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LeToya speaks

Editor in chief

 

As an original member of Destiny’s Child, LeToya Luckett co-wrote the group’s signature songs "Bills Bills Bills" and "Say My Name." Now, with her self-titled solo album, LeToya, the powerful singer wants millions of her fans to again be saying her name. That’s why after a few years away from the music industry spotlight, the Houston native felt that naming her album LeToya would be the best way to reintroduce herself.

"It’s the world’s first time hearing me and getting to know me as a solo artist," she says, "2so what better way to get them to know me than call it LeToya."  

Long before she started making club music, LeToya was singing in her local church. After her father, also a singer, spread the word that his daughter had skills, LeToya was surprised to have an opportunity to sing her first solo in her own church at only five years old.

"A lady in our church just gave me the mic one Sunday and I sang," said Luckett. "Right after that, I joined the children’s choir and started doing all the school plays. That’s where I met Beyonce, in elementary school."

After starting the group Destiny’s Child, Luckett remained with the group for seven years. "Even though both Lativia and myself were removed from the group for whatever reasons I feel no hostility towards Beyonce or anyone from over there," Luckett explained.

"The decision to remove [us] was made by management so we had to deal with it. I was happy to have that experience and to be a part of a movement like that," LeToya said.

"Being in that group taught me so much at a young age. I learned to have the mindset of focusing on making a successful album and to do whatever you had to do in order to get there."When asked what she had been up to since leaving Destiny’s Child, Luckett stated that she had been working on several projects one of them her boutique Lady Elle Boutique, which is located in Houston. "We have a little something for all the ladies out there," said LeToya, "We have up to a size thirty-four in jeans and XXL in tops. Anyone who can’t make it out to H-town can shop my boutique online at ladyelleboutique.com."

Since her stint with Destiny’s Child, Letoya has also been working her first solo album that is scheduled to be released in early May. The self-titled album, which LeToya believes is an album that will reach all demographics of R&B listeners, and also has something for the thugs too.

"The album has some neo-soul elements, some songs you can just lay back and vibe to, but it also has some club bangers,"said Luckett.

"Torn," which is the first single off the album is also LeToya’s favorite song out of all the tracks on the album. "I like this song the most because everyone, including myself, can relate to this song. Everyone has been in a situation where they are torn between two things," said LeToya.

"I have been in a situation where I have been torn between two people so I was able to put my all into this song." "You Are Everything" is one of those songs that just makes you smile, that makes you fall in love," she explains. "In a sense, it made me feel in love, but I had to twist it up a little bit."

"Torn" is about a girl who is in a relationship and is totally in love with her man. She’s been down with him for so long, but he just can’t get it together. He’s taking her through the motions after she’s been through the ups and downs with him. She’s coming to the point where she realizes that she needs to love herself more than she loves anyone else.

She’s really torn in between staying with him and completely leaving him alone. LeToya also talks about the decision she made to have so many Houston artists on the album and what she believed her role, as an R&B artist, would be in the recent Houston artist explosion. "A lot of great Houston artists are doing the R&B thing or the hip-hop thing, but I’m kinda like mixing it all together," LeToya explains, "I grew up with the artists that I have doing features on the album, so it was kind of like working with my brothers. We had a lot of fun working together." LeToya also stated that she even had a song on the album that was chopped and screwed which is definitely her way of repping her city and the movement that put Houston on the map thanks to the late, great DJ Screw.

The rest of LeToya contains a quality mix of musical sounds and styles. As part of the biggest selling group of the last decade, the ones who helped put Houston on the modern music map, LeToya felt it was important to rep her city throughout her album. No song does a better job of that than "Gangsta Grill." The future smash features Mike Jones and Killa Kyleone, and features LeToya saluting her city, from the grills to the cars to the type of men found there to the city’s homegrown music.

The album is one that I am sure will, as she stated: once again have the whole world saying her name.