*I was SO honored to have had the opportunity to speak to one of my favorite R&B performers a few years ago (2008), and I hope this isn’t our last chat: love and respect Ms. Mills, keep schooling these wanna-bes out here about true talent and tenacity.  Be blessed!!!*

Stephanie Mills is not your average R&B diva. Performing since the age of 9, she first appeared on Broadway in the musical Maggie Flynn, but will forever be associated with her depiction of Dorothy in The Wiz, the African-American adaptation of The Wizard of Oz, and her signature, soul-shattering version of its closing number, “Home.”

In addition to recording with the Peabo Bryson, Teddy Pendergrass and Robert Brookins, Ms. Mills’ buoyant, bubbly soprano has anchored hits like “I’ve Learned to Respect the Power Of Love,” “I Feel Good All Over,” “(You’re Puttin’) A Rush on Me” and “Never Knew Love Like This Before,” to name a few.

The 50-year-old soul survivor, now based out of Charlotte, N.C., chatted by phone recently about her latest projects, why she gets choked up over Britney Spears and the most significant role that she’s ever played (hint, it’s out of the glare of the spotlight).

LIJ: You took nearly a decade out of the music scene between Something Real and 2004’s Born for This!; was motherhood the only reason, or was there more to it?

SM: I wanted a break to clear my head a bit and get out a spotlight and live a normal kind of life. I work maybe two to three weekends out of the month and that’s fine because I love to sing and perform, but it’s not the totality of who I am. When you get back out there, people want to call it a comeback, but you’re just embarking on something else.
As far as my son Farad (who’s turning 7 next month), that has been the best thing I’ve ever done. I’m excited every day, and being a mother is more rewarding than anything. He’s so funny and he asks a ton of questions. It’s a really, really something. He loves music, takes piano lessons and he sings my songs. It’s interesting to see life through his eyes.

LIJ: Do you still get recognized pretty often?

SM: I do, but they’re kind, they’re nice. Most of the time they don’t think it’s me and that I should look older. I don’t drink or smoke, I don’t wear makeup and I’m always in sweats and sneakers because I’m running my son to his piano lessons, going to the post office … I like doing all that stuff. The think that because you’re an entertainer that the business is supposed to have this toll on you physically, but I try not to let it.

LIJ: What’s kept you so grounded, you think? And what about the prevalence of entertainers losing it in today’s entertainment industry?

SM: I stay true to who I am; the record label wanted to me to sound younger and keep up with the trend, but I’m 50 and I’m proud of that I’ve done and what I’ve accomplished. There may have been a few times, on certain songs that I’ve recorded that when I go back and listen to them and I say “I must’ve let somebody talk me into doing that song,” but for the most part, I’ve stayed true to myself and to what my audience wanted to hear.
I also think that my belief in God and my family — my support system — is the reason I’ve been around so long. I was never one to hang out at the parties or the “in places.” And whatever I went through, it was done privately. Today, everything is so public. I mean, look at what they did to Anna Nicole Smith; her situation just killed her. She never did anything substantially as an artist, but they were covering her as if she had this large body of work. The press didn’t really interfere with people’s lives and privacy as they do now. There’s no respect for human life or just decency has gone out the window.
I don’t think they have respect for the artists today. I cried for Britney Spears — she has two children back to back, and then she tried to go back out there and … I feel so bad for her. Why can’t they just take her away somewhere private and let her chill? Now, Owen Wilson’s family (when he tried to commit suicide), they kept the press out of it, and Britney’s people need to talk to them to find out what they did. She’s a young girl, and so much came to her so fast, and it’s really overwhelming to deal with it. She’s been done wrong and she’s only striking out in the only way she knows how. She needs love and compassion, not for people to criticize her.

LIJ: What was it like to record Born for This!, your 2004 CD?

SM: I had a lot of fun doing that album; the title song was written by my friend BeBe Winans, who wanted me to come and sing the demo, and he’s the only one who can call me in the middle of the night to do that (laughs). It was supposed to be a duet between us, but he liked what I did with it and I perform it in my show.

LIJ: How well do you work with your tourmates?

SM: The Whispers and I have always toured together; I have to say, they are the classiest, nicest group of men that I have ever worked with in the business. They’re wonderful guys and I’ve known them my entire career. After 7 are wonderful guys too, and what I like about the tour is that everybody’s being themselves and not out there trying to do hip-hop. I’m onstage for about an hour, and I’m in the middle, so I get to perform and go home (laughs). I like going to bed early.

LIJ: Who do you enjoy in today’s music, and who would you perform with one day if you could?
SM: I love Mary J (Blige); I think she’s grown tremendously as an artist and as a woman. I love Beyonce, India.Arie, Faith Evans. I’m a cheerleader for Whitney Houston, and I get mad when people say mean things or talk about her. I’ve called radio stations when they’ve done it and scolded them for that, and not just because I’m also a woman in the business, but because it’s not nice. You shouldn’t tear people down that way, it’s just hurtful. What if these people do their homework and talk about you? That will put a stop to that, you know? (laughs)
If I could, I’d love to do a duet with Prince, Lenny Kravitz, and even something with India.Arie, because I love how rich her voice is. Something really warm and acoustic.

LIJ: How does it feel to know that you’re still so well-received and so important to your listeners after all of these years? Are you excited about returning to Dallas?

SM: You don’t know what kind of impact you’ve left with people, and when you’ve been out of the spotlight so long, you don’t know if people even remember your songs, so it’s a blessing to me that that my fans are still so loyal I can still work and sustain at that level. I’m just grateful. As for Dallas, I haven’t been there in a really long time. They’ve got great food — a girlfriend of mine lives out there — I’m really looking forward to it.