Listen Live
Listen Live Graphics (Indy)

Jennifer Holliday "This Song Is You" Special Performance

 

After being absent for 23 years, R&B songstress Jennifer Holliday has returned to the music scene with a brand new album.

The Tony- and Grammy-winning singer is happy to bring to the fans her latest release, “The Song Is You.” The 15-song album features R&B, jazz and pop standards and marks the return for Holliday, who is best known for her classic rendition of “And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going” from the hit Broadway musical “Dreamgirls.

Holiday says her absence was partly attributed to an ever-evolving music scene, and she kept herself busy with recording various gospel projects during her hiatus.

“The music industry kept changing and there wasn’t an opportunity to record,” she told Playbill.com.

Personally, Holliday’s absence came with another setback in regards to her health. The vocalist, who revealed she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) 17 years ago, has been battling clinical depression for years. Over the last decade she became an ambassador for mental illness.

“I’ve been blinded and paralyzed and after the last episode of blindness in 2007, I said ‘Okay, I need to change my environment and how I do my work and live my life,’” said Holliday, who now resides in Atlanta. “I needed to have an environment that was much more peaceful and homelike, so Atlanta was just a great place for that. It’s the best of both worlds because a lot of entertainment is here and also just the southern hospitality… and people just really look after you here. I just needed an environment like that.”

For more of Jennifer Holliday’s chat with Playbill, click here.