R&B Singer-Songwriter, VIVIAN GREEN Opens Up About Her Soon To Be Released 5th Studio Album, “Vivid” and Much More!

“Get Right Back to My Baby” is the latest single from the R&B singer-songwriter, Vivian Green. The song features a sample from Maze ft. Frankie Beverly’s classic “Before I Let Go€'”. 

It will be on her forthcoming fifth studio album, “Vivid”, which she calls fresh and spirited, sassy, and funny at times.€ It will be released under Producer and Artist Kwame Holland’s label: MakeNoise/Caroline. €œHe has worked with many other top artists like Mary J Blige,Christina Aguilera, Keyshia Cole and Fantasia.

“It’€™s different from my other albums because of the energy; but very much still me.”

Learn more about Vivian’s upcoming album and more in the following All Access interview:

This August, you will be releasing your fifth studio album, “Vivid”. It’s been quite some time since you’ve released anything. So what does it feel like to be putting something out again?

Well, my last album released at the end of 2012, and Vivid will be my fifth studio album. I know a lot of people were unaware of my last two albums Beautiful and The Green Room, but the way I see it is I’ve never stopped working. I’ve never released music in consecutive years so it feels normal to me.

What can your fans expect from “Vivid”? How different or similar is the music on it then your previous albums?

Vivid is different because the music has more energy than any of my previous albums. Like the single “Get Right Back to my Baby”, there are soulful up-tempos like nothing you’ve heard from me before. The good thing is the music is not trendy or gimmicky in any way. The music is grown and sexy with a lot of life and soul. Even the slow songs that touch on a sadder note have messages of empowerment. The themes are: love, loss, empowerment, self-love and self-preservation.

What was it like working with Kwame on this record?

Difficult! (laughter) It definitely wasn’t the easiest process as he was trying to bring something different out of me and I resisted a lot. (laughter) He had a vision to “awaken” my fans with a burst of energy and I was afraid of that initially. So we had our challenges but the end result we both love!

Why do you think it took so long to make a video for your single “Get Right Back To My Baby”? Are you happy with the way it turned out?

When the song released last summer it was only a buzz record. Kwame wanted to put something out to generate a buzz. He just put it online one day and didn’t even tell me. It was simply a word of mouth thing and we just happened to receive a lot of love from several media outlets. So again it wasn’t an official single last year. It didn’t become the official single until April of 2015 when we went for impact at radio. The video released the same month. The record company thought “Get Right Back to my Baby” should be the first single since it already had a story from last year. Derek Blanks is an amazing photographer and director, so I knew I was in great hands with him. He happened to also be a fan and I knew whatever vision he had would be amazing; that being said I love, love love the video.

I read that your big break was when you became a backup singer for Jill Scott and then went on her international tour. Is that correct? Have you remained friends with her today?

I did sing background for Jill for a year back in 2000. She’s such a HUGE star now and I think it’s awesome!  When I sang  background for her I wasn’t even old enough to drink yet… I had a lot of fun and it was a great experience, but I did not get a record deal from being a background singer. I’ve even read that an executive from Sony Music (who published my first two albums) saw me on stage with Jill and signed me instantly! I wish! (laughter)

At that time in my life I had been working toward a deal since I was 15 years old. I used to be managed by Michael McCary of Boyz II Men and through that situation I had my first contract offer at 16 with Ruffhouse Columbia. However, my parents couldn’t agree on the terms of the contract and they didn’t allow me sign. They were being protective. So I kept working on music while waiting for my 18th birthday. In the meantime I wrote a song for Boyz II Men on their third album Evolution. It was my first publishing credit, first ASCAP check, and the first plaque I had on my wall. Working with BoyzIIMen also allowed me to work on Britney Spears’ demo tape and write with others all while still in high school. When I was about 18 I began working with producer Malik Pendleton (Mary J. Blige, Heather Headley, Darius Rucker). It was through this connection that I met singer/songwriter Eric Roberson who pretty much adopted me as his little sister. He believed in me tremendously and he and I worked on “thee” demo that eventually got me signed to Sony Music. My first single Emotional Rollarcoaster and most of the songs on the demo were on my first album, A Love Story. Before I was signed I sang background, I was a wedding orchestra singer, and I sang in several jazz clubs in Philly as well. I skipped college so I had to pay my bills and singing is how I did it.

What other musicians do you think have really made an impact on your career or other musicians that have inspired you through the years? Who would you love to work with?

Stevie Wonder!

One of my all-time favorite songs is “Emotional Rollercoaster”. Can you tell me what was the inspiration for it? Did you know at the time that it was going to be such a hit?

It was about my first love and all of the heartache that came from that situation. Getting your heart broken while coming of age is never fun.. You’re naive and sooo vulnerable. I wrote it when I was 19 while jogging in the park. At that time I didn’t know it would be a hit. There were many songs I liked better (laughter) but when Sony chose the single I was pretty much cool with it.

Growing up, was music always a big part of your life? Was your family always supportive of your music dreams?

Yes, my parents are huge music lovers. I can’t imagine what my life would’ve been like without the sounds of Motown constantly blaring in my home. My parents were always supportive but protective. They didn’t allow me to sign my first deal offer from a major label but I know it was for the best.

How do you think the music industry has transformed over the years? Do you think it’s better or worse then when you first starting making music?

It’s definitely worse for the artists, musicians, producers and record companies. The revenue from sales may never be what it once was. Superstars sold 10-20 million records back then, but now going 1x’s platinum is like going 10x’s platinum… And going 5x’s platinum is like going 20x’s platinum… It’s really a completely different business now. I’m not one to complain. Things change and technology changes. I’m just thankful that I can still make a living making music.