As she appears on the computer screen for AAFCA’s Virtual roundtable, Tracee Ellis Ross is the picture of casual glam: bare arms, elegant gold jewelry and her signature mane smoothed back to emphasize her expressive eyes and a mega-watt, magenta-from-MAC painted smile.

Clearly excited about the video-on-demand release of her first-ever feature film, The High Note, the comedian, entrepreneur and Emmy-Award-winning actress (Girlfriends, Black-Ish, Mixed-Ish) still acknowledges the gravity of current events: “There’s a lot happening right now…..a lot of heartbreak,” she says. Undoubtedly, she’s referring to the protests arising from the televised death of an unarmed black citizen, George Floyd, at the hands of a veteran officer, and the still-uncharged officers who still retain jobs after killing Brianna Taylor, a young black woman, as she slept in her own home. “I may not be able to look each one of you in the eyes right now, but in here…..” she points to her chest. “I’m holding you.”

Considering that Tracee’s mother is the iconic superstar performer and actress, Diana Ross, her lead role in the The High Note as a fictional singing diva, Grace Davis,  doesn’t seem to offer that much of a stretch. But in addition to displaying dramatic flair, Tracee also debuts her own competent singing vocals as well for the film and soundtrack (“Stop For a Minute,” “Love Myself”). Her mother’s example was “always in the page,” she admitted, but her prior acting and show host experiences didn’t mean it all easily fell into place.

“I may have had a front row seat to her shows, her humanity and the machinations of being ‘larger than life,’  but I didn’t spend a lot of time in a recording studio. My mom would record while we were sleeping. At the height of my mom’s career, I was quite young. What I now have a greater appreciation for are these recording artists—-choreography, then singing live on stage? It’s no joke! I had to ice my knees a lot, and it was a lot for the brain, the feet, the arms, and the voice to all work at once. To find that laser focus and be present….we [spectators] can forget the amounts and the specificity of of work they’re doing.”

 The 47-year-old CA native also appreciated the opportunity to “tell the story of a grown [expletive] woman who….. is literally the reason the record company exists, yet has to listen to men half her age who think it’s fine to tell her what she should do [musically].” 

The High Note, directed by Nisha Ganatra and written by Flora Greeson, focuses on Ross’ character Grace and her assistant Maggie, played by Dakota Johnson. Both women want to expand from their professional comfort zones, which put them at odds with management (Ice Cube), a potential new artist (Kelvin Harrison) and eventually, each other. Tracee says she took pride in how they realized their goals and reconnect to one another in the process. “My mission and life is really about expanding our real estate as women of color in all different ways, from my hair care company [Pattern] to the roles that I play and to the projects I want to produce. 
“None of us do this thing called ‘life’ alone, so I liked the real sense of humanity between these two women and that they’re not at each other’s necks or constantly competing. Their paths are parallel,  which I think is incredibly important to see.”

What Tracee hopes to achieve with The High Note, beyond much-needed moments of escapism these days, is providing inspiration—-through Grace or even herself—-for others to identify and follow their dreams. “I’m really excited about sharing this side of me. I’ve been in this career for a long time, and I’m not afraid to say that I am humbled. I get emotional just talking about it, for things to keep opening up…… it’s a big deal.”