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Speaker 1: Oh my gosh, what's up?

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Speaker 2: Its way up with Angela Yee and today we are

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Speaker 2: definitely way up. And I needed this today. Tasha kab

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Speaker 2: Lenna is here with me. Thank you for coming to

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Speaker 2: the studio. Hey, hey, thank you for having me man.

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Speaker 1: It is an honor.

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Speaker 2: And congratulations on the album this And I know you've

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Speaker 2: been working and doing live albums, but for you to

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Speaker 2: have put together this studio project. How do you feel

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Speaker 2: now that it's out?

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Speaker 3: I feel great, And you know what, I expected it

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Speaker 3: to take some time people to sit and listen to

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Speaker 3: it and then they but people have fallen in love

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Speaker 3: with these songs. And I was a little nervous, you know,

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Speaker 3: it's something new, it's something different from me. So I

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Speaker 3: did it really with my knees shaking, just really nervous.

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Speaker 3: But everybody's response has been absolutely incredible, So I'm super excited.

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Speaker 2: It's nice when you can challenge yourself in those ways too, Yeah,

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Speaker 2: because sometimes I feel like getting out of the comfort

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Speaker 2: zone of Okay, this has been working and people know

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Speaker 2: me for this, and now I got to shift. You know,

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Speaker 2: there's something different, it's you.

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Speaker 1: Know, and and I put out.

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Speaker 2: A buck also prior to that that was your first book, right,

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Speaker 2: do it anyway?

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Speaker 4: Yeah?

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Speaker 3: And so I feel like this album it just kind

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Speaker 3: of builds on the foundation that the that the book created,

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Speaker 3: Like this this new transparency telling stories about my life,

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Speaker 3: the ups and downs, the hills, the valleys, and you

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Speaker 3: can't be that open and then go back to a

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Speaker 3: place of being closed. It's like, now that I put

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Speaker 3: it all out there, let's also do that in the music.

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Speaker 3: And so these songs are very transparent. They're you know,

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Speaker 3: in your face. It's talking about, you know, some hard

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Speaker 3: seasons that I've gone through, hard conversations that we have

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Speaker 3: with God sometimes like like what are you doing?

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Speaker 4: You know?

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Speaker 3: So some of those songs are very in your face

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Speaker 3: like that, and I think it really I got comfortable

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Speaker 3: with it because of the book, Like, Okay, now I'm

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Speaker 3: putting it all out there. I talked about, you know,

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Speaker 3: us losing the baby. I talked about going through the

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Speaker 3: grief with my dad and what that really looks like,

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Speaker 3: you know. And now with the songs, I can be

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Speaker 3: honessed that when my faith was shaken, I had questions.

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Speaker 2: I feel like things changed so much when your father passed.

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Speaker 2: That was in twenty fourteen, and you talk about that

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Speaker 2: whole journey and winning a Grammy a few days later

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Speaker 2: being in the audience for that, and I wanted to

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Speaker 2: ask you. You also said in the book that your

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Speaker 2: family did therapy. Was that the first time you guys

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Speaker 2: had as a family done therapy together.

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Speaker 3: Yes, my mother, though she was grieving. So the story

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Speaker 3: with my mom and my dad is beautiful. So they

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Speaker 3: started dating when she was thirteen, she was thirteen, he

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Speaker 3: was fifteen, I believe, and so they're the only two

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Speaker 3: people they had ever dated. She had never been with

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Speaker 3: anyone else, and so they kind of raised each other.

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Speaker 3: They had been together for a very long time and

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Speaker 3: for her to be thinking about everyone else during that time,

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Speaker 3: she called our entire family, so not just immediate family,

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Speaker 3: but my fathers, sisters and brothers, her sisters and brothers

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Speaker 3: because they all just kind of grew up together. And

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Speaker 3: then of course my dad passed her to church, so

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Speaker 3: she also had the therapist to come into some of

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Speaker 3: the midweek services to talk through, you know, therapy. And

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Speaker 3: I really just feel like she was just taking a

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Speaker 3: faith lead during that time because she was smothering in grief,

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Speaker 3: but she's still Her love for her family was like

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Speaker 3: I know that he impacted everybody's lives, and if I'm

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Speaker 3: going through, I know you're going through. So all of

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Speaker 3: us agreed that we would do grief counseling together.

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Speaker 2: We don't hear a lot of stories like that nowadays, either,

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Speaker 2: like she was thirteen, he was fifteen. No, that is

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Speaker 2: you know what before earlier we were discussing this. You know,

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Speaker 2: Kirk Franklin has his Den of Kings, yes, yeah, and

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Speaker 2: ty Reese was on the last episode and he was

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Speaker 2: talking about how many bodies he had, right, and then

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Speaker 2: we were discussing on the air, how you know the

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Speaker 2: average number is somewhere like between four and eight, and

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Speaker 2: anybody who says more than that, it just feels like

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Speaker 2: a whole lot. But that's because I also feel like

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Speaker 2: people nowadays it's hard to be like this was the

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Speaker 2: only person I've been with, because I feel like we

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Speaker 2: have so many distractions, so many so much access to people, right, Okay, yeah, you.

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Speaker 1: Know what I mean.

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Speaker 2: It's a little different than because now people you went

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Speaker 2: to school with could look you up on Facebook, right.

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Speaker 4: Yeah, and I did.

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Speaker 3: I never thought of it that way. You had access

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Speaker 3: to the people that you went to school with, went

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Speaker 3: to church with. But now the world is so open

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Speaker 3: you you can find people anywhere.

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Speaker 4: You know that.

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Speaker 1: Don't see what my high school boyfriends are.

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Speaker 4: I never thought about it that way.

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Speaker 3: That's a good way to think about how the numbers

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Speaker 3: can grow now.

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Speaker 4: Yes, yeah, you know.

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Speaker 2: You also discussed social media and being on TikTok and

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Speaker 2: you had a moment when you realize like, Okay, I'm

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Speaker 2: gonna just play a little something up on here. Maybe

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Speaker 2: a few people will look at it, but like, very

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Speaker 2: quickly over a million views. When did you realize the

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Speaker 2: audience that you had and just really that it was like,

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Speaker 2: this is your true calling.

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Speaker 3: That's a loaded question because you know, sometimes you can

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Speaker 3: be I can be off and on with social media

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Speaker 3: because they'll clap for you today and crucify you tomorrow,

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Speaker 3: you know, so you have those ups and downs. I

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Speaker 3: think one of the one of the moments that I

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Speaker 3: realized that my platform was very influential was when I

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Speaker 3: did the first song, when Nicki mina, oh yes, yeah,

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Speaker 3: you know you you could do it well, and it's like,

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Speaker 3: you know, so people have their opinions and they're very

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Speaker 3: verbal about it now online and to be honest, that

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Speaker 3: was the first controversial moment that I had one line,

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Speaker 3: and I think it's an awakening that hey, okay, now

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Speaker 3: you gotta be careful what you say, careful what you do,

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Speaker 3: because people are watching, you know, every move that you make,

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Speaker 3: and you influence their.

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Speaker 4: Lives as well. And I take that very very seriously.

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Speaker 3: You know, sometimes people that come to me and say, well,

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Speaker 3: what do you think about the girls that are watching you?

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Speaker 3: And they're exposed to this because you're I feel like

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Speaker 3: to the Bible talks about training up a child in

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Speaker 3: the way they should go, and then they want when

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Speaker 3: they grow old, they won't depart for it from it.

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Speaker 3: I believe that even with the rise of these new

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Speaker 3: features and collaborations across genres, I believe that those of

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Speaker 3: us who are in Christ and those of us who

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Speaker 3: have raised our kids right, they're covered, you know, and

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Speaker 3: they see that.

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Speaker 4: Influence in the homes.

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Speaker 3: Like I think it's the responsibility of parents still to be,

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Speaker 3: you know, that influence over your children's lives, and you

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Speaker 3: can't really depend so much on the influencers to be

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Speaker 3: to raise your kids, you know what I'm saying, Even

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Speaker 3: though we do take on that responsibility that kids are

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Speaker 3: watching us so I'm very responsible with you know, what

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Speaker 3: I do online and what I say online. But for

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Speaker 3: the most part, I have to be led by what

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Speaker 3: God tells me to do. And I really believe that

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Speaker 3: even both of those features with Nikki have been great

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Speaker 3: just to expose people to you know, to gospel songs,

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Speaker 3: to ministry who just to be honest, they're not they're

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Speaker 3: not coming to our churches. You know, they're not gonna

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Speaker 3: they're not gonna walk in the church, ma they don't

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Speaker 3: feel welcome, maybe they don't feel worthy, but they'll hear

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Speaker 3: a song that says, you know, blessings or I'm getting

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Speaker 3: ready to see.

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Speaker 4: Everything that God has for me. You know.

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Speaker 3: I feel like that that moment was really really strong

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Speaker 3: for me. But it also, like you said, it was

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Speaker 3: eye opening to the influence that I've been entrusted with.

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Speaker 2: When you first heard like the first song that you

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Speaker 2: guys did together, did you just leave it as is

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Speaker 2: or realize should we changed this around?

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Speaker 4: Or oh?

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Speaker 3: Man, So the way that that happened, that was a

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Speaker 3: live record, but I did it live in studio, and

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Speaker 3: during that time, you know, it was it was cultural

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Speaker 3: to just kind of hold on to your songs before

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Speaker 3: you release them, don't don't put out. But I chose

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Speaker 3: to do something different. So while we were recording throughout

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Speaker 3: the week, I would put out little snippets of the

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Speaker 3: songs just to you know.

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Speaker 4: Give give you a little little.

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Speaker 3: Taste, right, And I did that one song I'm Getting Ready,

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Speaker 3: and Nikki saw, she saw the clip, and so she

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Speaker 3: sent me a message on Actually she didn't do a DM.

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Speaker 4: She put this in comments like she's met that.

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Speaker 3: She was like, when you're done with this song, send

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Speaker 3: it to me and I'm gonna put sixteen bars on it.

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Speaker 3: And I was like, well, I you know, it's out

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Speaker 3: there now. And I literally did that. When we finished

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Speaker 3: the song, I said Nikki, hey, this is the song

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Speaker 3: that you liked this car I'm Getting Ready And it

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Speaker 3: was just live, straight up gospel song and she said,

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Speaker 3: this is what I want, this is what I need.

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Speaker 3: And when I tell you, in about a week she

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Speaker 3: sent that song back. There were no changes, just straight

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Speaker 3: up heat. It was incredible and so what you hear

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Speaker 3: is exactly what she did in that moment.

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Speaker 1: I love it.

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Speaker 2: I think it is great because you know, just like

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Speaker 2: we've seen and I feel like every artist and with

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Speaker 2: gospel gets like some backlash whenever they collaborate outside of

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Speaker 2: the space, But how do you want the space to

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Speaker 2: grow if you're not collaborating, And how do you invite

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Speaker 2: more people in?

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Speaker 1: And how do you not have judgment?

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Speaker 2: And how do you feel like I can say who

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Speaker 2: can come here and who can you know?

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Speaker 3: Yeah, I think that's that's a part of the conversation too,

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Speaker 3: because a lot of times we can look at it

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Speaker 3: like the secret Society, like it's me, my church, my

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Speaker 3: four walls.

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Speaker 4: And no more.

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Speaker 3: But the truth is we're trying to win people, win

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Speaker 3: people's souls, win them to Christ. And the only way

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Speaker 3: you can really do that is by reaching out the Bible, specifically,

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Speaker 3: go out into the hedges and the highways and compel

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Speaker 3: people to come. And sometimes that may require us to

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Speaker 3: collaborate and to do features and to connect with people

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Speaker 3: that some people might think, oh I don't agree with

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Speaker 3: what they did, you know what I'm saying, But their

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Speaker 3: audience is now listening to Atasha right right.

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Speaker 4: Yeah.

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Speaker 2: You know, I also was thinking about there was like

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Speaker 2: some chatter about Glorilla winning and I'm over city. Yeah, yeah,

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Speaker 2: And so I saw that conversation. What did you think

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Speaker 2: about that for Glorilla winning for like I think it

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Speaker 2: was Best.

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Speaker 3: B BT Awards. Yeah, yeah, best Gospel Album. I think

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Speaker 3: it's a conversation that people are you know, people are

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Speaker 3: always gonna feel some kind of way, like you said,

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Speaker 3: with these collaborations. One of the things that I do

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Speaker 3: want to say is I think we in that conversation

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Speaker 3: we overlooked talking about the gospel artists who were on

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Speaker 3: that track. So you had Kirk Franklin, you had Kierra

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Speaker 3: shear Kelly, you had Chandler more So, it's not void

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Speaker 3: of gospel artists. And these are major gospel artists who

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Speaker 3: are doing great things who were also on that song.

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Speaker 3: It just happened to be a feature with Gorilla, so

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Speaker 3: they all want to be to you award. The argument

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Speaker 3: is how can a rap artist win a gospel award?

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Speaker 4: But you also had gospel artists on that song as well.

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Speaker 2: You know, I want to go back to us talking

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Speaker 2: about therapy and your family doing that. What were your

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Speaker 2: thoughts on therapy before you did it? Just because I

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Speaker 2: know and you know when it comes to church and

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Speaker 2: when it comes to therapy, I feel like things are

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Speaker 2: more aligned now. But I think also in our community,

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Speaker 2: the thought of therapy for a long time has been stigmatized.

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Speaker 1: So true, I just.

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Speaker 2: Want to know, was it something that for you You

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Speaker 2: had a different view of it until you did it.

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Speaker 3: You know what, it was a beyond just church. I

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Speaker 3: grew up in a very, very small town in Georgia.

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Speaker 3: So on top of you know, this is God, your

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Speaker 3: Holy Spirit is gonna take care of you.

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Speaker 4: He'll take care of your mind.

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Speaker 3: You also got okay, y'all, you're going to lay on

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Speaker 3: somebody's couch.

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Speaker 4: What's wrong with you? You know you have the just the

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Speaker 4: cultural shunning. They're shunning this.

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Speaker 3: So my mother to do that was my first time

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Speaker 3: going to therapy. However, our family was very open to

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Speaker 3: it because I had cousins who had moved to Atlanta,

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Speaker 3: moved to different cities, and they were exposed to different

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Speaker 3: things that they in turn exposed us to. So we

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Speaker 3: were very open to it. And I also grew up

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Speaker 3: in a Pentecostal church, so you know, you got all

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Speaker 3: of these all of these layers of don't do that.

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Speaker 3: But for my mother to choose that, I think it

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Speaker 3: made a huge statement for our family that God uses

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Speaker 3: people to help us to a place of freedom in

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Speaker 3: our minds and that I love that she made that statement.

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Speaker 3: So I believe in therapy. I have a therapist right now. Okay, yes,

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Speaker 3: so and I. But I also believe that my mother

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Speaker 3: making that decision gave me the okay that hey, this

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Speaker 3: is okay for you to do to take care of

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Speaker 3: yourself and your mental health.

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Speaker 2: What would you tell people if, like, say, right now,

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Speaker 2: I do feel like a lot of the younger generation

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Speaker 2: is trying to figure out, like what am I doing

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Speaker 2: with my life?

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Speaker 1: Right?

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Speaker 2: How do I tap into my gift or my passion?

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Speaker 2: And sometimes they can look at what other people have.

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Speaker 2: They can measure success by the amount of followers or

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Speaker 2: how much money they're making. What advice would you give

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Speaker 2: for people that need to figure out how do I

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Speaker 2: tap into my personal gifts and my passion and then

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Speaker 2: also make this something that I can feel like I'm successful.

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Speaker 4: Wow. I think it's it's wow.

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Speaker 3: This is loaded because what you're asking requires a lot

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Speaker 3: of maturity and wisdom. And I think the first thing

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Speaker 3: that young people should seek after is that like, who

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Speaker 3: am I outside of what I see every day on

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Speaker 3: social media? And it's okay to look at someone like

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Speaker 3: a Tasha or Angela and say, man, I love where

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Speaker 3: they're going in life. I love the things that they're doing.

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Speaker 3: How can I glean from some of the things that

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Speaker 3: they've done but not try to beat them?

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Speaker 2: Right?

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Speaker 3: That requires wisdom because outside of you being you, you

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Speaker 3: find yourself with in an identity crisis. Like I'm not

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Speaker 3: completely Angela, but I think I've been consumed trying to

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Speaker 3: be everybody that I see online. I think the first

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Speaker 3: thing we should seek is wisdom, like okay, teaching our

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Speaker 3: young people that you can look at Atasha but find yourself.

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Speaker 4: And that I think about my mentor. So my mentor's

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Speaker 4: name is his.

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Speaker 3: Name is William Murphy, and he has a song called

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Speaker 3: Praise is what I Do. Back in the day, it

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Speaker 3: was like a huge gospel song. And I remember when

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Speaker 3: I moved to Atlanta, I start to travel with him

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Speaker 3: and just watch watch how he flowed, you know, just

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Speaker 3: how he would lead worship. And one day he said

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Speaker 3: to me, all right, Tasha, people started calling and booking

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Speaker 3: me and he was And I was like, well, what

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Speaker 3: do I sing when I go? I don't have any songs.

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Speaker 3: He was like, you sing my songs, and you do

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Speaker 3: what I've done until you find you this is what

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Speaker 3: he said to me, So I would. I would mimic

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Speaker 3: the way that he sang the songs. I would do

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Speaker 3: his runs and all this kind of stuff. But one

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Speaker 3: day I realized, Oh, when I did it this way,

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Speaker 3: it worked even better, because that's Tasha's way, you know.

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Speaker 3: And I feel like we can get so consumed in

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Speaker 3: trying to be the big star that we see that

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Speaker 3: we lose ourselves in it. But I think what you

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Speaker 3: should seek to do is find yourself in what they've done.

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Speaker 3: Like you were just talking about this major event that

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Speaker 3: you did, and you put it on for the city

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Speaker 3: and you know, blessing so many people. I can find

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Speaker 3: myself in that, like, Wow, Angela did that, and so

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Speaker 3: can I.

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Speaker 4: But do it my way.

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Speaker 2: I like that you said that because sometimes people don't

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Speaker 2: like when celebrities post like giving back and they'll be like, oh,

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Speaker 2: when I get back, I want to do it quietly.

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Speaker 2: I'm cool with that, But I don't think it's bad,

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Speaker 2: not when people post it either, because maybe somebody would

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Speaker 2: be like, Oh, I want to do an event where

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Speaker 2: we're giving away backpacks, free back to school things, haircuts,

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Speaker 2: hair bring I want to do that too. How can

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Speaker 2: I learn because I don't think it's so bad. I've

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Speaker 2: seen people get backlash. Oh, you didn't have to post

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Speaker 2: that you did X, Y and Z. You should just

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Speaker 2: do it quietly, and you can choose to do that.

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Speaker 2: But I also feel like if you do something good,

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Speaker 2: there's nothing wrong with you advertising and letting people see that,

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Speaker 2: because that can be a catalyst for other people to say,

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Speaker 2: you know what, I'm gonna start my own X, Y

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Speaker 2: and Z too.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, And it could be like you were just saying,

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Speaker 3: a young person that's lost, trying to find their way,

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Speaker 3: trying to find their purpose, and then they see you do.

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Speaker 4: That and it's like, oh, that's who I am.

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Speaker 3: That speaks to me. So I'm all for it, you know.

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Speaker 3: And now you don't post everything that you need, not everything,

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Speaker 3: but I feel like it is important to also not

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Speaker 3: just show the glitz and the glam, right, but to

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Speaker 3: also show the work that you do in the community.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, if you're gonna go out and do something like

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Speaker 2: donate and volunteer, you could post the place so other

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Speaker 2: people might say, oh my gosh, I'm gonna go and volunteer,

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Speaker 2: you know as well, and work in the shelter and

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Speaker 2: give out whatever. Like, I think that's a good thing

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Speaker 2: to let people know that those services are available.

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Speaker 4: I agree.

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Speaker 1: Now, get in your first record.

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Speaker 2: That was not something that was even you trying to

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Speaker 2: go out and pursue that. That was something that kind

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Speaker 2: of happened, but it happened on the terms that you wanted.

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Speaker 2: So I want you to discuss how you even got

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Speaker 2: signed because you were singing in church.

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Speaker 1: You didn't even want to do that, right, not originally?

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Speaker 4: Not at first.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, that's true because I had family members. So I

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Speaker 3: grew up in a family of singers. Everybody sings on

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Speaker 3: my mom's side, so all my aunts, all the cousins,

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Speaker 3: it's just the thing. And then on my dad's side,

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Speaker 3: it was full of musicians, so they played keyboards and guitar.

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Speaker 4: So I've been.

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Speaker 3: Surrounded by music my entire life. But it wasn't something

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Speaker 3: that I wanted to pursue. I actually wanted to be

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Speaker 3: a teacher, you know, Yeah, I wanted to be a

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Speaker 3: math teacher. I enjoyed math teacher. I know, right, just

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Speaker 3: so far, so far so, but I did. I wanted

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Speaker 3: to be a teacher. But when I moved to Atlanta

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Speaker 3: in two thousand and six, I started leading worship at

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Speaker 3: our church, the Dream Center in Atlanta, and I just

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Speaker 3: started writing these songs like songs would just come, songs

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Speaker 3: like Smile and Happy, all the songs that people were

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Speaker 3: singing back in the day. And I just remember two

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Speaker 3: of my friends took me out to lunch and they

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Speaker 3: set me up because I thought, hey, we were just about

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Speaker 3: to have a girl's day out.

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Speaker 4: We're hanging out.

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Speaker 3: And as soon as I sat down, the first thing

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Speaker 3: they said was, so, when you're gonna do this album?

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Speaker 3: And I was like, what are y'all talking about? What

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Speaker 3: album are we talking about? And I think it's really

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Speaker 3: really good to be surrounded by friends. I'm gonna take

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Speaker 3: a sidebar to people who can see things in you

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Speaker 3: that you might not even see yet. Like they saw

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Speaker 3: that this was a huge gift on my life, and

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Speaker 3: they wanted to pull that out of me. So I'm

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Speaker 3: so appreciative of that. But it was just something that

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Speaker 3: I did not lean towards. It was I loved leading

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Speaker 3: worship at my church during that time. I loved writing

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Speaker 3: songs that we were just singing our church during that time.

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Speaker 3: I was not pursuing a record deal whatsoever. And when

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Speaker 3: they said that I could not shake it. I literally

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Speaker 3: sat up all night thinking about it, and I got

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Speaker 3: up and I just started writing out this plan for

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Speaker 3: a live recording. Literally, and I know this sounds Maraki.

403
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Speaker 3: Literally this is how it happened, a budget and everything.

404
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Speaker 3: I never done anything like that in my life. And

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Speaker 3: so the next day I went to William and I

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Speaker 3: was like, Hey, I'm doing a live recording.

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Speaker 4: He was like, what are you just yesterday?

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Speaker 3: You were fine leading worship And they really just kind

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Speaker 3: of pulled something out of me that I didn't know

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Speaker 3: was there. And a few months later I did my

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Speaker 3: first independent album that my dad was an executive producer

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Speaker 3: or he's funded it. He left here went to be

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Speaker 3: with the Lord saying Baby where Daddy get his money back,

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Speaker 3: and he funded that from my parents' savings. He cleared

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Speaker 3: out their savings because he believed in me so much,

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Speaker 3: and he funded that album.

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Speaker 4: And that album we put it on YouTube.

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Speaker 3: I personally it was when I say independent, it was

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Speaker 3: old school independent.

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Speaker 4: We had CDs in our trunks.

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Speaker 3: I was going here and there and everywhere, just just

422
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Speaker 3: selling them and pushing it myself, and people picked up

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Speaker 3: on and they started singing those songs in their churches.

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Speaker 2: I will say that is that is miraculous. I've never

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Speaker 2: heard of something like that happening.

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Speaker 3: People started singing it around the world in their churches.

427
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Speaker 3: They would sing these songs. And right after that, I

428
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Speaker 3: did a live recording for a gospel artist. His name

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Speaker 3: is Myron Butler, and he had me do this song

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Speaker 3: called my Life Is Not My Own. It was a

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Speaker 3: feature on his record, and I'll never forget. Just like

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Speaker 3: on Sunday mornings, I got up and I sang that

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Speaker 3: song and for about fifteen minutes, people were just crying

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Speaker 3: and worship. He could not move on with the recording,

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Speaker 3: and E and My Gospel happened to be there that night.

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Speaker 4: And two days later that Tuesday.

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Speaker 3: They called, and they called me and said, hey, we

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Speaker 3: want to put you on as many platforms as possible for.

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Speaker 4: You to do what we saw you do Saturday. Wow.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, And I signed to E and My Gospel as

441
00:19:46,880 --> 00:19:50,480
Speaker 3: a gospel worship artist and I've been with them ever since.

442
00:19:51,440 --> 00:19:52,000
Speaker 1: I remember.

443
00:19:52,200 --> 00:19:54,359
Speaker 2: I think in your book you said one woman that

444
00:19:54,400 --> 00:19:56,439
Speaker 2: was working with you was like, she's worked with all

445
00:19:56,520 --> 00:19:58,600
Speaker 2: kinds of artists and she's never felt like what she

446
00:19:58,680 --> 00:20:00,720
Speaker 2: felt when she heard your music.

447
00:20:00,840 --> 00:20:02,120
Speaker 4: Wow, yep. Absolutely.

448
00:20:02,280 --> 00:20:04,440
Speaker 3: One of the things that I really took to heart,

449
00:20:04,520 --> 00:20:06,679
Speaker 3: like coming into the industry is that there were so

450
00:20:06,760 --> 00:20:09,840
Speaker 3: many people who are broken, so many people who are

451
00:20:09,880 --> 00:20:12,879
Speaker 3: torn about their relationship with God, but they're the ones

452
00:20:13,200 --> 00:20:17,159
Speaker 3: distributing the gofbel music. So I felt like before I

453
00:20:17,160 --> 00:20:20,959
Speaker 3: can like minister and inspire the masses, I got a

454
00:20:21,119 --> 00:20:24,879
Speaker 3: minister to the people who I work with that you

455
00:20:24,920 --> 00:20:27,120
Speaker 3: know so and I mean many of them were broken

456
00:20:28,400 --> 00:20:31,600
Speaker 3: in a dark place and if I could be just

457
00:20:31,640 --> 00:20:34,320
Speaker 3: a light in their life, that was one of my desires.

458
00:20:34,359 --> 00:20:36,360
Speaker 3: That was one of my prayers. And many of them

459
00:20:36,400 --> 00:20:39,080
Speaker 3: that I've worked with over the years, they had that testimony. Natasha,

460
00:20:39,160 --> 00:20:41,159
Speaker 3: you have been one of the one of the best

461
00:20:41,240 --> 00:20:42,080
Speaker 3: artists to work with.

462
00:20:42,160 --> 00:20:44,000
Speaker 4: It was just a joy. So I love to hear

463
00:20:44,040 --> 00:20:46,399
Speaker 4: that it was life changing for them and for me.

464
00:20:46,920 --> 00:20:50,240
Speaker 2: It's interesting that you've managed to be the light for

465
00:20:50,320 --> 00:20:52,160
Speaker 2: so many people but then have been in a dark

466
00:20:52,200 --> 00:20:56,800
Speaker 2: place yourself and people would never expect that. Yeah, And

467
00:20:57,119 --> 00:21:00,080
Speaker 2: sometimes it can also feel like, well, I should know

468
00:21:00,119 --> 00:21:02,320
Speaker 2: how to get myself out of this situation if I

469
00:21:02,359 --> 00:21:05,600
Speaker 2: can do it for other people, And even like having

470
00:21:05,640 --> 00:21:08,560
Speaker 2: conversations and listening to God speak and tell you what

471
00:21:08,640 --> 00:21:11,080
Speaker 2: it is that and just kind of accepting that.

472
00:21:11,160 --> 00:21:12,679
Speaker 1: But sometimes it's not so easy.

473
00:21:12,800 --> 00:21:14,000
Speaker 4: Yeah, yeah, I was.

474
00:21:14,160 --> 00:21:18,000
Speaker 3: I probably between the years of twenty ten to about

475
00:21:18,040 --> 00:21:21,800
Speaker 3: twenty twelve, I was in a really really dark place,

476
00:21:22,400 --> 00:21:26,320
Speaker 3: just battling depression and fear and anxiety. I remember I

477
00:21:26,359 --> 00:21:28,920
Speaker 3: would go to churches and I would just watch people

478
00:21:28,920 --> 00:21:32,760
Speaker 3: be set free, you know, hugging babies, kissing babies and you.

479
00:21:32,720 --> 00:21:33,440
Speaker 4: Know, smiling.

480
00:21:33,600 --> 00:21:35,040
Speaker 3: And I would go home for like two or three

481
00:21:35,119 --> 00:21:38,680
Speaker 3: days and be under the covers, curtains closed, just really

482
00:21:38,720 --> 00:21:42,840
Speaker 3: really plagued by depression. And I remember just one night

483
00:21:43,240 --> 00:21:45,560
Speaker 3: I woke up and I just felt like, Hey, I

484
00:21:45,600 --> 00:21:48,520
Speaker 3: gotta get free from this, because what God has for

485
00:21:48,640 --> 00:21:51,560
Speaker 3: me it is I can't go into it if I'm

486
00:21:51,600 --> 00:21:53,879
Speaker 3: not if I don't break this, you know. And so

487
00:21:54,000 --> 00:21:57,359
Speaker 3: the song break every Change. People talk about that song,

488
00:21:57,480 --> 00:22:00,000
Speaker 3: but I experienced the change breaking off of my life

489
00:22:00,160 --> 00:22:00,879
Speaker 3: through that song.

490
00:22:01,080 --> 00:22:03,720
Speaker 2: Don't you think to do a song like that that

491
00:22:03,880 --> 00:22:07,879
Speaker 2: is like the biggest, you know, smash hit record, but

492
00:22:08,280 --> 00:22:11,560
Speaker 2: it came from such a place in your own life.

493
00:22:11,920 --> 00:22:15,720
Speaker 2: It's crazy how something like that, your darkness turned into

494
00:22:15,840 --> 00:22:18,399
Speaker 2: like a huge light for so many people, including yourself.

495
00:22:18,520 --> 00:22:22,080
Speaker 3: Yeah, Yeah, that song I'll never forget. For two weeks straight,

496
00:22:22,119 --> 00:22:25,280
Speaker 3: I would just play it constantly in my house, like

497
00:22:25,320 --> 00:22:29,000
Speaker 3: I needed those chains of depression and fear to be

498
00:22:29,040 --> 00:22:31,640
Speaker 3: broken off of my life. And for years I had

499
00:22:31,680 --> 00:22:34,040
Speaker 3: battled with it and I just could not get it

500
00:22:34,080 --> 00:22:37,320
Speaker 3: to break. But I think the intentionality of just reminding

501
00:22:37,359 --> 00:22:39,960
Speaker 3: myself that God loves me, that I made in his

502
00:22:40,080 --> 00:22:43,560
Speaker 3: image and his likeness because during that time my entire life,

503
00:22:43,680 --> 00:22:46,680
Speaker 3: I had struggled with weight. You know, my weight was

504
00:22:46,760 --> 00:22:50,040
Speaker 3: up and down. I remember I was three hundred and

505
00:22:50,080 --> 00:22:54,200
Speaker 3: fifty pounds right around twenty twelve, and that was the

506
00:22:54,560 --> 00:22:57,520
Speaker 3: heaviest I had ever been. It was the darkest place

507
00:22:57,560 --> 00:23:02,200
Speaker 3: I had ever been mentally, just really really struggling with

508
00:23:03,200 --> 00:23:06,840
Speaker 3: anxiety and depression. And I feel like the weight was

509
00:23:06,920 --> 00:23:10,720
Speaker 3: an outward display of what I was dealing.

510
00:23:10,800 --> 00:23:11,120
Speaker 4: The weights.

511
00:23:13,480 --> 00:23:15,880
Speaker 3: Yeah, And so I just made a decision back then

512
00:23:15,960 --> 00:23:18,040
Speaker 3: that I am going to drop this weight. I'm going

513
00:23:18,080 --> 00:23:20,760
Speaker 3: to break the chain of fear and depression that's all

514
00:23:20,800 --> 00:23:23,679
Speaker 3: my life. And I was very very intentional about it.

515
00:23:23,680 --> 00:23:26,240
Speaker 3: I changed the way that I spoke because I believe

516
00:23:26,400 --> 00:23:28,800
Speaker 3: you live out what you say. Like a lot of

517
00:23:28,800 --> 00:23:31,480
Speaker 3: times sometimes we just have to change our language that

518
00:23:31,560 --> 00:23:33,840
Speaker 3: you know, I am loved, I am beautiful.

519
00:23:34,200 --> 00:23:36,639
Speaker 4: You know, God cares about me. I made in his image.

520
00:23:36,760 --> 00:23:36,960
Speaker 4: You know.

521
00:23:37,000 --> 00:23:40,919
Speaker 3: I was very aware and intentional about what I said

522
00:23:40,960 --> 00:23:44,199
Speaker 3: in my language, and it just changed my lifestyle, you know.

523
00:23:44,680 --> 00:23:47,439
Speaker 3: And the more that I did it, the more I

524
00:23:47,440 --> 00:23:50,480
Speaker 3: could see just like the light coming in, you know,

525
00:23:50,560 --> 00:23:51,840
Speaker 3: in that dark place that I was in.

526
00:23:52,160 --> 00:23:55,080
Speaker 2: I love that you say that, because sometimes people look

527
00:23:55,119 --> 00:23:57,800
Speaker 2: at someone who's overweight and will be like, they just

528
00:23:57,840 --> 00:24:00,600
Speaker 2: eat too much, or they're just lazy and they need

529
00:24:00,600 --> 00:24:02,119
Speaker 2: to just go to the gym and eat less. And

530
00:24:02,160 --> 00:24:04,600
Speaker 2: it's not that easy. If it was that easy, no

531
00:24:04,640 --> 00:24:05,880
Speaker 2: one would be able to wait it.

532
00:24:06,080 --> 00:24:09,320
Speaker 3: Yeah, it's a it's a disease, just like you know,

533
00:24:09,320 --> 00:24:12,199
Speaker 3: obesity is a disease. And I would love for people

534
00:24:12,280 --> 00:24:14,560
Speaker 3: if I could just be an advocate, if people would

535
00:24:14,600 --> 00:24:16,840
Speaker 3: see it that way, the way that you deal with

536
00:24:16,880 --> 00:24:21,240
Speaker 3: those people that you love who struggle with that disease,

537
00:24:21,720 --> 00:24:23,400
Speaker 3: you would you would approach it differently.

538
00:24:23,880 --> 00:24:24,040
Speaker 4: You know.

539
00:24:24,119 --> 00:24:26,880
Speaker 3: I remember when I lost the way my mom came

540
00:24:26,960 --> 00:24:29,080
Speaker 3: to me. You know, no, I'm sorry. I went to

541
00:24:29,080 --> 00:24:30,760
Speaker 3: my mother because I saw a picture and I was like, Mommy,

542
00:24:30,760 --> 00:24:33,320
Speaker 3: I was dying, why didn't you say anything? And you know,

543
00:24:33,359 --> 00:24:35,600
Speaker 3: her answer was, we didn't know what to say or

544
00:24:35,680 --> 00:24:38,399
Speaker 3: how to say it without it hurting your feelings or

545
00:24:38,400 --> 00:24:40,920
Speaker 3: without it breaking you. And so a lot of times

546
00:24:40,960 --> 00:24:43,040
Speaker 3: people just don't address it because they don't know what

547
00:24:43,119 --> 00:24:45,680
Speaker 3: to say.

548
00:24:45,760 --> 00:24:46,879
Speaker 4: And it's the same thing with grief.

549
00:24:46,920 --> 00:24:49,080
Speaker 3: Sometimes you just don't know what to say when the

550
00:24:49,160 --> 00:24:51,520
Speaker 3: truth is people need you to say something.

551
00:24:51,680 --> 00:24:51,879
Speaker 4: You know.

552
00:24:52,760 --> 00:24:55,320
Speaker 3: So I feel like even for those people you have

553
00:24:55,359 --> 00:24:59,560
Speaker 3: loved ones who are struggling with the disease of obesity,

554
00:25:00,200 --> 00:25:03,000
Speaker 3: kind of be intentional about loving on them, inviting them

555
00:25:03,080 --> 00:25:05,280
Speaker 3: to the to the gym with you, inviting them to

556
00:25:05,280 --> 00:25:08,200
Speaker 3: go out on a walk with you, you know, living

557
00:25:08,320 --> 00:25:10,000
Speaker 3: out a healthy life in front of.

558
00:25:09,920 --> 00:25:11,920
Speaker 1: Them, right, you know, because they're not agree with that.

559
00:25:12,000 --> 00:25:14,320
Speaker 4: You know, people who don't deal with obesely. You just live.

560
00:25:14,440 --> 00:25:15,720
Speaker 2: You want to live what you want to.

561
00:25:18,960 --> 00:25:19,880
Speaker 1: Struggling, Yeah, and.

562
00:25:19,840 --> 00:25:22,640
Speaker 3: Your life is influencing their lives as well, So that

563
00:25:22,640 --> 00:25:25,000
Speaker 3: that would be some encouragement I would give to people.

564
00:25:25,280 --> 00:25:26,600
Speaker 1: Now let's get to this album.

565
00:25:26,720 --> 00:25:30,399
Speaker 2: Who Tasha, talk to me about what this process was

566
00:25:30,560 --> 00:25:32,439
Speaker 2: like for you, because, like you said, and we started

567
00:25:32,440 --> 00:25:34,639
Speaker 2: the conversation with this you've done live albums, but this

568
00:25:34,680 --> 00:25:38,200
Speaker 2: is your first studio album. Yeah, so how was that

569
00:25:38,240 --> 00:25:39,840
Speaker 2: for you? And is this something you can first see

570
00:25:39,880 --> 00:25:40,760
Speaker 2: yourself doing more.

571
00:25:41,000 --> 00:25:43,840
Speaker 3: Yes, first to have a giving a huge kudos to

572
00:25:43,880 --> 00:25:47,119
Speaker 3: my husband Kennath Lennard. He produced this record and it

573
00:25:47,200 --> 00:25:50,399
Speaker 3: is just absolutely amazing. One of the things that I

574
00:25:50,440 --> 00:25:53,960
Speaker 3: love about how he produces, even as a music director,

575
00:25:54,200 --> 00:25:57,760
Speaker 3: he makes everybody feel safe and comfortable. So from the

576
00:25:57,800 --> 00:26:01,440
Speaker 3: background singers, to every person playing instruments, to every producer

577
00:26:01,520 --> 00:26:05,320
Speaker 3: that's that's involved, Kenny absorbs the vision. So for months

578
00:26:05,320 --> 00:26:07,040
Speaker 3: I talked to him about what I wanted this to

579
00:26:07,119 --> 00:26:09,440
Speaker 3: sound like, what I wanted it to look like, and

580
00:26:09,680 --> 00:26:13,080
Speaker 3: and so once he gets that vision, he walks.

581
00:26:12,720 --> 00:26:14,320
Speaker 1: It out, but it just said you wanted it to

582
00:26:14,320 --> 00:26:15,120
Speaker 1: sound like you know, so.

583
00:26:15,080 --> 00:26:18,080
Speaker 4: I wanted it to One of the things is so funny.

584
00:26:18,280 --> 00:26:20,360
Speaker 3: So over the past two or three years, I keep

585
00:26:20,440 --> 00:26:24,240
Speaker 3: getting these invites to do like ciphers on bet and

586
00:26:24,760 --> 00:26:26,879
Speaker 3: I remember going to the Jennifer Hudson Show and they

587
00:26:26,880 --> 00:26:28,400
Speaker 3: were like freestyle for us.

588
00:26:28,359 --> 00:26:30,280
Speaker 4: And I'm like, who told you I was a rapper?

589
00:26:31,280 --> 00:26:35,159
Speaker 3: And I realized that I was being introduced to another

590
00:26:35,240 --> 00:26:36,720
Speaker 3: creative expression.

591
00:26:36,280 --> 00:26:38,680
Speaker 4: That I did not know existed like that. I didn't

592
00:26:38,680 --> 00:26:39,480
Speaker 4: know I had it in me.

593
00:26:39,880 --> 00:26:41,919
Speaker 3: So people kept calling for me to do it, and

594
00:26:42,000 --> 00:26:43,879
Speaker 3: so I had to perfect it because it's just me,

595
00:26:44,000 --> 00:26:46,080
Speaker 3: like I want to. I'm not gonna do it shabby,

596
00:26:46,119 --> 00:26:47,960
Speaker 3: so let me just make sure I do it right.

597
00:26:48,359 --> 00:26:51,400
Speaker 3: And I realized, then, hey, this is a new another sound,

598
00:26:51,800 --> 00:26:54,040
Speaker 3: not not something new. I'm just building on top of

599
00:26:54,040 --> 00:26:55,320
Speaker 3: the sound that I've already created.

600
00:26:55,520 --> 00:26:58,840
Speaker 4: Thing. Yes, it's evolving, and so that was one of

601
00:26:58,840 --> 00:26:59,959
Speaker 4: the things that I want. I told him.

602
00:27:00,080 --> 00:27:01,840
Speaker 3: I was like, I think there's gonna be some rap

603
00:27:01,920 --> 00:27:09,159
Speaker 3: on this out Britney. Yeah, it just like Yes, I

604
00:27:09,200 --> 00:27:10,879
Speaker 3: felt that too. I felt like he would have like

605
00:27:10,880 --> 00:27:15,000
Speaker 3: a nineties pop field and you've in a nineties gospel

606
00:27:15,040 --> 00:27:17,240
Speaker 3: field because some of the songs even has like this

607
00:27:17,480 --> 00:27:20,119
Speaker 3: nineties vibe on it. So when I expressed all of

608
00:27:20,119 --> 00:27:22,240
Speaker 3: that to him, the way that he developed the tracks,

609
00:27:22,680 --> 00:27:25,280
Speaker 3: it was all just perfect. Every time I would hear

610
00:27:25,880 --> 00:27:27,919
Speaker 3: that is so, that is so what I heard. So

611
00:27:28,359 --> 00:27:30,240
Speaker 3: I love the way that he takes a vision and

612
00:27:30,240 --> 00:27:33,200
Speaker 3: he makes it come alive. And so every day when

613
00:27:33,240 --> 00:27:34,960
Speaker 3: we were in the writing sessions, because I did a

614
00:27:34,960 --> 00:27:36,760
Speaker 3: writing camp leading up to it with some of my

615
00:27:36,800 --> 00:27:40,520
Speaker 3: favorite writers. So it's like Naomi Rain, Chandler Moore, Travis Green,

616
00:27:40,920 --> 00:27:43,840
Speaker 3: all these incredible gospel artists, Jonas Myron, who.

617
00:27:43,720 --> 00:27:45,520
Speaker 4: Is an amazing pop writer.

618
00:27:46,720 --> 00:27:49,800
Speaker 3: Who else was there at Hanks Just all of these songwriters.

619
00:27:49,800 --> 00:27:52,600
Speaker 3: And for five days we were at the studio just

620
00:27:52,680 --> 00:27:55,000
Speaker 3: doing writing songs, and I would tell them stories about

621
00:27:55,040 --> 00:27:57,200
Speaker 3: my life. I would tell them testimonies about my life

622
00:27:57,560 --> 00:28:00,119
Speaker 3: and they would take them and create these songs. So

623
00:28:00,960 --> 00:28:02,639
Speaker 3: a lot of the songs that you hear on the

624
00:28:02,680 --> 00:28:05,399
Speaker 3: record were just made in the moment of sharing my

625
00:28:05,440 --> 00:28:08,879
Speaker 3: stories with them. Yeah, it was such a great experience

626
00:28:08,960 --> 00:28:11,000
Speaker 3: that that those writing sessions.

627
00:28:10,600 --> 00:28:12,480
Speaker 1: Tell me this story behind I still Choose You.

628
00:28:12,880 --> 00:28:15,960
Speaker 3: Oh so me, so I still choose you. I love

629
00:28:16,000 --> 00:28:19,160
Speaker 3: that you asked about that song. So I literally during

630
00:28:19,160 --> 00:28:21,159
Speaker 3: this process, I would wake up in the middle of

631
00:28:21,200 --> 00:28:24,879
Speaker 3: the night sometimes with these sounds and songs in my

632
00:28:24,960 --> 00:28:27,800
Speaker 3: head and I felt like I had this Bennie and

633
00:28:27,800 --> 00:28:29,600
Speaker 3: the Jets kind of vibe like I can't hear.

634
00:28:31,840 --> 00:28:33,240
Speaker 4: I Still Choose You.

635
00:28:33,359 --> 00:28:34,879
Speaker 3: So we were in one of the writing sessions and

636
00:28:34,960 --> 00:28:37,040
Speaker 3: I was like, guys, this could be corny or not,

637
00:28:37,520 --> 00:28:38,520
Speaker 3: and I'm not listen.

638
00:28:38,640 --> 00:28:40,160
Speaker 4: I don't live on my shoulder.

639
00:28:40,240 --> 00:28:41,040
Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, come.

640
00:28:41,200 --> 00:28:43,680
Speaker 3: And so we were actually doing lunch and all of

641
00:28:43,680 --> 00:28:45,720
Speaker 3: the writers were sitting around and I said, Okay, I

642
00:28:45,720 --> 00:28:47,200
Speaker 3: want to sing this this vibe for you.

643
00:28:47,160 --> 00:28:48,280
Speaker 4: And I was like, I still choose you.

644
00:28:48,520 --> 00:28:50,360
Speaker 3: So Vaughn, who was like a brother of mine, he

645
00:28:50,360 --> 00:28:54,120
Speaker 3: got on the piano, he started playing and then I said,

646
00:28:55,080 --> 00:28:57,800
Speaker 3: I think Kirk needs to be on this song. So

647
00:28:57,960 --> 00:29:00,560
Speaker 3: right after that writing session, I said it's the writing

648
00:29:00,560 --> 00:29:02,080
Speaker 3: session to Kirk and I was like, Kirk, you gotta

649
00:29:02,120 --> 00:29:03,760
Speaker 3: do this song with me. And Kirk and I had

650
00:29:03,800 --> 00:29:06,800
Speaker 3: never done like I did a song with him Tamlaman

651
00:29:07,320 --> 00:29:09,600
Speaker 3: and it was another singer that was on that song,

652
00:29:09,640 --> 00:29:11,880
Speaker 3: but nothing just him and I together and I felt

653
00:29:11,920 --> 00:29:13,800
Speaker 3: like this was the perfect moment for that. So when

654
00:29:13,800 --> 00:29:16,040
Speaker 3: I sent that song to Kirk, that's how it was developed,

655
00:29:16,160 --> 00:29:18,400
Speaker 3: and we sent him just like it was a shell

656
00:29:18,480 --> 00:29:20,640
Speaker 3: of a song. But when he got in the studio,

657
00:29:20,760 --> 00:29:22,760
Speaker 3: it's nothing like being in the studio with Kirk.

658
00:29:22,800 --> 00:29:23,920
Speaker 4: It is a masterclass.

659
00:29:23,960 --> 00:29:28,400
Speaker 2: I can imagine, oh a magic. Kirk is hilarious. Yeah,

660
00:29:28,640 --> 00:29:32,400
Speaker 2: he is definitely a person that has defied like what

661
00:29:32,520 --> 00:29:36,120
Speaker 2: the what expectations that people would place him and confine

662
00:29:36,200 --> 00:29:36,440
Speaker 2: him to.

663
00:29:37,360 --> 00:29:39,080
Speaker 3: He had them bring out this computer and he was

664
00:29:39,120 --> 00:29:41,479
Speaker 3: standing like on a desk just like this, and he

665
00:29:41,520 --> 00:29:42,920
Speaker 3: was like, let me just play this like this, and

666
00:29:42,960 --> 00:29:45,640
Speaker 3: then he would come up with these lyrics. Just watching

667
00:29:45,720 --> 00:29:47,360
Speaker 3: him is like watching a genius at work.

668
00:29:47,640 --> 00:29:49,960
Speaker 1: I wanted him to produce like you leading a Den

669
00:29:50,040 --> 00:29:50,960
Speaker 1: of Queen's.

670
00:29:51,320 --> 00:29:54,280
Speaker 3: Ah Kirk, do you hear that?

671
00:29:54,800 --> 00:29:55,720
Speaker 1: I think that could go.

672
00:29:55,960 --> 00:29:58,720
Speaker 3: We do need one episode where we're like, Okay they

673
00:29:58,720 --> 00:30:00,400
Speaker 3: Din of Queens, we gotta up.

674
00:30:01,560 --> 00:30:03,000
Speaker 1: I feel like we need you know what I mean?

675
00:30:03,080 --> 00:30:04,080
Speaker 4: Yes, I love that.

676
00:30:05,560 --> 00:30:08,800
Speaker 2: So now that this just seeing like what the response

677
00:30:08,840 --> 00:30:10,920
Speaker 2: has been, you feel you should feel amazing.

678
00:30:11,120 --> 00:30:12,400
Speaker 1: Yeah, number one album.

679
00:30:12,520 --> 00:30:16,360
Speaker 2: You also Billboard twenty twenty the Gospel Artists of the Decade.

680
00:30:17,040 --> 00:30:19,440
Speaker 1: I mean that's huge. How did you feel when you

681
00:30:19,480 --> 00:30:20,120
Speaker 1: found that out?

682
00:30:20,400 --> 00:30:24,400
Speaker 4: I was like, I am still like what, but you

683
00:30:24,400 --> 00:30:25,760
Speaker 4: know what I feel like.

684
00:30:26,000 --> 00:30:31,360
Speaker 3: During that time, it was it's when streams was just growing,

685
00:30:31,520 --> 00:30:34,800
Speaker 3: so people were streaming more records. I remember in twenty

686
00:30:34,800 --> 00:30:39,120
Speaker 3: seventeen when I released Heart Passion Pursuit, that album just

687
00:30:39,160 --> 00:30:42,960
Speaker 3: like made history for streams. People streaming that album during

688
00:30:42,960 --> 00:30:45,160
Speaker 3: the time, and it was a lot during that time.

689
00:30:45,200 --> 00:30:47,680
Speaker 3: You know, people were like they didn't want to receive it.

690
00:30:47,720 --> 00:30:50,200
Speaker 3: They didn't want to do it, especially artists because you know,

691
00:30:50,240 --> 00:30:52,240
Speaker 3: you didn't get paid as much from the streams, and

692
00:30:52,280 --> 00:30:54,680
Speaker 3: you still don't, you know, you know streams. It's I

693
00:30:54,720 --> 00:30:56,400
Speaker 3: don't even know how many you have streams you have

694
00:30:56,440 --> 00:30:59,200
Speaker 3: to get in order to take Yeah, it's not yeah,

695
00:30:59,360 --> 00:31:01,840
Speaker 3: but I am because I was like, you know, it's like,

696
00:31:02,400 --> 00:31:04,800
Speaker 3: you know, some somebody saying, I don't I still want

697
00:31:04,800 --> 00:31:06,520
Speaker 3: to listen to a cassette tape and not get a

698
00:31:06,560 --> 00:31:07,320
Speaker 3: CD like.

699
00:31:07,400 --> 00:31:09,480
Speaker 4: Life is is always.

700
00:31:09,920 --> 00:31:13,080
Speaker 3: So I just kind of embrace the streaming idea and

701
00:31:13,200 --> 00:31:15,040
Speaker 3: people gravitated to it.

702
00:31:15,240 --> 00:31:17,640
Speaker 1: You know, are you gonna embrace AI for anything?

703
00:31:17,680 --> 00:31:20,880
Speaker 3: Oh my goodness, you're talking about you And now I'm

704
00:31:20,920 --> 00:31:22,880
Speaker 3: forty four, and I'm like, what do y'all do it?

705
00:31:22,920 --> 00:31:26,040
Speaker 4: Over there? They can literally take your voice and make

706
00:31:26,080 --> 00:31:27,040
Speaker 4: a song out of it.

707
00:31:27,120 --> 00:31:29,320
Speaker 3: You know, I don't know, you know, I I am

708
00:31:29,360 --> 00:31:33,719
Speaker 3: not the type of person who will I'm not just

709
00:31:33,760 --> 00:31:36,840
Speaker 3: gonna deny something. I feel like there's you can find

710
00:31:36,920 --> 00:31:40,640
Speaker 3: good and in all things that are created. So I

711
00:31:40,680 --> 00:31:44,000
Speaker 3: feel like, hey, in AI the way that I use it,

712
00:31:44,160 --> 00:31:46,120
Speaker 3: I can use it for the good. Okay, of course

713
00:31:46,160 --> 00:31:48,760
Speaker 3: people are gonna use it, you know, with ill intent.

714
00:31:49,160 --> 00:31:51,520
Speaker 3: But for me, the way that we use AI, I

715
00:31:51,520 --> 00:31:53,680
Speaker 3: think you can use it for the good. The Bible

716
00:31:53,800 --> 00:31:57,240
Speaker 3: actually says that all things He's working all things together

717
00:31:57,560 --> 00:32:01,240
Speaker 3: for your good. So it's you know, it's my anything

718
00:32:01,760 --> 00:32:04,120
Speaker 3: that is at the tip of our fingers. I believe

719
00:32:04,160 --> 00:32:06,160
Speaker 3: that God can use it for his good.

720
00:32:06,880 --> 00:32:08,479
Speaker 2: You know, I want to go back to do it

721
00:32:08,520 --> 00:32:11,880
Speaker 2: anyway now, And let's talk about In your book, you

722
00:32:12,040 --> 00:32:15,240
Speaker 2: discuss being present and how important that was for you

723
00:32:15,280 --> 00:32:18,160
Speaker 2: because look at all the things that you have going on, right,

724
00:32:18,240 --> 00:32:20,600
Speaker 2: and there was a period of time when it's like

725
00:32:21,080 --> 00:32:23,960
Speaker 2: we're just running on fumes. We're just showing up as

726
00:32:24,080 --> 00:32:26,520
Speaker 2: a responsibility to the places that we have to be.

727
00:32:27,120 --> 00:32:29,120
Speaker 2: Like you said, you'd be at the Grammys and doing

728
00:32:29,240 --> 00:32:32,720
Speaker 2: work on your phone. Sometimes we're at concerts, everybody's holding

729
00:32:32,800 --> 00:32:34,200
Speaker 2: up their phone. I was looking at some of my

730
00:32:34,240 --> 00:32:37,880
Speaker 2: footage from my Angela Yide and there's one part where

731
00:32:37,960 --> 00:32:39,840
Speaker 2: Jypchin gets on the stage and everybody just has their

732
00:32:39,880 --> 00:32:42,360
Speaker 2: phone up. I'm like, wow, everybody's just that's like the

733
00:32:42,400 --> 00:32:44,600
Speaker 2: thing now instead of my eyes, I got my phone up.

734
00:32:45,440 --> 00:32:47,960
Speaker 2: So talk to me about how you've managed to become

735
00:32:47,960 --> 00:32:50,440
Speaker 2: more present in some ways that you've seen that benefit

736
00:32:50,520 --> 00:32:51,080
Speaker 2: your life.

737
00:32:51,160 --> 00:32:51,840
Speaker 4: I love this.

738
00:32:51,920 --> 00:32:53,920
Speaker 3: I love to talk about this because it goes back

739
00:32:53,960 --> 00:32:57,000
Speaker 3: to my therapist. Well, I had a therapist when I

740
00:32:57,040 --> 00:32:59,080
Speaker 3: was living in Atlanta, and one of the things that

741
00:32:59,120 --> 00:33:02,160
Speaker 3: she challenged me to do is to be present. And

742
00:33:02,800 --> 00:33:04,720
Speaker 3: a lot of people don't notice because they think my

743
00:33:04,760 --> 00:33:06,640
Speaker 3: sneaker game is what it is just because I.

744
00:33:06,600 --> 00:33:07,479
Speaker 4: Like sneakers is not.

745
00:33:07,840 --> 00:33:10,800
Speaker 3: I actually have bone on bone arthritis in both of

746
00:33:10,840 --> 00:33:13,640
Speaker 3: my toes, and I'm going somewhere with this. I played

747
00:33:13,680 --> 00:33:15,560
Speaker 3: basketball when I was younger. I broke a toe and

748
00:33:15,560 --> 00:33:18,960
Speaker 3: it never heeled properly. So now what position I was

749
00:33:19,000 --> 00:33:22,680
Speaker 3: for it? Okay, yeah, power for it. So when I

750
00:33:22,760 --> 00:33:26,840
Speaker 3: broke the toe right around thirty years old, I started

751
00:33:26,840 --> 00:33:30,040
Speaker 3: having excruciating pain. I realized that I have arthritis in

752
00:33:30,040 --> 00:33:33,160
Speaker 3: both of my toes, and so doing shows with heels

753
00:33:33,200 --> 00:33:37,400
Speaker 3: on was just the pain was unbearable, and I decided, Hey,

754
00:33:37,440 --> 00:33:39,760
Speaker 3: I'm just gonna wear sneakers. So one of the things

755
00:33:39,760 --> 00:33:42,320
Speaker 3: that she said to me was make your loved ones

756
00:33:42,360 --> 00:33:43,240
Speaker 3: make you be present.

757
00:33:43,720 --> 00:33:46,160
Speaker 4: So have them to ask you, how do you feel

758
00:33:46,240 --> 00:33:49,160
Speaker 4: right now? Are your toes hurting? Do you have a headache.

759
00:33:49,320 --> 00:33:52,920
Speaker 3: She was like, just those just those questions will bring

760
00:33:52,960 --> 00:33:54,680
Speaker 3: you back to a space.

761
00:33:54,640 --> 00:33:57,160
Speaker 4: Of right now, living in the moment.

762
00:33:57,400 --> 00:33:59,920
Speaker 3: And still to this day, my husband sometimes will grab

763
00:33:59,960 --> 00:34:02,240
Speaker 3: me by my shoulders and say, do you have a headache?

764
00:34:02,400 --> 00:34:05,080
Speaker 3: How are you feeling? Something great just happened in your life.

765
00:34:05,120 --> 00:34:08,680
Speaker 3: I want you not to miss it, living in what's next,

766
00:34:08,960 --> 00:34:10,560
Speaker 3: And so one of the things I have to give

767
00:34:10,560 --> 00:34:12,799
Speaker 3: a kudos to my loved ones like my mom and

768
00:34:12,880 --> 00:34:16,240
Speaker 3: my husband and sometimes even my children make me be present,

769
00:34:16,520 --> 00:34:18,360
Speaker 3: you know, And I feel like sometimes we have to

770
00:34:18,480 --> 00:34:21,120
Speaker 3: entrust the people around us to help us do that

771
00:34:21,239 --> 00:34:23,520
Speaker 3: because I don't want to miss Astra's life. I don't

772
00:34:23,520 --> 00:34:26,439
Speaker 3: want to miss you know, even like Thursday, my four

773
00:34:26,480 --> 00:34:29,440
Speaker 3: year old has a baseball game going up. He's a toddler.

774
00:34:29,480 --> 00:34:31,360
Speaker 3: They're all over the place, but I want to be

775
00:34:31,480 --> 00:34:33,400
Speaker 3: there for that. I want to I want to experience

776
00:34:33,440 --> 00:34:36,040
Speaker 3: the laughs. I want to make the memory to screen.

777
00:34:36,200 --> 00:34:39,080
Speaker 4: Yeah. I want to be that mom, you know, the

778
00:34:39,239 --> 00:34:41,280
Speaker 4: soccer mom. I want to have that feel.

779
00:34:41,680 --> 00:34:45,680
Speaker 3: But before, to be honest, I didn't. I wasn't always

780
00:34:45,680 --> 00:34:48,520
Speaker 3: that way. I was living in what's next, just always

781
00:34:48,600 --> 00:34:51,239
Speaker 3: super super busy, and so I want my life to

782
00:34:51,320 --> 00:34:54,160
Speaker 3: encourage people to be present, even those of us who

783
00:34:54,200 --> 00:34:56,440
Speaker 3: are busy and who carry a lot of weights and

784
00:34:56,480 --> 00:34:59,960
Speaker 3: a lot of responsibilities, there's still a way to be present.

785
00:35:00,680 --> 00:35:02,919
Speaker 2: It's always going to be something that you could be doing,

786
00:35:03,360 --> 00:35:05,800
Speaker 2: and so sometimes you have to say notice certain things

787
00:35:05,840 --> 00:35:07,239
Speaker 2: even if you're like it could be good for me,

788
00:35:07,280 --> 00:35:09,600
Speaker 2: I need to do this, But sometimes it's like, no,

789
00:35:09,880 --> 00:35:12,080
Speaker 2: next time, I'll do the thing, but it's just not

790
00:35:12,200 --> 00:35:15,040
Speaker 2: working with the other responsibilities or things that I want

791
00:35:15,080 --> 00:35:18,160
Speaker 2: to be present for now. Another thing you've been open

792
00:35:18,200 --> 00:35:23,239
Speaker 2: about is your journey with family and having children, and

793
00:35:23,280 --> 00:35:25,600
Speaker 2: so when did you feel comfortable enough to even be

794
00:35:25,719 --> 00:35:28,640
Speaker 2: able to share your story, which I think is the

795
00:35:28,640 --> 00:35:30,879
Speaker 2: story of so many women that they could benefit from

796
00:35:30,920 --> 00:35:32,000
Speaker 2: hearing what you've been through.

797
00:35:32,160 --> 00:35:34,640
Speaker 3: Yeah, I think with the book Do It Anyway, that

798
00:35:34,760 --> 00:35:37,680
Speaker 3: was the first. That was the first time I had

799
00:35:37,680 --> 00:35:41,040
Speaker 3: a chance to share it in lots of detail about

800
00:35:41,120 --> 00:35:44,839
Speaker 3: us going through the IVF and having endometriosis. So I've

801
00:35:44,840 --> 00:35:49,160
Speaker 3: been diagnosed with endometriosis and what it does is it

802
00:35:49,239 --> 00:35:52,719
Speaker 3: just kind of prevents you from giving birth. There's a

803
00:35:52,760 --> 00:35:55,839
Speaker 3: lot of scar tissuing, a lot of pain that I've

804
00:35:55,880 --> 00:35:58,680
Speaker 3: been doing for many many years, and I didn't have

805
00:36:00,000 --> 00:36:03,279
Speaker 3: didn't have a lot of information about it until after

806
00:36:03,320 --> 00:36:05,600
Speaker 3: we got married. And so that first year I was like,

807
00:36:05,640 --> 00:36:07,560
Speaker 3: you know, I think there's something going on that we

808
00:36:07,560 --> 00:36:09,600
Speaker 3: need to find out, you know what it is. And

809
00:36:09,640 --> 00:36:12,080
Speaker 3: so we went to a specialist and they told me

810
00:36:12,120 --> 00:36:14,839
Speaker 3: I had endometriosis. And so for a year we would

811
00:36:14,880 --> 00:36:18,440
Speaker 3: travel to Houston, from North Carolina to Houston once a

812
00:36:18,480 --> 00:36:22,800
Speaker 3: month to have injections just to clear out the endometriosis

813
00:36:22,960 --> 00:36:25,120
Speaker 3: enough so that we could try to have a baby.

814
00:36:25,160 --> 00:36:28,800
Speaker 3: And so I did that for nine months I believe.

815
00:36:28,800 --> 00:36:32,279
Speaker 3: We went to Houston and they were like, Okay, it's

816
00:36:32,800 --> 00:36:35,600
Speaker 3: cleared out enough so that you can try the IVF.

817
00:36:35,680 --> 00:36:37,680
Speaker 3: And so my husband's story is a little different, and

818
00:36:37,760 --> 00:36:39,880
Speaker 3: actually we can laugh about it now because he's like,

819
00:36:39,960 --> 00:36:43,879
Speaker 3: after we had the they did the implant with the embryos,

820
00:36:44,320 --> 00:36:48,400
Speaker 3: the doctor says, now it's in God's hands. Kenny was like, what,

821
00:36:48,600 --> 00:36:49,000
Speaker 3: we know.

822
00:36:49,000 --> 00:36:53,040
Speaker 4: It's in God, but what about doing your job right?

823
00:36:53,800 --> 00:36:56,399
Speaker 3: He just didn't think for once that it just would

824
00:36:56,480 --> 00:37:00,359
Speaker 3: not work. And that was our story. That and going

825
00:37:00,400 --> 00:37:03,320
Speaker 3: through the IVF and all of the years of trying

826
00:37:04,000 --> 00:37:07,480
Speaker 3: it did not work the natural way for us, but

827
00:37:07,560 --> 00:37:11,920
Speaker 3: we chose adoption. Yes, And we have such a beautiful

828
00:37:11,960 --> 00:37:15,440
Speaker 3: baby boy, Asher, who is now four years old.

829
00:37:16,000 --> 00:37:18,000
Speaker 1: And I know that baby is so loved.

830
00:37:18,239 --> 00:37:22,000
Speaker 3: Oh, he is the perfect baby for our family. His

831
00:37:22,080 --> 00:37:26,040
Speaker 3: siblings spoil him, to everybody spoils him. But Asher, he

832
00:37:26,120 --> 00:37:28,759
Speaker 3: looks like us, he acts like us, and he's just

833
00:37:29,080 --> 00:37:32,759
Speaker 3: you know, he's God's design for our family. And I

834
00:37:32,840 --> 00:37:35,640
Speaker 3: have a friend who says something that I'll never forget.

835
00:37:35,719 --> 00:37:38,880
Speaker 3: She said, a lot of times we love to receive

836
00:37:38,920 --> 00:37:40,280
Speaker 3: God's will for our lives.

837
00:37:40,320 --> 00:37:42,040
Speaker 4: So God's will was that we have a child.

838
00:37:42,640 --> 00:37:46,440
Speaker 3: But sometimes we don't stick around to hear his way

839
00:37:46,520 --> 00:37:48,440
Speaker 3: and to do it his way, you know. We want

840
00:37:48,480 --> 00:37:51,600
Speaker 3: to do things our way. And I even I have

841
00:37:51,640 --> 00:37:54,200
Speaker 3: a song on the record that talks about the conversation

842
00:37:54,239 --> 00:37:56,799
Speaker 3: about the tug of war between God's will and our

843
00:37:56,880 --> 00:37:59,440
Speaker 3: will and how we're asking God, why don't you do this?

844
00:37:59,560 --> 00:38:01,279
Speaker 3: I've asked for this, I pray for this, and what

845
00:38:01,400 --> 00:38:04,000
Speaker 3: are you gonna come through? And just to be honest,

846
00:38:04,239 --> 00:38:07,439
Speaker 3: we're human, you know, and so sometimes you have those conversations.

847
00:38:07,680 --> 00:38:09,759
Speaker 3: And God is not afraid of those conversations.

848
00:38:09,760 --> 00:38:12,719
Speaker 1: He's God not to just pray when I need something.

849
00:38:14,200 --> 00:38:18,399
Speaker 2: To be thankful, grateful, right, be great for the small things.

850
00:38:18,680 --> 00:38:22,400
Speaker 3: But but sometimes we just wanted our way. But God's

851
00:38:22,440 --> 00:38:25,160
Speaker 3: way is always the best way. You know, we couldn't.

852
00:38:25,400 --> 00:38:27,280
Speaker 3: I can't imagine life without Asher.

853
00:38:27,640 --> 00:38:29,400
Speaker 4: I can't. I don't even know what life was like

854
00:38:30,360 --> 00:38:31,160
Speaker 4: without Asher.

855
00:38:31,280 --> 00:38:35,200
Speaker 2: Yes, and listen, Asher is blessed to Yeah, it's been

856
00:38:35,239 --> 00:38:36,480
Speaker 2: a better situation for as.

857
00:38:37,239 --> 00:38:38,680
Speaker 4: That's our baby boy. Yep.

858
00:38:39,239 --> 00:38:40,919
Speaker 3: As a matter of fact, coming here and he thinks

859
00:38:40,920 --> 00:38:42,239
Speaker 3: he's supposed to go everywhere with us.

860
00:38:43,239 --> 00:38:44,879
Speaker 4: Yeah, I'm like, you have to go to school. He's

861
00:38:44,880 --> 00:38:46,279
Speaker 4: a he's k four now.

862
00:38:46,360 --> 00:38:48,400
Speaker 3: So I read something the other day because Ash is

863
00:38:48,440 --> 00:38:51,080
Speaker 3: a pandemic baby, and I didn't even think of it

864
00:38:51,120 --> 00:38:55,440
Speaker 3: this way that it said, hey, guys, all the pandemic

865
00:38:55,480 --> 00:38:56,839
Speaker 3: kids are going to kindergarten.

866
00:38:56,920 --> 00:39:00,680
Speaker 4: And I'm like, oh my goodness, that is so true. Yep,

867
00:39:00,920 --> 00:39:02,120
Speaker 4: so a wild.

868
00:39:01,920 --> 00:39:03,040
Speaker 1: Time that way, I know.

869
00:39:03,600 --> 00:39:06,000
Speaker 2: I know, what do you tell yourself about what's happening

870
00:39:06,000 --> 00:39:08,520
Speaker 2: in the United States right now? You know, there's a

871
00:39:08,520 --> 00:39:12,520
Speaker 2: lot of things being rolled back, and then we have

872
00:39:12,600 --> 00:39:15,360
Speaker 2: to be like, why is this happening? And for everybody

873
00:39:15,400 --> 00:39:18,320
Speaker 2: else who is wondering what do we do? Like businesses

874
00:39:18,360 --> 00:39:24,000
Speaker 2: are suffering. Black women with employment and entrepreneurship are suffering. Education,

875
00:39:24,400 --> 00:39:27,120
Speaker 2: the system is suffering. There's just so much going on.

876
00:39:27,200 --> 00:39:28,840
Speaker 2: The National Guard is being called.

877
00:39:28,600 --> 00:39:30,760
Speaker 1: In the DC. It just feels like chaos right now.

878
00:39:31,239 --> 00:39:32,800
Speaker 2: So what would you say in a time like this

879
00:39:32,920 --> 00:39:34,880
Speaker 2: to somebody who was like, why is this happening?

880
00:39:35,000 --> 00:39:38,000
Speaker 4: Yeah? I have to be true to who I am.

881
00:39:38,480 --> 00:39:40,359
Speaker 3: I think that in this season, we have to run

882
00:39:40,360 --> 00:39:43,439
Speaker 3: to God, Like, in all seriousness, you have to run

883
00:39:43,480 --> 00:39:45,920
Speaker 3: to God and find out what his plan is for

884
00:39:46,000 --> 00:39:49,000
Speaker 3: your life. I was at a conference the other day

885
00:39:49,080 --> 00:39:50,719
Speaker 3: and the speaker was up and he said something that

886
00:39:50,800 --> 00:39:53,280
Speaker 3: was just so touching to me, like, you know, sometimes

887
00:39:53,280 --> 00:39:55,480
Speaker 3: we got to clear out all of the noise, all

888
00:39:55,520 --> 00:39:57,120
Speaker 3: of the clutter, and if that means to turn off

889
00:39:57,120 --> 00:40:00,800
Speaker 3: the news sometimes, if that means to deactivate your Instagram

890
00:40:00,800 --> 00:40:02,480
Speaker 3: and your TikTok for a little while so you can

891
00:40:02,520 --> 00:40:05,480
Speaker 3: hear what God desires for you and your family right now?

892
00:40:05,640 --> 00:40:07,440
Speaker 3: What are the steps in the moves that I need

893
00:40:07,480 --> 00:40:09,200
Speaker 3: to make? And I think we also have to be

894
00:40:09,239 --> 00:40:12,000
Speaker 3: a little bit more wise with how we spend what

895
00:40:12,040 --> 00:40:15,160
Speaker 3: we're spending on. You know, how we're navigating through life

896
00:40:15,400 --> 00:40:19,319
Speaker 3: and you can only get those instructions from God. You know, God,

897
00:40:19,360 --> 00:40:22,360
Speaker 3: what do you have for me in this season? I

898
00:40:22,400 --> 00:40:24,440
Speaker 3: believe we just you know, we live, those of us

899
00:40:24,440 --> 00:40:26,759
Speaker 3: who are children of God, we live different and we

900
00:40:26,800 --> 00:40:30,200
Speaker 3: cannot live. And I refuse to live in fear of

901
00:40:30,239 --> 00:40:33,359
Speaker 3: what's gonna happen next. You know, what's the doom that's

902
00:40:33,400 --> 00:40:35,920
Speaker 3: gonna happen next, because that's not God's will for me.

903
00:40:36,120 --> 00:40:39,560
Speaker 3: God's will is that we prosper and be in good health,

904
00:40:39,920 --> 00:40:42,400
Speaker 3: even as our souls prosper. And the one place that

905
00:40:42,440 --> 00:40:44,760
Speaker 3: you have to run to, even when things are frantic

906
00:40:44,800 --> 00:40:47,040
Speaker 3: and there's a lot of anxiety and fear, you have

907
00:40:47,120 --> 00:40:47,960
Speaker 3: to run to Jesus.

908
00:40:48,160 --> 00:40:48,920
Speaker 1: I know that's right.

909
00:40:49,000 --> 00:40:51,719
Speaker 4: Yeah, I had to preach a little bit right there.

910
00:40:52,000 --> 00:40:54,719
Speaker 2: I died that and I'm sure everybody listening and needed

911
00:40:54,800 --> 00:40:57,279
Speaker 2: that too. But Tasha Cobbs Leonard, thank you so much

912
00:40:57,280 --> 00:41:00,480
Speaker 2: for joining us today. This was honestly amazing. It's such

913
00:41:00,480 --> 00:41:03,000
Speaker 2: a pleasure to have you. Thank you and just enjoying

914
00:41:03,080 --> 00:41:06,719
Speaker 2: your whole story. Your new album, Tasha, that's out right now.

915
00:41:06,760 --> 00:41:08,520
Speaker 2: To make sure you check that out and if you

916
00:41:08,600 --> 00:41:11,200
Speaker 2: haven't read do it anyway, you know, pick that up.

917
00:41:11,239 --> 00:41:13,080
Speaker 2: As you can see, I was all into it, so

918
00:41:13,520 --> 00:41:16,000
Speaker 2: sometimes I need to learn, like what prayers I should.

919
00:41:16,239 --> 00:41:18,160
Speaker 1: I think it's very helpful just as a guide.

920
00:41:18,200 --> 00:41:21,360
Speaker 4: Awesome, thank you, thank you, Blas