Although it’s been 20 years since Ashanti hit the music scene with her self-titled debut, the “Foolish” hitmaker is making headlines again with her new single, “Falling For You.” The legendary R&B and Hip Hop singer, 41, EXCLUSIVELY told HollywoodLife all about her latest hit, and also dished on her new children’s book, My Name Is A Story.
“I have a new single, a new record, coming out with this artist Yung Bleu. He’s the upcoming new generation, and we wrote the record together,” Ashanti explained. “He’s on fire and we had some awesome chemistry. So I’m super excited. The song is called ‘Falling For You’ and what’s cool about it is that it’s like your signature Ashanti music but with a 2022 spin on it.”
The Grammy Award-winning singer explained how she has managed to keep her music fresh over the years with the ever-changing trends. “I think the cool part is keeping young people around me that are in the know. My sister’s younger than me, she has a crew of friends. I have cousins, I have lots of different family members from all walks of life. I work with a team of people and it’s really about making sure you are up to date and current with what’s going on,” she revealed.
Meanwhile, Ashanti has ventured into new territory with her new children’s book My Name Is A Story which hit stands July 12. From the multi-talented star comes an empowering story inspired by Ashanti’s own experience about a girl who learns to love her unique name. “I’m very excited about it. Obviously it mirrors a very close experience because this is how it was for me growing up,” the New York native said.
“The inspiration came from real life experiences. And actually, when I was younger, I used to work at a daycare center. So when the kids had recess or playtime, they would be jumping and bouncing around, doing what kids do. But when I grabbed a book and said it was story time it was just so captivating to see how powerful reading a story to a child really is,” she said. “They became just so engaged. And I was like, ‘Wow, I want to write a children’s book when I get older,’ so it was something that was always in my heart to do.”
