Interview: LaChanze Is 'Feeling Good' About Her New EP, Highline Ballroom Concert, and Upcoming National Tour!

Tony-Award winning actress, LaChanze, has been hard at work on her new EP "Feeling Good" and is gearing up for a national tour that will share the music of her heart and soul. Before hitting the road, LaChanze will treat New Yorkers to a special performance at the Highline Ballroom on Monday, February 27th to celebrate the release of her EP on Friday, February 24th, 2017.

BroadwayWorld had the incredible opportunity to speak with the lovely and gifted actress, singer, and dancer about her journey recording the EP; her musical influences; and the importance of inspiring hope through music and creative self-expression.

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Congratulations on this very exciting time!

What has your journey in creating this EP and the creative process been like?

I've had an amazing record producer that I've been working with - Michael Olatuja (a very well-known bassist) - and have been so excited since the moment he signed on! We've been in rehearsals with the band and getting the tracks together - it's been very exciting! I'm used to having people write for me from shows that I've been in, so it's amazing to work on original pieces.

A lot of the EP is based on your personal life experiences. Can you talk about some of those times? Can you highlight a few of them?

I talk about my some of my favorite music from the late '60's and '70's - music that has impacted me. I also talk about my late husband - I talk about losing him. I explore how I've been able to make it through that tragedy and how my children have helped me get through it and persevere during tough times.

Who are some of your biggest musical influences?

Dianne Reeves, a famous jazz singer, would be my biggest influence. Also in that list would be Barbra Streisand and Diane Schuur.

What would you like audiences to take away from your music?

"Feeling Good" at the Highline Ballroom will be an evening of song meant to uplift and inspire. I'm hoping that the music will take people into their own personal journeys and help them through whatever they are dealing with at the moment. I hope that the music will bring audiences comfort and faith.

How do you hope to connect with audiences on your upcoming national tour?

I'm looking forward to traveling to new cities and having people get to know me. I hope to also inspire people to look at the Broadway community and all that what we have to offer. I can't wait to receive feedback and am overjoyed to be setting out on this journey.

Describe how this experience differs from performing with a large company on stage.

I am learning a lot about the responsibility of managing your own project. I am not just the artist for hire, but am the one creating the material. I am working on music and telling my personal story and sharing my talent on stage. I'm invigorated -- I'm writing the lines instead of being given the lines to memorize. I can't wait to see everyone on the road!

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Please visit HighlineBallroom.com for tickets.

LaCHANZE is Broadway and concert star who won the 2006 Tony Award for "Best Actress in a Musical" in the original cast of The Color Purple. Other Broadway credits include If/Then, Once on This Island (Tony and Drama Desk nominations), Ragtime, Company and Uptown It's Hot. She starred Off-Broadway in Dessa Rose (Obie Award and Drama Desk Award nomination), The Bubbly Black Girl Sheds Her Chameleon Skin (Drama Desk nomination) and Inked Baby. Other theater credits include The Wiz, Baby, From the Mississippi Delta andSpunk. Film credits include The Help, Side Effects, Breaking Upwards, Confessions of a Shopaholic, Disney's Hercules, For Love or Money andLeap of Faith. Television credits include "Person of Interest," "Handel's Messiah Rocks" (Emmy Award), "Lucy" (CBS TV movie), "Law & Order: SVU," "Sex and the City," "New York Undercover" and "The Cosby Show." Her debut childrens book Little Diva was called "endearing" and "sophisticated" by Booklist.

Photo Credit: Jason Weston at Dirty Sugar Photography