could really touch each other....I'm just
that touchy, feely kind of person." Knight, who duetted with Boys
II Men on the !! "End of the Road" hit, says she enjoys working
with today's younger artists because she believes in passing on
what she's learned about the music business. "We've gotten away
from networking," says Knight about her generation of musical
artists. "The fact we're not passing on the information we have
is something that needs to be brought out. Our young artists are
becoming only recording artists and you know how long that
lasts...There's no such thing as building a career anymore. It's
a sad thing. If you've opted to be in this industry and be
passionate about it and you're going to put that much time into
something, it needs to be a career for you." Knight says if
today's new artists want to attain the longevity she's had,
"There's certain things you have to know, certain things you
have to do and certain ways you have to go like we did. But we're
not sharing. There's a big gap there." Studying one's craft she
says is all important. While performing at last weekend's 18th
annual Playboy Jazz Festival at the Hollywood Bowl, Knight says
"I was thinking about Ella Fitzgerald when I was on stage. She
was the one I studied when I was in high school. I sang with a
jazz band in high school and my musical director said These are
the people I want you to listen to.' I didn't know that much
about jazz at the time so he started to educate me. Ella was so
crisp and precise. I've always appreciated and respected any
artist with an ear who's not singing flat and all over the
place." Something she notes, many of today's young singers seem
to be doing. "People dont' regard that anymore...it's no big deal
to sing on pitch. But to me it still has merit. You may not
realize when a song ain't rubbin' you quite right, but when you
hear someone sing on pitch you know it makes you feel something."
Brenda Russell Writes To Please Herself
Hollywood -- June 21, 1996 -- The works of popular
singer/songwriter Brenda Russell ("Piano in the Dark," "Get
Here") have been recorded by everyone from Luther Vandross and
Ray Charles to Oleta Adams and Aretha Franklin. And she has a new
tune on Tina Turner's latest "Wildest Dreams" CD. But Russell
says she rarely writes with a specific person in mind. "I find it
never works that way...it works better if I'm writing for me and
they like what I do." And that's something she says she "had to
learn the hard way." She recalls when Aretha Franklin asked her
to write a song for her a few years back. "I was so thrilled...I
started writing like Aretha. But when she got the song she said
Brenda, I wanted a Brenda Russell Song' and I was like Oh!' It
was very funny, but it was a good lesson." Russell's rep as a
songwriter has gotten to the point in her career that she says,
"I get calls every day to collaborate on or record a song, which
is something that's always been a dream of mine. That's the good
thing about visualization and positive thinking. When I was
younger I used to visualize what I wanted to happen. I would
visualize these great singers I loved recording my songs one day
and it's happening."
Copyright (c) 1996 Beck/Smith Ent.