Speaker 1: Welcome to Checking In with Michelle Williams, a production of
Speaker 1: iHeartRadio and The Black Effect. There are some people that
Speaker 1: I admire from Afar, and I'm so glad that you know,
Speaker 1: when I get a chance to spend time with them,
Speaker 1: that they are that same person that I admire from Afar.
Speaker 1: That's who they are up close. This woman has a
Speaker 1: lot of balance. She does so much, but yet maintains
Speaker 1: an amazing light about her and she does not compromise
Speaker 1: the light within her at all. She's warm hearted, she's
Speaker 1: so positive, and she gonna make you feel alright. I'm
Speaker 1: so excited for y'all to tap in, lock in to
Speaker 1: see who I get to talk to next on this
Speaker 1: episode of Checking In. Hey, everybody, good morning, good afternoon,
Speaker 1: good evening, wherever you are. I'm so excited about this episode.
Speaker 1: I say it every episode because every episode that I
Speaker 1: have a guest, it's always somebody that I look forward
Speaker 1: to talking to. So I'm always excited about talking to
Speaker 1: my guest. This next guest is one of the most
Speaker 1: respected artists I feel like in gospel, I feel like
Speaker 1: in every genre, I feel like people love them some
Speaker 1: Erica Campbell, the Grammy Award winning Stellar Award winning Double
Speaker 1: Award winning artists Erica Campbell, one half of the duo
Speaker 1: Mary Mary. Listen, y'all, wait a minute, passes, Why are
Speaker 1: you called pastor yet?
Speaker 2: How'd that go?
Speaker 1: Just past his?
Speaker 2: Why wasn't okay?
Speaker 1: Listen? First lady of California Worship Center and guess what. Yes,
Speaker 1: national syndicated radio host of Get Up in the Morning,
Speaker 1: Get Up Mornings with Erica Campbell, and I am excited
Speaker 1: I have done. I could go on and on and
Speaker 1: on about Erica Campbell, but y'all, she is here. She
Speaker 1: has an amazing new album that is out right now.
Speaker 2: Give it up.
Speaker 1: Everybody, and welcome Erica Campbell to checking in.
Speaker 2: Thank you. I'm glad to be here. I was so
Speaker 2: excited when I saw this on my goternerary.
Speaker 1: Yes, well, I love your album. It was so soothing.
Speaker 1: I listened to it on the plane I think I
Speaker 1: was traveling back from Dallas to Atlanta, and I love it.
Speaker 1: The title of it is I Love You, Yes. And
Speaker 1: I loved the integration of the music that we love
Speaker 1: the Hawkins, which I know. If y'all know Erica Campbell,
Speaker 1: y'all know she loved Hawkins. She loves the Hawkins and
Speaker 1: so for you to integrate that and then your guest
Speaker 1: p J Mooreton, Stevie Wonder, your sister Tina Campbell, your
Speaker 1: chair and producing, Warren like, now, I don't know what
Speaker 1: y'all thinking, but it can't be no Erica Campbell album without.
Speaker 2: Absolutely not, absolutely not.
Speaker 1: So I just wanted to tell you that, like I
Speaker 1: loved how you integrated the old. I wouldn't say, well, the.
Speaker 2: It is old. It is, it is old the Foundation Foundation.
Speaker 2: I like that. That's good. That's good.
Speaker 1: The Foundation's that planned.
Speaker 2: This record literally kind of evolved. So when we did
Speaker 2: the I Love You song, I remember singing dear Jesus,
Speaker 2: I Love You in tribute to Walter Hawkins when he passed,
Speaker 2: and I fell in love with the rendition that we had.
Speaker 2: And so when we did that song, Warren said, let's
Speaker 2: put that with that because we were going to do
Speaker 2: it the whole song. But it was a perfect marriage
Speaker 2: of that song with with the I Love You song
Speaker 2: that I did was So it just is that the
Speaker 2: one smoke is on thank You Yes, and the did
Speaker 2: Jesus I Love You is what Stevie Wonder. The record
Speaker 2: is still new. The record is still new. It's still new, yes,
Speaker 2: but having Stevie Wonder and you know on a Hawking
Speaker 2: song was I thought, really really cool. I just I
Speaker 2: like this record.
Speaker 1: I do.
Speaker 2: I know sometimes you do. I have done records and
Speaker 2: been so critical. I really didn't listen to them very
Speaker 2: much because I wish I would have done something different,
Speaker 2: I wrote a different lyric. But this I love this record.
Speaker 2: I am proud of this record. It is my I
Speaker 2: Love You record because I love me, I love God,
Speaker 2: I love people, and being able to share this with people.
Speaker 2: Far too many people have put love within the confines
Speaker 2: of their breakup or family issue, or even their lack
Speaker 2: of self love, so they don't even believe in it.
Speaker 2: And I'm praying that this record gives me the opportunity
Speaker 2: to articulate God's love and self love with him at
Speaker 2: the center. Because our world is very mean. Center Jesus
Speaker 2: is my center. I'm all right, Okay's okay, We'll put
Speaker 2: Jesus at the center. Then I become something special. So
Speaker 2: that's the whole purpose of this I Love You movement,
Speaker 2: the songs, all of it.
Speaker 1: Well, I first of all, I'm so shocked to hear
Speaker 1: you say that on previous records when you listen to him, like, man,
Speaker 1: I wish I would have done this. I wish I
Speaker 1: would have Maybe I'm like, like, y'all have won awards
Speaker 1: because of your writing. Yeah, shocked that you were like, Yeah,
Speaker 1: I wish I would have. I don't want to I
Speaker 1: don't want to put you on the spot, but I'm like,
Speaker 1: is there something.
Speaker 2: That it's a part of a verse and can't give
Speaker 2: up now that I always wanted to sing over Oly.
Speaker 1: Look at me? Now I want to go and look
Speaker 1: it up.
Speaker 2: I'm gonna have people looking for stuff, but.
Speaker 1: I gotta be present for the interview. But I'm a
Speaker 1: Google Queen Tide, Like, wait a minute, let me go
Speaker 1: what Yeah, okay, okay, okay.
Speaker 2: We were recording that song, Me and Tina were both
Speaker 2: in the booth at the same time, and apparently we
Speaker 2: weren't giving Warren what he was looking for, and so
Speaker 2: he's very He's a lot of things in the studio.
Speaker 2: But I understand in order to get to a level
Speaker 2: of things that are special, because I don't want to
Speaker 2: say perfection, it's not that it's perfect what it's supposed
Speaker 2: to be. You can't be obsessed with perfection, you have
Speaker 2: to allow heart and feeling, which means maybe a note
Speaker 2: or a run may not be perfectly executed, but it
Speaker 2: may be passionate. Okay, you know what I mean. And
Speaker 2: he would always say, well, sure, if you want to
Speaker 2: sacrifice passion for perfection, go ahead. People like passion, perfection
Speaker 2: doesn't always get attention, and so even some of the
Speaker 2: best records that we love by some of our greatest artists,
Speaker 2: maybe the drums weren't what they needed to be, or
Speaker 2: sonically it was different, but there was something that had
Speaker 2: heart in it. And that's always what I'm after. So
Speaker 2: it's okay that my obsession with making sure it's all
Speaker 2: as supposed to be, I can. I can let it ride. Okay,
Speaker 2: that passion, Eric, We're just gonna call that bed no
Speaker 2: passion passion.
Speaker 1: Oh so, I guess when we have to, maybe when
Speaker 1: we're in the audience and maybe someone is up singing
Speaker 1: or performing, you could be like, that was passion's perfection.
Speaker 1: So crazy, that was passion. That's the new Let the
Speaker 1: Lord use your baby. That's all right, Amen, take your time.
Speaker 1: We're gonna say that that was passion.
Speaker 2: Amen, Amen, ad I've had those moments if I.
Speaker 1: Had twenty fingers, I probably could be like, yeah, yeah,
Speaker 1: I totally understand. I've had passionate moments.
Speaker 2: But you know what, learning to overcome them, learning that
Speaker 2: they are part of your story, the moments when you
Speaker 2: weren't one hundred percent. Learning to accept that, I think
Speaker 2: has been so liberating for me. I was talking to
Speaker 2: someone about my mom earlier and saying how she's always
Speaker 2: said you can live anything. Now, live anything down. Knowing
Speaker 2: that I can anything down keeps me from running from
Speaker 2: what has been, you know what I mean, keeps me
Speaker 2: from living in shame. Knowing that everybody has made a mistake.
Speaker 2: The Scripture says it like this, for all have sinned
Speaker 2: and followen short of the glory of God. When I
Speaker 2: allow myself that, then I don't have to make excuses
Speaker 2: or apologize overly apologize for something that kind of comes
Speaker 2: with life. Some people are so held hostage to their mistakes,
Speaker 2: which I get it. Depending on how you were raised.
Speaker 2: That could mean like my success or my failure because
Speaker 2: I made a mistake. But I think it's people in
Speaker 2: the world have made mistakes and they got up and
Speaker 2: kept going.
Speaker 1: And I think, like you said, we can't make our
Speaker 1: identity based on our failures or mistakes, you know, because
Speaker 1: that's that's when it's like, Okay, you are just a
Speaker 1: walking advertisement of shame or regret or hurt or pain.
Speaker 1: And so I totally get that. And I will say
Speaker 1: that there are some artists who openly show compassion and
Speaker 1: love and grace for some of everybody. You are one
Speaker 1: of them. Why do you do that? And I don't
Speaker 1: mean that, like why, I like, there's no shame that
Speaker 1: if somebody's in the news for something crazy, I like you,
Speaker 1: Tasha Cobbs. Are so many people are like, no, I'm
Speaker 1: standing with my brother, I'm standing with my sister.
Speaker 2: Yeah, because I'm not a real friend. If I'm only
Speaker 2: a friend when you're doing good, that's not a real friend.
Speaker 2: I'm not a real friend or a supporter. I'm not
Speaker 2: even in my opinion, that's not You're not a good person.
Speaker 2: If you throw people away because they made a mistake,
Speaker 2: you know what I'm saying. That's very self centered. And
Speaker 2: a lot of people's friendship is I'm friends with you
Speaker 2: because I look good being friends with you. Let me
Speaker 2: stand in close proximity to you because you're something. And
Speaker 2: now they're going to think I'm something, Well, if you fail,
Speaker 2: if you have an issue, let me get away from you,
Speaker 2: because I don't want to look bad. I'm not that
Speaker 2: kind of friend I've had, you know, for when I
Speaker 2: have my sisters right, and so we're all different, have
Speaker 2: gone through, gone through different things, and I'm always gonna
Speaker 2: rock with my sisters. But I also have a core
Speaker 2: group of friends that I call the G's that I've
Speaker 2: known since childhood and we've been through everything together, divorces, breakups, successes, failures, misunderstandings,
Speaker 2: and allowing us to grow. So one of my friends,
Speaker 2: as I was becoming myself, being okay with being myself,
Speaker 2: I begin to speak up more.
Speaker 3: Well.
Speaker 2: They were used to the Eraka that didn't speak up
Speaker 2: very much. They were used to me being the quiet Eerica.
Speaker 2: They were used to me saying, oh, whatever y'all want
Speaker 2: to do, wherever y'all go. Well I learned to say, well, no,
Speaker 2: I don't like that, well let's go here. And at
Speaker 2: first they were like, uh uh, she changing because she's this,
Speaker 2: And I said, this don't have nothing to do with
Speaker 2: light's camera action and everything with me owning my voice
Speaker 2: and liking it and knowing that it's okay, and not
Speaker 2: having this private self conversation or what if they don't agree,
Speaker 2: what if they don't think it's funny. Well, I won't
Speaker 2: say that and I won't do that, just tear myself down.
Speaker 2: Once I got comfortable with me, I love, love, love
Speaker 2: that my friends allowed me to grow. I said, y'all,
Speaker 2: I'm growing up and I don't want to lose my
Speaker 2: friends because I'm growing up. Y'all grow with me, Allow
Speaker 2: me to grow, allow me to speak my piece, allow
Speaker 2: me to throw my opinion and it be okay, because
Speaker 2: sometimes you have your opinionated friends, the quiet friends, this, that,
Speaker 2: and then we started and when I said that, then
Speaker 2: all of us started speaking up. Don't call me late, friend.
Speaker 2: I know I'm late, but I don't want to be
Speaker 2: and y'all laugh at it. And it's something that I'm
Speaker 2: trying to change, you know what I mean? Or don't
Speaker 2: call me the friend. Don't say I'm dumb all the time,
Speaker 2: because I actually kind of low key struggle with that.
Speaker 2: And so when people are surrounded by people they love,
Speaker 2: you can be the best honest version of yourself. I'm
Speaker 2: so blessed that I have friends while I can go
Speaker 2: and take the wig off. I can cry, I can
Speaker 2: talk about the industry and what I don't and what's confusing,
Speaker 2: and what's hurt and what's hard. The fact that I mean,
Speaker 2: you know, you can get on a red carpet and
Speaker 2: be having a good moment, They're going to remind you
Speaker 2: of the worst moment in your career.
Speaker 1: Yeah, you know what I mean.
Speaker 2: If you're not strong enough, if you don't have a
Speaker 2: good center and good people around you, it could make
Speaker 2: some people crumble by some people who don't like interviews.
Speaker 2: But because I have people who love me, and I
Speaker 2: know I can live anything down and I know I
Speaker 2: can still be kind. I don't have to be mean
Speaker 2: and nasty. It's so good.
Speaker 1: Something you said about owning your voice and being okay
Speaker 1: with Instead of being the passive Erica, you are now
Speaker 1: the bold, confident Erica who is obviously maybe has set
Speaker 1: some boundaries and you stand on those boundaries. It made
Speaker 1: me think of something doctor Henry Cloud said, when you
Speaker 1: are quiet about your boundaries in an effort to seem
Speaker 1: more likable or to avoid conflict, you will become more resentful.
Speaker 2: Yes, yes, though, that's what made me think of that.
Speaker 2: You get angry really really do. And I remember being that.
Speaker 2: I remember being nice because it's not nice to say, well,
Speaker 2: I don't I don't really rock with them very well,
Speaker 2: Oh that's not nice. And so then I allow people
Speaker 2: in my space that don't mean me, well, that don't
Speaker 2: mean my family well, because I don't want to be mean.
Speaker 2: But I know what I felt in my spirit when
Speaker 2: they walked in the room.
Speaker 3: You know what I mean.
Speaker 2: And so I've learned that it's okay to say I'm sorry,
Speaker 2: would you give us a moment?
Speaker 1: You know what I mean.
Speaker 2: I don't have to say your spirit off, I don't
Speaker 2: like your energy. I don't have to say that. I
Speaker 2: just like, hey, can you give us a moment? Or
Speaker 2: if I'm having a certain conversation and you see people,
Speaker 2: it's just you have to be aware of you and
Speaker 2: okay with being you. Yes, I like it's coming from
Speaker 2: a good place. If it's coming from a good place,
Speaker 2: I should be able to say it. If I'm speaking
Speaker 2: it in love, I believe people will receive it. Sometimes
Speaker 2: they won't, and I have to be okay with that too,
Speaker 2: because I don't believe going I should have said I
Speaker 2: should have I shouldn't have went along with that, I
Speaker 2: shouldn't have agreed to it. It's not what I wanted
Speaker 2: to do, it's not how I felt.
Speaker 1: True, And I think that's the key to even reducing
Speaker 1: the anxiety. And some of our anxiety is self induced
Speaker 1: because we won't say it even afraid, you know, so
Speaker 1: I totally, I totally totally get that. Thank you for
Speaker 1: sharing that while I was trying to stay focused on
Speaker 1: I love you your album, but I love all the
Speaker 1: life moments and the gems that you give. Is congratulations
Speaker 1: for your single Positive that was Grammy nominated and you
Speaker 1: actually want to NAACP Image Award for that song Positive,
Speaker 1: and y'all, the song Positive is the truth and you
Speaker 1: can see it in Erica's face and her countenance, in
Speaker 1: her the fruit of her life actually speaks to that.
Speaker 1: So congratulations to that. How you have fun, you have
Speaker 1: your choices. I love with just there you got some
Speaker 1: freedom and I think I'm just I think I keep
Speaker 1: maybe if this interview keeps going back to the freedom
Speaker 1: and being bold and courageous for a reason, can you
Speaker 1: share with us on that even like I said, the
Speaker 1: big hair, the colorful hair, the makeup, everybody in the video,
Speaker 1: what's having fun.
Speaker 2: Yes, I think freedom is infectious, you know what I mean?
Speaker 2: When I am free, then I give other people license
Speaker 2: to be free. You know, growing up churchy and growing
Speaker 2: up Church of God in Christ, you can live your
Speaker 2: life with this tagline of I don't want them to
Speaker 2: be mad. I don't want them to understand, not understand,
Speaker 2: you know what I mean. Every creative, God given, beautiful,
Speaker 2: amazing idea is followed up by who but are they
Speaker 2: gonna get mad? And I just think that you do
Speaker 2: the creativity a disservice by putting it in a box
Speaker 2: of people's misunderstanding. So I choose not to do it.
Speaker 2: You know, I just choose to be free. And in
Speaker 2: that song I say it all over and over again,
Speaker 2: I choose to be I know who I am, and
Speaker 2: I know I know the difference between the two. I
Speaker 2: know who's on the throne, on the throne of my life.
Speaker 2: He tells me all the wrong left and when to
Speaker 2: go right. He's the King, he's the God, he's the biggest,
Speaker 2: he's the truth, he's the life, he's the realest. When
Speaker 2: he tells me he loves me, I feel it. Ay,
Speaker 2: you know those lyrics have become true for me. And
Speaker 2: I lived them before I sang them, so now that
Speaker 2: I'm singing them, I can share them with such passion.
Speaker 2: And that's why I knew this record had to be
Speaker 2: called I Love You. And it's not just an album,
Speaker 2: It is a movement. People are afraid of love. They're
Speaker 2: scared of love. They don't understand it. But I say,
Speaker 2: go back to the source. Go back to the fact
Speaker 2: that God is love, you know what I mean. Go
Speaker 2: back to the fact that we say love is patient,
Speaker 2: Love is kind, for God so loved the world that
Speaker 2: he gaves gives, you know.
Speaker 3: What I mean.
Speaker 2: Love takes its time, Love keeps no record of wrong right.
Speaker 2: Love doesn't want around with his fists up. Don't you
Speaker 2: hurt me? I love, you can't hurt me.
Speaker 1: That's so good with this album. Did you feel pressure?
Speaker 1: You've been in the game a long time. Are you
Speaker 1: still feeling pressure?
Speaker 2: What did I feel? I feel like I always have
Speaker 2: to pay attention to what has been done, but also
Speaker 2: prepare for what is next. One of my prayers that
Speaker 2: will pray pretty regularly, especially at my church, is Lord,
Speaker 2: prepare me for what you have prepared for.
Speaker 1: No, I just you said, Lord, prepare me, So I
Speaker 1: was ready.
Speaker 2: When no, prepare me for what you have prepared for me?
Speaker 3: Got it?
Speaker 2: You know what I mean?
Speaker 1: Ye finished?
Speaker 2: I can walk into this next season freely. I did.
Speaker 2: If I can be honest, I will say I spent
Speaker 2: a lot of time with my vocal coach and some
Speaker 2: time in therapy because when I first started doing the
Speaker 2: solo career, I was still doing Mary Mary, I was
Speaker 2: doing the reality show. I had just had a baby,
Speaker 2: I had just started the church and just started the
Speaker 2: radio show. So I was overwhelmed and my body was stretched.
Speaker 2: I was like a rubber band about to pop. And
Speaker 2: most of the times when I got up to sing,
Speaker 2: I was just hoping my voice showed up, and a
Speaker 2: lot of times it did not, partially because I was
Speaker 2: way too nervous, partially because I wasn't resting enough. I
Speaker 2: knew I was supposed to keep going, but I probably
Speaker 2: should have taken some time to just rest and settle myself.
Speaker 2: But you know, when you're doing a reality show, they
Speaker 2: push you. So that was that which I'm not mad
Speaker 2: at because I said yes, So I can't be mad
Speaker 2: at them if I said yes to But during this
Speaker 2: process of getting ready for this record, and you know,
Speaker 2: the pandemic, which gave me time and space. Yes, I
Speaker 2: was able to really grow. I feel so much more
Speaker 2: comfortable with my voice. I feel like I've been in
Speaker 2: the best voice that I've been in my life. I'm
Speaker 2: like I said, this is the first time I've listened
Speaker 2: and not cringed a little bit or not, you know,
Speaker 2: like a lot. Wow.
Speaker 1: That okay. So I am excited to go back and
Speaker 1: continue to listen and listen with this information, with this
Speaker 1: knowledge that you're giving us from the standpoint, you feel
Speaker 1: more confident and like you said, just assured. And this
Speaker 1: is my voice and this is this is what it is.
Speaker 1: People don't you were trained in classical music? Did you trained?
Speaker 1: I did?
Speaker 2: I did so. I went to college for about three
Speaker 2: four years before I left to do music and study classical.
Speaker 2: But when I first you know, when you're singing in church,
Speaker 2: you don't use that part of your voice. Started marry Mary.
Speaker 2: I didn't use that part of my voice, and so
Speaker 2: I felt a little intimidated because everybody else was. And
Speaker 2: I was like, really, my strong suit, you know, I
Speaker 2: do it, but there's another side of me that I
Speaker 2: would love to share. But you know, gospel art are
Speaker 2: if you come out soft and beautiful. They waiting for
Speaker 2: the holler. They don't stand up until you holler. They
Speaker 2: don't stand up until you do. Seventy five million runs.
Speaker 2: So you feel this bit of and yes, even where
Speaker 2: I am learning to be comfortable, that's what I was
Speaker 2: dealing with. That's where my mind was, not where I
Speaker 2: am now. But I'm aware that the enemy is always
Speaker 2: trying to tear you down. He's always trying to get
Speaker 2: you off course. And part of getting back on course
Speaker 2: is feeling comfortable in my own skin, embracing who I
Speaker 2: am and when I started when I didn't start there
Speaker 2: during the pandemic, but I went during the pandemic because
Speaker 2: I was like, nothing is wrong, but some ain't right.
Speaker 2: And I believe that God was preparing me to pay
Speaker 2: attention to me differently so I could guess, I love
Speaker 2: you record you know.
Speaker 3: That's so good.
Speaker 2: I feel really good.
Speaker 1: We know of Erica Campbell as I stayed at one
Speaker 1: half of the duo Mary Mary and Mary Mary was
Speaker 1: able to cross over into what people will call secular right.
Speaker 1: And then you, as a solo artist, you have been
Speaker 1: able to do the same thing to someone out here
Speaker 1: who feels like by the way, y'all, they didn't purposely
Speaker 1: do it. I don't think y'all purposely was like, Okay,
Speaker 1: we're gonna put it, make a track beat so we
Speaker 1: could make sure we're on R and B. The reason
Speaker 1: why I say that feel all right? You know you
Speaker 1: spit number one, you know, on the Billboard Gospel charts.
Speaker 1: But then there's possibilities with other songs on the record.
Speaker 1: It can be an R and B and let's keep
Speaker 1: it real. There's been some criticism of folks that live
Speaker 1: on the R and B charts and the gospel charts.
Speaker 1: I get to say, I think it's hater talk to
Speaker 1: me me.
Speaker 2: I just think they don't understand a lot of wrong teaching.
Speaker 2: A little bit of jealousy mixed in there as well,
Speaker 2: but mostly wrong teaching on where our light below? You
Speaker 2: know what I mean. If we turn all the lights
Speaker 2: out in this room, it just takes one light to
Speaker 2: dispel the darkness we belong in those spaces we are
Speaker 2: supposed to go there. I wasn't mad when they told
Speaker 2: me they were playing blaming on an alcohol and play
Speaker 2: God in me. That didn't bother me because somebody heard
Speaker 2: God and me it didn't minimize the God in me,
Speaker 2: because what if somebody said before or after? And we've
Speaker 2: got to remember, if we're trying to share this light
Speaker 2: with people that don't know, we've got to go in
Speaker 2: spacess and be aware that there may be somebody that
Speaker 2: won't understand it. They didn't all love Jesus. It was
Speaker 2: the Christians that said crucifying. So it's okay, listen.
Speaker 1: What's great too? I can imagine if you're walking in
Speaker 1: the airport. You know, y'all, we also get the chance
Speaker 1: to hear Erica every morning on Get up Erica a
Speaker 1: listenership of seven million viewers.
Speaker 2: So what I'm.
Speaker 1: Getting to is, when you're walking in the airport, because
Speaker 1: of who we know you to be as the artist,
Speaker 1: and now who people will get to hear you also be.
Speaker 1: Every day, you're gonna have people from all walks of
Speaker 1: life walking up to you. Right, And I'm like, and
Speaker 1: then people, oh my gosh, your music touched me in
Speaker 1: such an amazing way. But you have a way. I
Speaker 1: think that's amazing. It speaks to who you are. Because
Speaker 1: she got that site. She's from Inglewood, so she's got
Speaker 1: what you might think, but don't stereotype Inglewood. It's not
Speaker 1: all that, it's not all the it's not none of that.
Speaker 1: It's not that either. But I just want to speak
Speaker 1: to Remember I said, your music lives on so many genres.
Speaker 1: You know, how is that when the people walk up
Speaker 1: to you and you're like, Okay, you definitely on R
Speaker 1: and B side. You're in the gossip.
Speaker 2: You know what it feels like love to me? You
Speaker 2: write songs and you create songs, and you hope and
Speaker 2: prade that it touches and reaches people.
Speaker 1: You know what I mean.
Speaker 2: I'm talking to them early in the morning, hoping that
Speaker 2: I'm saying something that they believe.
Speaker 3: Leave.
Speaker 2: I always ask is this music usable? Can they use
Speaker 2: it in their life? What I'm saying, can they use it?
Speaker 2: Can they apply it to a situation or a circumstance
Speaker 2: or even a problem. And so when they come up
Speaker 2: and say that, then I feel like, yeah, Erica, you
Speaker 2: did your job. So I give them a hug or
Speaker 2: talk to them or take a picture because I appreciate
Speaker 2: the fact that I have the opportunity to share with
Speaker 2: the world.
Speaker 1: You know what I mean.
Speaker 2: There was a time when I wanted to when I
Speaker 2: was you know, sitting on a bunk bed holding a
Speaker 2: faultless spray starch can, hoping for the opportunity to sing
Speaker 2: for the world. And so now that I actually get
Speaker 2: to do it, I never forget that time. I never
Speaker 2: forget the apartment. I never forget that time when you
Speaker 2: know Raggedy Toyota Turseell, waiting for opportunity. I never forget
Speaker 2: when my lunch was a boiled egg. You know what
Speaker 2: I'm saying, Well, I'm doing here hoping for my chance.
Speaker 2: I never forget listening to stand in my car going gosh,
Speaker 2: I thought I was doing everything right. Why is it
Speaker 2: taking so long? I started singing at five, my first
Speaker 2: ho to come out till I was twenty eight. So
Speaker 2: that's a lot of time, you know. But if you
Speaker 2: are patient with God's time, and you remember that when
Speaker 2: I see people, I go, you waited for this, You
Speaker 2: pray for this. So I'm tired sometimes I'm overwhelmed sometimes
Speaker 2: and you know it's not always easy, but I'm going
Speaker 2: you pray, pray for this opportunity. Okay. Then my prayer
Speaker 2: becomes God, give me strength to do this, to know
Speaker 2: when to set boundaries. And my team knows if they
Speaker 2: hear me go all right. That means I know I'm empty.
Speaker 2: I don't stay beyond my capacity. I understand my capacity.
Speaker 2: So sometimes I can say yes, sometimes I cannot. You know,
Speaker 2: my church at Kelly Worship, at the end of service,
Speaker 2: I go to the back and I shake hands. Well,
Speaker 2: some days I go I don't have enough today. I
Speaker 2: don't want to respond wrong. I don't want them to
Speaker 2: see I don't have enough of that today. So husby
Speaker 2: or worship leader, you handle it because we got to,
Speaker 2: you know, say goodbye and thank you for coming. But
Speaker 2: I'm very aware of Like I said, I know who
Speaker 2: I am, and i know I'm not.
Speaker 1: Wearing many hats, wife, mother, sister, friend, cousin. Okay, artist,
Speaker 1: radio host and first lady of Cali Worship. And you
Speaker 1: just named something. I wondered, could you just be there
Speaker 1: and just be first Lady or do people be like, Okay,
Speaker 1: that's the artist. You know you be in that assignment,
Speaker 1: in that role of first I.
Speaker 2: Need less to have conversations with CC Winings, who does
Speaker 2: it well, and with Haard Clark Shared, who does it well.
Speaker 2: It is not easy, but I've got a great, great
Speaker 2: staff at the church.
Speaker 1: She won't be singing every Sunday because you got a record.
Speaker 2: But you know, I do alter call and which means
Speaker 2: you're gonna exort and sing or you know, or if
Speaker 2: I do our faith declaration before offering time and sometimes
Speaker 2: the power and presence moves or is that a ta
Speaker 2: end of what the worship team was singing? So they
Speaker 2: started singing this song called you did more than I
Speaker 2: ever expected. That song took me down. Yeah, it took
Speaker 2: me down. So yes, sometimes not the artist, but just Erica,
Speaker 2: who loves to sing for Jesus, just comes out. But
Speaker 2: it's never planned. It was never like, oh, lady Erica
Speaker 2: Campbell is doing dot dot dot. I think the first
Speaker 2: time we're doing that is for this album. We were
Speaker 2: trying to decide where the release was going to be
Speaker 2: and what are we going to do with at a
Speaker 2: venue on My husband was like, do it at the church.
Speaker 1: I was like, oh, go on, I love that, and
Speaker 1: y'all she is on tour as we speak.
Speaker 2: Yes, so I've done New York at Sony Hall, which
Speaker 2: was phenomenal, and then we did DC Atlanta, Chicago or
Speaker 2: do La Sacramento. You know, the whole thing. You know
Speaker 2: how it goes, just follow me on social media, you'll see,
Speaker 2: well a.
Speaker 1: Lot do you feel like it's the last album? Do
Speaker 1: you ever feel that way? Like, Okay, I just want
Speaker 1: to be home, y'all, y'all, this is this is it?
Speaker 2: Okay, I love that, I love what I do. I
Speaker 2: absolutely love it.
Speaker 3: Well.
Speaker 1: As we say in church, I won't belabor the time,
Speaker 1: but I'm warning because it's helping me just for balance.
Speaker 1: With everything that you do, it has to take an
Speaker 1: understanding spouse to cover you, push you, and be like
Speaker 1: I got you, because he like, I know she's coming
Speaker 1: back home anyway, you know, and as a pastor's wife,
Speaker 1: how has that been?
Speaker 2: So he is very, very understanding, so supportive of all
Speaker 2: that I do. And if ever I'm going too long,
Speaker 2: he just hops on a plane. When we were in Atlanta,
Speaker 2: christ just turned nineteen, so he came and you know,
Speaker 2: we had brunch with her and hung out and went
Speaker 2: to an event together smack dab in the middle of
Speaker 2: this promo schedule. So we make our moments. He was like,
Speaker 2: I'm the boss, and you're the boss. When we need
Speaker 2: to stop and see each other, that's what we'll do.
Speaker 2: And so using wisdom of when we need to take
Speaker 2: that time, you know, to reconnect, to make sure that
Speaker 2: that we strengthen each other, because that's how I see it.
Speaker 2: I see us as strengthening each other and then you know,
Speaker 2: we go out and conquer the world. He always says,
Speaker 2: make it count. He was like, just don't leave for nothing.
Speaker 2: And sometimes when it's hard, you know, and we don't
Speaker 2: want to leave each other, or there's something going on
Speaker 2: because now Zaiah's performing, she's dancing, my son is producing,
Speaker 2: he's in the YOLO, which is Youth Orchestra of Los Angeles. Uh,
Speaker 2: you know, he says, when you leave, just make it count.
Speaker 2: So sometimes even if there's a little sadness in my heart,
Speaker 2: I'll just go all right, baby, Yes, I'll make it
Speaker 2: count because you have to. You know, when you commit
Speaker 2: to something, sometimes you say yes when you don't realize
Speaker 2: I'm gonna be tired by the time this gig comes.
Speaker 2: And I honor my commitments and uh, yeah, we just
Speaker 2: make it.
Speaker 1: Erica, thank you so much for checking in.
Speaker 3: Uh.
Speaker 1: The foundation of checking in is about mental health. And
Speaker 1: so if you feel like someone could be tuning in
Speaker 1: today who's just been maybe having or feeling like they've
Speaker 1: been have some debilitating anxiety or just depression that is
Speaker 1: making them stuck feeling stuck. Can you speak into them?
Speaker 2: Yes, I would say that life and death lie in
Speaker 2: the power of the tongue, but I'll take it even further.
Speaker 2: It can lie in your thoughts life and death. And
Speaker 2: you can decide to keep your mind stayed on him
Speaker 2: and he'll keep you in perfect peace, and you can
Speaker 2: renew your mind and also go to therapy. But you
Speaker 2: can make some different choices of what you're watching, what
Speaker 2: you're seeing, and what you are saying about yourself. What
Speaker 2: you say to yourself about yourself is so important. I
Speaker 2: speak life, health and healing. I speak the love of
Speaker 2: God over your life, whatever it is that's plaguing you,
Speaker 2: the thoughts that won't go away, that keep you up
Speaker 2: in night. I pray the peace of God so that
Speaker 2: you rest. His word says he wants his beloved to
Speaker 2: have rest. We are beloved of God. You are fearfully
Speaker 2: and wonderfully made. Rest in that trust that say that
Speaker 2: to yourself. Shut out the voices you know. Whatever you
Speaker 2: need to do, therapy, your prayer circle, your village, just
Speaker 2: don't try to do it by yourself. You don't have
Speaker 2: to do this by yourself. You know, know that there
Speaker 2: are people praying for you and wishing you well. And
Speaker 2: I hope you shine. I hope you thrive. I hope
Speaker 2: you overcome. I hope you walk in your wealthy place
Speaker 2: and your divine purpose and look cute doing it.
Speaker 1: Come on, y'ah, listen. I feel like I'm going to
Speaker 1: sleep good tonight. I don't think I snore, but I
Speaker 1: think I might even get a little snoring. I mean
Speaker 1: happy best. I'm almost I don't know if I snore
Speaker 1: or not. Whoever is listening to and if that prayer
Speaker 1: was for you and her speaking life into you and
Speaker 1: over you. I pray that you're leap. Tonight is some
Speaker 1: of the best sleep you have ever had, y'all. Please
Speaker 1: make sure you check out her new album, I Love You,
Speaker 1: her Fall Tour. Feel alright, y'all, make.
Speaker 3: Sure if you can.
Speaker 1: If you can check her out, go ahead and hang out. Okay,
Speaker 1: you could be ratchet.
Speaker 2: It's fine, it's fine. You're good.
Speaker 1: You're good, You good, you good.
Speaker 2: Thank you for checking in a pleasure.
Speaker 1: I love you, I love you. I'll see you soon.
Speaker 1: See there, I told y'all, listen, Erica Campbell, just that's
Speaker 1: just what she is. She's such a gift, and she
Speaker 1: just has a way about herself that just makes you
Speaker 1: feel better better, and she lives what she sings about.
Speaker 1: And that's why when you're around her, if you're sad,
Speaker 1: you'll become happy, You'll be strengthened, you'll be inspired. And
Speaker 1: so I am just so praying that this episode does
Speaker 1: for you what the conversation with her has done for me. Yeah,
Speaker 1: there are moments where I have guests where I get
Speaker 1: a lot out of the conversation too, all right, So
Speaker 1: just know that I love y'all so much, and thank
Speaker 1: y'all so much for supporting checking in and downloading the episodes.
Speaker 1: I cannot wait for twenty twenty four. I'm already anticipating
Speaker 1: twenty twenty four and the good things that we've got
Speaker 1: in store. So be patient with me as I make
Speaker 1: some pivots and all that stuff. We're working, We're working,
Speaker 1: We're working, all right.
Speaker 3: I love you.
Speaker 1: Checking In with Michelle Williams is a production of iHeartRadio
Speaker 1: and The Black Effect. For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit
Speaker 1: the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcast, or wherever you listen to
Speaker 1: your favorite shows.