top of page

In the Spotlight with Kelly Rowland


Randall Slavin (Courtesy of Universal Motown)

Nearly a decade after teaming up with Nelly to record the widely acclaimed “Dilemma”, Kelly Rowland has once again joined forces with the rapper to collaborate on his newly released single, “Gone”.

“It’s always easy working with Nelly,” Rowland recounts the experience. ‘“Gone” came about when I was climbing into my bed one night as [producer] Jim Jonsin called and said ‘I need you to come down to the studio and lay this down’. I guess Nelly heard Jim trying to persuade me in the background, so I literally went up there, laid the track down, and my mom came with me at midnight and hung out in the studio until 2:30 in the morning. We had a good time and it was very easy.”

Nelly remains one among countless artists to have collaborated with Rowland throughout her solo career, with Solange Knowles, Snoop Dogg, and David Guetta topping the list. More recently, the singer was featured on Italian DJ, Alex Gaudino’s, upbeat dance track, “What A Feeling”.

While recording for other artists, Rowland’s concurrent work on her third solo album has also welcomed diverse collaborations, ranging from Lil Wayne to David Guetta. “I’m still gathering artists,” Rowland admits. “When I’m recording, I’ll hear somebody’s name or voice on [the song]. It’s just that simple.”

Released in early March, “Motivation” featuring Lil Wayne, serves as the album’s fourth and lead single in the US. Of this decision, the former Destiny’s Child member comments, “I’m very confident about this song. When I first heard it, I thought ‘This is hot!’. It feels sexy and it’s about to be spring break, so I thought it was perfect.” Its accompanying music video is slated to premiere on BET’s 106 & Park the week of April 4th.

The track exposes the record’s sensual vibe, though the singer reveals that the album embraces a variety of emotions.

“You experience a sensual side of the album, an empowering side of the album, and a painful side of the album,” Rowland shares. “It’s an emotional rollercoaster. It’s the same things that I feel women go through or that I went through, so I’m really excited for everybody to hear everything. I was inspired by so many different types of music, as well as the producers and writers on the album. When we put our heads together, we were all open to suggestions amongst each other, and that’s what made it so beautiful. We were celebrating music and creativity, and I was celebrating being a woman and feeling that power.”

More than anything, Rowland claims that fans can expect to have fun with the forthcoming work. “This album is so much fun when I sit back and listen to it,” she expresses. “I’m still in the process of sequencing the record, and that’s probably the hardest thing because you want everything to flow so well. I’ve also done small interludes, which is a lot of fun.”

The album is expected to drop in late August or September of 2011, with a promo tour in the works. As for the much-anticipated name, Rowland teases, “I have the title, but I’m not discussing it just yet.”

Credit: Kelly Rowland, Margeaux Rawson, Universal Motown, photographer: Randall Slavin (Courtesy of Universal Motown)

© Veronika Tacheva, 2011. All rights reserved. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without written permission from the author is strictly prohibited.

Featured Posts
Follow Us
  • Facebook Basic Square
  • Twitter Basic Square
bottom of page