“It’s an exciting and challenging time to be a creative,” Michele tells Billboard, “because it’s important to not be afraid to talk about what’s happening, to talk about being woke vs. being authentic. I just wanted to write a song in which I’m simply celebrating being strong at a time like this. The truth is that if we don’t lift each other up, nobody else will.”
Available here now, “Strong Black Woman” was co-written by Michele and produced by Dee Hill and longtime collaborators Four Kings Productions. The song will be featured on Michele’s sixth studio album, Out of Control. Set for release on April 13, 2018, the 12-track project will be issued on Michele’s Rich Hipster label and distributed via Rich Hipster/Four Kings.
“Strong Black Woman” signals Michele’s return to music after issuing a series of poems for free on social media, beginning with “No Political Genius.” Talking with Billboard after the Inaugural Ball, Michele said, “A song wasn’t the right thing to do now. I didn’t feel like singing.” She does now. Upcoming performances include the House of Blues in Chicago on Dec. 28.
Before sharing more details about Out of Control and her post-inaugural outlook, Michele noted, “People assumed I lost work, stopped performing and wouldn’t see the light of day again. That’s the reason why I chose ‘Strong Black Woman’ as the first single.”
What inspired the album’s title?
The words “out of control” speak for themselves. Coming off the shock of Hillary Clinton’s loss and the inauguration, there was this sense of complete loss of control, what’s really happening? That was actually the beginning of this album’s writing process. I began writing about my personal experiences from that moment on. I did a lot of soul searching and listening, trying to understand how I could …
