All right. We are here with
the legendary ladies of escape.
Ladies, Can you believe we are
here 30 years later celebrating
an amazing catalog, by the way,
thank you. That's still going hard in 2023.
Thank you so
much. So I feel like that's what
brought us here, taking it back
to pandemic times, the versus battles
where everything.
We were all looking forward to
it when they said escaping SWV
was about to go head to head.
We went wild, yes.
So tell us how all of that
came to fruition to lead to a
reality show on Bravo. Well,
I mean, the reality show really came from the
verses. Yeah. Mona Scott Young,
she, you know, knew that it was
a lot of hype around the verses.
And so she came back later with this idea
to do the reality show together of us,
you know, having a performance and all
of this stuff. We weren't necessarily
so hyped about this.
But OK, so candy and tiny,
you guys have done reality
show for years now.
Yeah, very consistent basis.
Tamika, how did you feel
entering this space?
Because, you know, had this space.
Now I'm just playing. It was,
you know, this is my second rodeo, so
I know how to mount up on
the horse a little bit.
I just don't know how to stay on.
So the Queens of
R&B, we see there are some
people falling off the horse a little bit,
only two episodes in, but I feel like
that's what we have come to expect from
reality TV stars just about
the ride. Just the emotional
toll that the ride takes with
this is real life entertainment for us.
But you live in this, no, it's definitely
real life. That's the cool
thing about our group anyway.
We are very transparent
even if the cameras around we
still going to say how we feel.
And we do have a lot of inner turmoil that it
really just has never been totally
cleared up. And obviously it played out
on television and we didn't necessarily,
we don't necessarily want it to be that
way all the time. But when
you are transparent, you can't
help for people to see what's
happening on the show.
It's really about the two groups coming
together trying to make this concert.
Obviously as we coming together,
you got two strong groups,
two groups of strong women.
Sometimes you're gonna bump heads, right? And
it did get
a little, a little tough.
But I think for
me the toughest part was
just the entertainment inner
turmoil within our own group.
And that's the
thing. So you don't know if
they have their own things going
on and then you have yours.
Let me tell you guys had me in
a chokehold trying to prepare
for this interview because
I said Ohh Lord, when I say
it, who do I say first,
shape or SWB first if I messed
it up? Oh no. What's the title
is SWV escape, Queens of
health, Queens of comedy.
Barbie. It's a comedy show. Yeah.
And you know, that's the name
of the show. So yeah,
we're not really tripping
off of that. And so as we
navigate this space, we're
watching this play out and we see
you just coming off of Real
Housewives of Atlanta. How is
that for you going from
situation to situation?
Because all eyes was OK, Indio housewives.
So how were you navigating
that space of just the cameras always on?
It's tough. I
mean, I had to actually go
straight from filming this show
into filming housewives season 15.
That's not out yet,
but it was really tough because
obviously it was a lot going on on SWX
scape show and they go straight into
filming that show with no breaking between.
That's tough.
But overall I feel like with my group
it's this drama is a little bit more
serious because this is our legacy.
Like you said, it's been 30 years
even when the show is gone escape.
Still can be here performing,
doing concerts.
So the things that happen with my group,
it stresses me out more.
And just simply because, like I always
tell people, we grew up together and
escape was really my learning years of
helping me become the woman that I am.
You know, when other people have their
college years or their high school years.
I wasn't high school when I met them.
So they were the years that molded me,
the years that other people are in college.
We were on tour, you know,
touring the world.
Um, so those are the,
you know, this situation,
just way more sensitive. And
we see a lot of people on social media,
they talk about all this is scripted.
This is not real.
Not on this show for you guys.
This is your real life.
And then we have a bloodline
connection to this thing,
you know what I'm saying?
So this isn't like we're doing something,
then we're walking off set and we're smiling.
This is a true emotional toll.
Talk about that aspect
of seeing this play out.
You know,
the old saying is how's business
stays in the house.
Yeah, this isn't that. And so
as we continue to navigate that space,
how do we rebound from that with
kind of, you know, collecting
ourselves because you guys took
that break, but then you come back
and you're like, wait a minute,
it's still not handled. So
you guys are trying to
show other ladies like you
can come back together, but it's hard work.
I don't know. We showed
him that you could come back together.
We came back together.
There's three people right here,
OK? I did it. The things
that are happening on the
show are still happening.
That's the thing when you have
a real situation in real life,
when you connect it,
have a true connection,
when the cameras are all that,
this is still going on.
So the things that were
happening during filming,
so we we filmed this last summer,
it's that we're still dealing with it,
you know, and
yeah, it's almost summer and we're still
dealing with dealing with a
lot of this stuff. So I mean,
I guess just as women as you know,
like you said with.
Family and all those different
things playing into it.
It's like, you know,
you just have to be real about
it and that know that it's a
constant work in progress.
And so I think that's important
to hone in on because as we look
at the series of reality TV,
there are so many different reality shows
being filmed in Atlanta. We're
watching for the entertainment value,
right? But at
the same time, there is a group
of women out there who are saying,
ladies, we want to try to get
it together. We want to see
positivity. We want to see,
you know, a resolution. What
do you say to that audience that's
rooting for? The positivity,
we want to see the same
thing they want to see.
Yeah, we we're hoping and praying
that we can come back to that point.
But until then,
we're just gonna leave it out.
Well, the positivity I think that
we are now trying to show is that,
you know, we three are still moving
along as a unit and we're still doing
all the things that we've set out to do.
You know, we are missing the Member,
but we are still moving and we're still,
you know, doing doing big things,
you know, together.
So we have a lot of concerts that
are lined up from now all the
way through the summer. Yeah.
And so with that being said, you know,
you just have to keep making it. Do
it. Yeah. You know what it's saying?
One monkey don't stop no show.
It's effect over here,
you know, I'm saying.
No.
And so now we are
in, you know, sort of celebration mode,
but we see you guys trying to
make this tour happen. Where
does that stand? And as far
as also with you guys with new music,
we know the harmonies of
the 90s that's still there.
You guys are still carrying that legacy.
But can we expect, you know, anything new?
Are we in the booth together
individually? What's going on?
I think individually we have things
like Tamika has a record
that she's about to drop, OK. I
had to drop it. For real.
Yes, she's she's gonna drop.
And she was talking about it.
So we're gonna make a drop.
It make me really have to drop. Yeah,
yeah, I know. And
well, you know, Tasha is already
dropping her project soon.
Problem we are writers,
everybody in the group.
We have plenty of songs that
just sitting in the vault.
So yeah, we're probably drop
some of those songs or whatever.
But we didn't really come into this with
the intention of doing a new escape album.
But do we have music we
could potentially put out?
Yes. I don't want you.
Go ahead.
You working on different artists right now?
Well, yeah, I'm working
on my children mainly.
I have a another artist named Annie Tracy.
She's also about to be released.
She's amazing.
Then I got my daughters unique.
We're about to drop up a
EP on her small short EP.
And then I got my son King.
You know, all of my kids
are doing something and
then me and candy do in areas.
Yes, eras. That's
my little, my little star in the making.
But yeah, me and candy also have some old
songs that we kind of played on the show,
and everybody's asking for the song,
so we're thinking about maybe trying
to release a few of them, you know?
So we have songs in the vault.
We just haven't decided to do
any music for escape right now.
But, you know.
Today. Give me the exclusive. OK,
we don't say we gonna put it out
here in the atmosphere. We're going
to say next fall, let's say 24.
You say never say never. I like that. Like
I like that we can, we can live with that and
especially as you guys, you know
you you're spending more time together but
you still do have your individual families
or individual businesses.
Candy we've seen you. You know,
people say reinvent yourself.
I don't think it's that.
I think it's showing the
legs of entrepreneurship, you know,
especially here in the Atlanta community
as we do celebrate women's History
Month. Just talk about the the work and
the tools to inspire other women to keep
themselves in the game if
something. Changes doesn't
mean that you have to,
you know, fade to black. Well,
exactly. Somebody said to me
the other day, they was like,
you're the queen of the pivot.
I was like, oh, I like that. But I think it's
just more so like,
if you want to have longevity,
you have to be able to have
multiple sources of income.
You have to be like constantly
reinventing yourself.
Like, you know,
when people fall in love with you,
for one thing, you know,
people easily get
tired of like, Oh yeah,
well, she's been doing that.
It's like when you keep hitting them
with something different, something new.
It never allows people a chance
to really get tired of you.
They may not like everything that you do.
Typically, it's going to be something
that connects with them. Yeah.
And so for me, I'm like all of us,
we all have so many things we want.
So why not do it?
I just don't believe in in telling
myself I can't do anything.
I'm always telling myself, all right.
My mom always say if you can conceive
the thought, you can make it happen.
So if it comes in my brain one
too many times, I'm like, oh,
I was supposed to do that.
And I just start, you know,
working to make it happen.
You know, people constantly have this.
Who's better?
And this person who's better than that?
Yeah, my thing is,
I don't care if anybody thinks that.
If somebody is better than me,
more talented, look better than me,
whatever they think I'm going to outwork you.
Work is the work that goes into it.
Speaking of that, we don't see groups
like this anymore, especially with the
harmony, with the longevity
with the lyrics. Lord, let's
think about the lyrics, the storytelling.
What do you guys think about
the state of R&B for the women
right now? That's funny.
Well, I think there are some women
that's really coming back strong and
representing for us what I think is
they're not any groups out there anymore.
So right now I'm developing a girl group,
younger young girl group that they can sign,
sign. So, but I do feel like R&B is
not the same as it was in the 90s,
meaning that, you know,
R&B used to control the, the chart,
you know, now it's hip hop.
Everything is wrapped is controlling
the chart or whatever,
which is great,
but I do love the women that's now really
standing out and representing the scissors,
the her Walker.
Free Linux. And yeah,
it's some women that's really,
you know stepping up and and like
letting it be known that we can do this.
Are you guys open to mentorship?
Yeah, of course, I mean.
I feel you. I always try to
give advice, but I don't really,
when they say mentorship, like, I'd
be feeling like I'm moving too much to hell,
like to be able to just sit with one person.
Well, I think it you
can do it, you know,
over the phone, you know,
just a call sometimes is enough,
you know, to give people, you know,
some kind of confidence or whatever
they need or just answer some
of their questions, you know,
so we could do that. One
thing I saw being talked about on the
Internet after the show was the ladies.
Look like they did well with
the coins. Things look like
they're living well years later.
Let's talk about the sustainability
and how we manage the fame to make
sure that we're secure for our
futures and secure for our families.
You guys have been a great example of that.
We've seen stories like the stories
of TLC will what happens when you guys
come into the industry adding young age.
But we do see that you guys have maintained
a very comfortable level of success.
Let's talk to new artists, especially
in Atlanta with all these new people.
Coming up on how to do that right.
I think maintaining one,
you gotta keep reaching.
You gotta keep trying new
things and you know evolving.
You know I'm saying it's just
like can we say, you know,
just doing try new things and and reaching.
If you feel like,
you know it's something you
want to do just keep you know
don't let it just be a thought.
You know for me you know I must
say I have a amazing husband
that helps with my stability.
You know I'm saying keeps me up here.
You know what I'm saying? Thank you.
And, you know, and I just,
I mean anything that I do is just additive.
Like, you know, just, you know,
to be creative because he pretty much,
you know, he's got my back,
you know what I'm saying? Yeah, well,
OK. There's nothing wrong with that. Yeah,
well, yeah, you know what I'm saying?
Yeah, that's our advice.
What would you say? I would say a lot of
people when they make it,
they want to show off what
change by cars it's like.
You know, real estate,
that's where the money is.
So just knowing that just showing
up for your friends that change is
not going to help you in 10 years.
Yeah, I think about is this
purchase is going to help me
and you know just think wisely
whenever you do that and just
educate yourself on finances.
I think I always tell people and
live below your means even though
you can afford that you know half
$1,000,000 house, $1,000,000 house.
It doesn't mean that's the one that you
need to get right now because people don't
understand when they get these loans.
You know 15 year, 30 year loan.
Just because you popping right now,
10 years from now,
1530 years from now doesn't mean you
can still afford that same type of note.
I remember when I first got my
house LL Cool J told me he was like
every time you get some money he
said put it towards the principal.
Like, so you can pay down what you own
the house so that you can own at least
one house was like because in this
industry everything is up and down.
So you always want to have at least one
house you own and one car that you own.
So that was like my goal to like
pay off my house as soon as I could.
And I feel like that really helped,
you know,
in the slow times because it's like
if you don't really have any bills
then you can easily, you know,
maintain and do what you need to do.
I've always told people,
live the below your means even
though this is an industry.
Where people love being flashy
when I live way above their means.
As far as like with other groups
that you've seen, yes. No.
Our first deal wasn't like a huge deal.
We didn't make a lot of money
off of our first
first I shaking that third.
Which one you got my name. And
so it's not like, you know,
we got rich off of, you know,
our first few albums even though
we had multiple platinum albums.
But, you know, you just have to have,
you know, be smart with the money that
you do make. Lastly,
what can we expect for the rest of
the season? What can you guys tell
us about the rest of the season?
For Queens of R&B, that's
not too much of a spoiler
major. More drama. It's the drama is
drama. You get to see us behind
the scenes. A lot of people,
they just see us on stage outfits.
We smile and we singing, but what does
it take to put that show together?
It's definitely a little behind the scenes.
Like behind the scenes, you get to see
two groups that you actually love,
like battle out II differences and come
together at some point to do something very
extraordinary for our fans and people.
And so I think we were all looking
forward to see that play out.
And we do want resolutions. We do
want it to be quick candy looking like
we would love resolutions too.
You know, just we have a lot of
concerts coming up with the three of us.
So I always tell people go on Ticketmaster
and because this is a long list,
so I just want everybody to go in and get
your tickets so you can come see the show
everybody y'all was talking
about when you come here,
when you come here, go on,
take a message and find out.
Find your city.
And if your city is not on there,
call your people and tell her to book us.
And we are looking forward to the shows,
ladies. And you guys have a great
summer run and we know
it's going to be awesome.
Thank you all be singing to the top of
our lungs in the audience. Thank you.