Now that Glorious is finally going to be out in the world, what are you most looking forward to?
I just can’t wait to get on the road and just feel that connection. I’m even excited to have those shows that might be a little weird. I look forward to having those experiences, because I’ve seen that happen many times. It’s new for me doing it myself, but I’ve been on some kind of tour my entire adult life. I know exactly what it looks like. For me and my kids, this is a huge part of what my whole family knows really well. So, it’ll be fun to do that myself. I really just love being on stage, traveling, and seeing the world. So what could be more exciting than the idea of actually touring the album?
The album is so dynamic, it really covers a wide range of genres and styles. What songs are you most excited to perform?
I can’t wait to perform “Romeo,” because that one is just going to be really fun live. The most challenging one, actually, for me to sing live is, “Talk About Love,” because of where it sits in my register, I just have to be so focused when I’m singing it. I’m just excited about all of them, though. They’re all my babies.
You initially wrote 26 songs while working on the album, will there be more music on the way?
Definitely. I didn’t do this to then just stop. I did it because I love it so much, and I hope I get to be writing music until I die. It will always be something I’m doing. But I hope that I can do it in a way that can connect me with different artists that I admire. So yeah, there’s definitely going to be more music. If I have anything to say about it, there will be.
You’re working on a new project with Mindy Kaling in which you play the president of a pro basketball team. I’m curious if recording music and tapping into that side of yourself has changed anything for you as an actor?
Spiritually, it did unlock something. I always go for weird metaphors, but it’s like a rose bush that hasn’t started blooming yet, and there are all these little buds just waiting to open. Once one starts to go, then they all open up into this big beautiful thing. That’s what it feels like. It’s made the focus of my acting more specific, because I don’t want to be doing things that aren’t bringing me the same sense of fulfillment.
When you think about the things in your life that matter to you creatively, and when you’re doing what you love the most, it kind of becomes a domino effect into everything else. The choices become different. Like do I want to make this film if I don’t have that kind of deep connection to it? If not, then it makes the no’s easier. Choosing to make the album did actually affect that. It’s liberating.
What are you proudest of when it comes to Glorious?
I did what I said I was going to do, and that feels like a pinch-me moment. There were so many opportunities for me to say “this is too much,” or “I don’t have the time for this.” I could’ve done that, and instead, I chose to stick with it, and I’m so happy that I did. I just didn’t realize how much I needed it spiritually.