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Influences
On And Poppin!
December 6, 2006
GUESS WHO'S BACK!
Sunshine Anderson! Haven't heard from her since 2001! She's dropping a CD in January 07. "Sunshine's Midnight" is being released by Matthew Knowles' label. Her single "Something I Wanna Give" is climbing the Billboard charts! Look for her! Note to Sunshine: Girl don't stay away so long! We Miss Ya!
Featured in RapUP:
Sunshine Anderson: Sunshine After The Storm
By Rajul Punjabi
With a name like Sunshine Anderson, she’s gotta bring the heat when it comes to vocals. The North Carolina-bred songstress claims that her rich and soulful sound is a staple of the South. With a round-the-way chick demeanor wrapped in subtle sex appeal, Ms. Anderson leans across a conference table and spills her hopes about her new album, Sunshine at Midnight, as well as her theories about love, lyrics, and fantasy lunches.
When you came out with your debut single, “Heard It All Before,” a lot of people were like, “Whoa! She’s cynical.” What do you think the first impression of this single, “Something I Wanna Give You,” is going to be?
The same thing. Expect pure, honest, raw vocals. What you see is what you get—I wouldn’t change anything. The sisters know they can look to someone that’s gon’ ride for them.
What is it about your music shows that you grew up in the South?
What helped me in the beginning was the fact that the fans were used to listening to the sweet vocals of Mariah Carey, Janet Jackson, and Aaliyah. I came in kicking the doors down with my power singing. I think it worked because it reminded you of the old days; it reminded you of the Gladys Knights and the Aretha Franklins. I think Southern music has just that—it’s rich and powerful. That down home Southern feel just comes out. It’s gritty and grimy and it’s the struggle. Same thing with Anthony Hamilton. I hear the pain and struggle in his voice. I hope people get that from me.
Out of the new R&B female artists, who do you think will really stick?
I like Keyshia Cole. She reminds me of the early Sunshine. I think there’s room for everyone but with Keyshia, it’s honest and raw when it comes out. It’s from the heart and it’s all emotion. I think she’ll stick.
If you could have lunch with anyone, dead or alive, who would it be?
That would have to be Phyllis Hyman. I would just like to talk to her or Donny Hathaway and find out what was so bad… I had a very close girlfriend who attempted suicide and I never understood why anyone would do that. But I’ve been through a really hard time these past five years and I understand. I could never do that, but I understand what could be going on in your life to make you say, “I don’t need this anymore.” It bothers me when I think about Donny Hathaway and Phyllis Hyman, with the success that they had—they couldn’t see how we saw them. But if I could have just one hour with one of those people, just to find out how they really felt and why. If I could just tell them: “If I could change your mind about committing suicide, and if I could tell you how much I loved you then and how I still do.” I hope and pray that would change their mind.
Who would you like to collaborate with in the future?
I have always thought a Sunshine/Jaheim record would be great because I think our voices compliment each other. I love Carl Thomas too.
You sing a lot about love and relationships. What is one piece of advice you can offer to young women about love, something that you wish you knew at that age?
Just be true to yourself. Don’t do anything that’s out of your character and don’t let anyone pressure you into doing something that you’re not comfortable with. Hold your mind first. God speaks to you. Don’t let anyone talk you into anything.
It’s a brand new day for songstress Sunshine Anderson. She's entered a different space since topping the charts with her Top 5 single, “Heard It All Before,” and if you have her tell it, she's a grown woman now - one who respects love and embraces the intricate simplicity that is her life journey. Upon a single listen of her long-awaited sophomore set, “Sunshine at Midnight,” it's evident that she's weathered her share of hardship and has come out stronger, smarter. Here she stands, front and center, ready to sing her song.
Ten-tracks deep, “Sunshine at Midnight” (Shining Star/Music World Music) features Anderson's now-signature raspy alto backed by the production talents of Mike City, Raphael Saadiq, Warren Campbell, Walter Msilap, and Nottz, as well as Dr. Dre. Leading the album out the gate is the mid-tempo groove, “Something I Wanna Give You,” produced by Milsap. As she offers freedom to a lover who wasn't really worth the time, she's very serious when she asks that he grab his coat, hat and knapsack. “A lot of people think of me as the 'anthem girl,'” Sunshine laughs, “but I really do love the brothers. Sometimes, we just have to call them out when they're slipping.”
“My Whole Life,” produced by Nottz, centers on a woman who's ready to throw in the towel after seven years, strong, 'cause she's tired of keeping up with her wayward man - or trying to, anyway. On “Switch It Up,” written and produced by Mike City, Sunshine summons the ladies to the dance floor to let them know that life is not a game of waiting. When she sings, “Girl, don't be afraid to get up and go, staying at home is getting old,” you just might be inclined to get up off the sofa. Then, she flips it on the smoothed-out track, “Wear the Crown.” It's as if you can hear butterflies flutter in her stomach when she sings about finding a man who treats her like royalty. Oh, and the message of “With You Baby,” a classic ballad written and co-produced by Warren Campbell (with The Flintstones) is simple - a woman in love just wants to be with her man, period.
“Problems” will touch anyone who's been stuck and wants to sit out, just for a few. Sunshine's heartfelt delivery is proof that she's been there, felt that, and pulled herself out of the valley. “I've definitely fought through some difficult times in my life, so I can totally relate to the mood of this song,” she says of the Dr. Dre-produced track, which she co-wrote. “I've learned that once you have the strength to ask yourself, 'What am I going to do?' you're already on your way to seeing the light.”
It's been a minute since we've heard her voice…actually more like five years. Back in summer '01, Sunshine Anderson ruled the airways, blessing listeners with the Mike City-produced, can't-get-it-out-of-your-held hit single, “Heard It All Before,” from her debut, “Your Woman.” The song banged from the hair salons to the clubs, triggering her album sales to peak at 750,000 units and reach the #2 spot on Billboard's R&B Chart, #5 on the Top 200. But not unlike many artists who sang before her, Anderson, who found a friend in manager and fellow artist, Macy Gray, seemed to slip off the radar. After being tangled in a web of record company politics, she soon found herself without a label to call home….yet that song never went away, still hasn’t.
When asked to describe her feelings in the aftermath of being dropped, Sunshine is open and honest about the struggles she endured. “After having such success with my first album, it was really devastating to be pushed out of industry,” she recalls. “I took my show on the road, but over time, the crowds paid less attention to what was happening on stage. I remember Macy telling me that I was good as long as folks didn't start walking to the bar, but eventually, my audiences got smaller and smaller.”
Having moved from her family's nest nearly a decade prior, she returned to her Charlotte, North Carolina roots to regroup and regain her footing. “There were days that I barely had the energy to walk downstairs to pay the pizza delivery man,” she notes. “I hung dark curtains at my windows because I needed to block everything out. It was a difficult period, but I got through it.”
Not one to rest on her laurels for long, she packed her car and headed further south to Atlanta to get acquainted with the city's booming music scene. By late 2005, she'd found her way to Mathew Knowles, inked a partnership with his Music World Music and so began her mission to climb back up the charts. The rest is her music history, still in the making.
Much has changed in the music game since Anderson's reign, so where does she hope to fit in, today? “Not to take anything away from the artists who are doing their thing right now, but I can definitely hear that there's something missing, especially in the R&B arena,” Sunshine says. “I'm glad to be back because I want to be the one to fill that void.”
SPRING TOUR 2007
4/27
Oakland, CA @ Paramount
4/29
Los Angeles, CA @ Gibson
5/4
Detroit, MI @ Fox Theater
5/5
Chicago, IL @ Star Plaza
5/11
Philadelphia, PA @ Tower
5/12
Washington, DC @ Constitution Hall
5/13
New York City, NY @ Beacon
5/19
Atlanta, GA @ Chastain Park
5/20
Virginia Beach, VA @ Verizon Wireless
5/26
Charlotte, NC @ Crickett Pavillion
Buy The Ringtones Now!
Sunshine Anderson "Something I Wanna Give You"
Text SMTHN2 to 30303
Sunshine Anderson "Force of Nature"
Text FRCE2 to 30303
“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”
Mornin' Sunshine!!! Itz snowin up here N Cleveland, but I know it has 2 b a beautiful day if I'm really catchin sum Sun while She's "..!" LOL!!! Check 4 ya nigga, u may b surprised!!! Thanx 4 the add, my "top 24" will 4eva b betta with u N that baby!!! PEACE!!!
