SOMETHING FINGERS CROSSED. AT THIS POINT. WE’RE READY TO GO WITH THE SATELLITE WINDOW. ARE
WE READY? YES, WE ARE. LET’S DO
IT WELL. SHE IS A GRAMMY AWARD
WINNER HAS A STAR ON THE
HOLLYWOOD WALK OF FAME, AND SHE
CONTINUES TO HOLD THE GUINNESS
WORLD RECORD FOR BEING THE FIRST
FEMALE ARTIST. TO HAVE HER FIRST
THREE CHART ENTRIES LAND IN THE
TOP 10 OF THE BILLBOARD HOT 100
. SHE’S ALSO AN AUTHOR AND HAS A
NEW CHILDREN’S BOOK THAT IS ALL
ABOUT INSPIRING AND EMPOWERING
KIDS. WE ARE TALKING ABOUT
SOMEONE WHO I AM A HUGE FAN OF
ASHANTI, WHO JOINS US NOW LIVE
TO TELL US ABOUT HER BOOK. MY
NAME IS A STORY. GOOD MORNING.
THANK YOU FOR BEING WITH US.
GOOD MORNING. THANK YOU SO MUCH
WE LOVE HAVING YOU NOW, LET’S
TALK ABOUT THIS. YOU WROTE THIS
CHILDREN’S BOOK THAT’S ALL ABOUT
YOUR NAME AND TEACHING KIDS TO
EMBRACE THEIR NAMES AND WHO THEY
ARE. WHY DID YOU WANT TO WRITE
THIS? YOU KNOW, WHEN I WAS
YOUNGER, I USED TO WORK AT A DAY
CARE CENTER AND YOU KNOW,
SOMETIMES WHEN THE KIDS WOULD
PLAY AROUND, AND IT WAS RECESS,
TIME AND TIME, YOU KNOW FOR THEM
TO JUST GO CRAZY. WHEN I WAS
WHEN IT WAS TIME FOR THEM TO
READ WITH TIME FOR ME TO READ A
STORY. I JUST LOVED HOW THEY
WERE JUST CAPTIVATED. HOW ARE
THEY JUST SO INTRIGUED AND HOW
THEY WERE JUST SO INTO THE BOOK,
SO I SAID, YOU KNOW WHAT? WHEN I
GET OLDER, I THINK I WANT TO
WRITE A CHILDREN’S BOOK, YOU
KNOW, SO I JUST LOVE THE POWER
OF JUST READING TO A CHILD AND
HOW THAT HELPS THEM AND I’M
OBVIOUSLY WITH MY NAME BEING
VERY DIFFERENT AND UNIQUE. UM
THIS STORY. I THINK SO MANY
PEOPLE CAN RELATE TO. YOU KNOW,
I THINK SO MANY PEOPLE IT COULD
DESIGNATE THAT THAT HAVE BEEN,
YOU KNOW, NAMED SOMETHING A
LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT A LITTLE
BIT UNIQUE. I UNDERSTAND
COMPLETELY. NOW WAS THIS YOUR
EXPERIENCE IN SCHOOL AS WELL?
YES I DEFINITELY HAVE HAD THAT
EXPERIENCE, YOU KNOW, SITTING IN
THE CIRCLE WITH THE KIDS AND
HAVING A TEACHER CALLED
EVERYONE’S NAME AND YOU KNOW
WHEN IT GOT TO MY NAME. IT’S
LIKE, OKAY. WHAT WELL, WHY DOES
YOUR NAME SOUND LIKE YOU KNOW
WHAT? WHAT IS YOUR NAME? HAVE
THAT MANY LETTERS, YOU KNOW, AND
SOMETIMES THE TEACHER WOULD
STUTTER A LITTLE BIT WHEN IT WAS
TIME TO COME TO MY NAME, AND I
JUST REMEMBER FEELING LIKE, OH,
WELL, HOW WELL WHY IS MY NAME
DIFFERENT? YOU KNOW WHAT DOES IT
SOUND LIKE THAT? YOU KNOW, SO I
KIND OF WANTED TO CREATE THIS
BOOK. TO EMPOWER KIDS ALL AROUND
THE WORLD TO FEEL HAPPY AND
EMBRACE THE FACT THAT THEIR NAME
IS A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT, AND
THEY HAVE SOMETHING UNIQUE. IT’S
KIND OF LIKE CUSTOM, YOU KNOW,
AND I WANTED THEM TO JUST BE
HAPPY ABOUT IT AND NOT FEEL
EMBARRASSED AND BE ABLE TO
CORRECT SOMEONE WHEN THEY
PRONOUNCE THEIR NAME WRONG. YEAH
I CAN DEFINITELY RELATE TO THAT.
THAT’S FOR SURE. WELL, YOU ARE
AN AUTHOR AND PERFORMER AND
ACTOR AS A TRIPLE THREAT. IS
THERE ONE THAT YOU ENJOY MORE
THAN THE OTHER? OH UM, LET’S SEE
. WHAT DO I ENJOY MORE THAN THE
OTHER? IT’S WEIRD, I THINK. WHAT
GIVES ME THE MOST EMOTIONAL I
WOULD SAY IS PERFORMING AND
SEEING THE EXCITEMENT AND THE
PASSION AND THE LOVE AND THE JOY
IN PEOPLE’S FACES. SINGING MY
RECORDS LIKE I RECENTLY DID A
SHOW IN VIRGINIA THIS WEEKEND,
AND IT WAS POURING RAIN OUTSIDE
AND I THOUGHT THEY WERE GOING TO
CANCEL. BUT WHEN I SAW SO MANY
PEOPLE SHOW UP IN LIKE PONCHOS
AND UMBRELLAS, AND THEY STAYED
AND SAT IN THE RAIN THROUGHOUT
THE WHOLE CONCERT. I WAS JUST SO
OVERJOYED. I WAS STOPPING WET.
LUCKILY I HAD A GOOD HAIRSTYLE.
IT WAS LIKE THE WET LOOK, BUT I
WAS STOPPING WET AND I COULDN’T
BELIEVE I COULDN’T BELIEVE SO
MANY PEOPLE STAYED AND YOU KNOW
, WITH THE WHOLE CONCEPT OF THE
ENTIRE HOUR AND SING THEIR
HEARTS OUT AND DANCED AND HAD AN
AMAZING TIME. SO THAT’S AN
EMOTIONAL FEELING. THAT IS LIKE
PRICELESS FOR ME. I CAN
UNDERSTAND AS SOMEONE WHO IS A
FAN OF YOUR MUSIC. SO YOU KNOW,
I HAVE TO ASK. CAN WE EXPECT
ANYTHING NEW FROM YOU? BECAUSE
I’M READY FOR ANOTHER ASHANTI
ANTHEM. I AM YES. I’M VERY
EXCITED TO HAVE A NEW SINGLE
COMING VERY SOON. IT’S CALLED
FALLING FOR YOU OVERWRITTEN WITH
MYSELF AND BLUE. I’VE BEEN
TEASING SNIPPETS ON MY INSTAGRAM
. MY DJ HAS BEEN PLAYING IT
AFTER MY CONCERT CONCERTS AND
THE REACTION HAS BEEN
INCREDIBLE. SO I’M SO EXCITED
FOR YOU GUYS TO SEE IT. I SAW
THE LAST FINAL EDITS OF THE
VIDEO. NEVER SEEN LAST NIGHT, SO
I’LL BE SEEING MORE LATER TODAY
, BUT I’M SUPER EXCITED. THE
VISUALS, NEW VISUALS. EVERYTHING
IS COMING. CAN’T WAIT FOR YOU
GUYS TO HEAR IT. I AM SUPER
EXCITED AS WELL. ASHANTI. THANK
YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING WITH US