St. Louis, Missouri-born R&B Singer, songwriter and actress Truth Hurts burst on the music scene in a big way with her Top 10 Billboard hit "Addictive" featuring iconic hip hop artist, Rakim. She also had minor roles in Dr. Dre & Snoop Dogg's film The Wash as well as Will Smith's Ali. I caught up with the Songstress for an exclusive to discuss her new projects which includes music, film, a mental health foundation, a fragrance, how she got discovered and signed, the 20th anniversary of her debut album Truthfully Speaking and much more...
TERRANCE: Update us on what's been going on and what to be expected in the near future.
TRUTH HURTS: Well, what's been going on is I have a new EP coming soon called Revelation. The first single will be called "Cheated". The EP is very candid and very much truth spoken. So that's coming in the next few months. I'm in Europe because I was doing a project here called Lady Day which is out of Lady Day at Emerson's Bar & Grill. I'm not sure if you're familiar with that show, but it's about Billie Holiday's life at the very end of her life when she did one of her last few shows and kind of told her life story in that show. In celebration of Black History Month and the Lady herself, we're also releasing a fragrance called Lady by Truth. We also have a foundation that we're putting together called Moment of Truth for women who struggle with mental health issues and I'm an advocate of that. I go through anxiety and depression, so I'm an advocate for women with mental health issues. We're going all in and putting this foundation together full force and really trying to get out there and help some people who are having problems at this time especially considering Covid and all of the things that are going on in the world. I have a film coming out as well here called A Day Like a Week and I'm alongside Steven Bauer, Armand Assante, Tom Sizemore, just to name a few and it's a really big movie for me, so yeah I'm continuing on just doing what I do and focusing on how to be a force and a brand now.
TERRANCE: Being that you're a Missourian. What's a favorite memory of living in St. Louis?
TRUTH HURTS: Oh my. I have to say I have too many favorite memories of living in St. Louis, but one of my most favorite memories is how I began in my career. I started off studying Classical music with a teacher. I was only 12 at the time and that led me into theatre and led me into singing in competitions and it really formulated who I am as an artist and as a musician. So, for me, really that's my memory of what St. Louis did for me that really leveled me up and made me ready for what I started to do in the music business. Those are my favorite memories I would have to say.
TERRANCE: So how did you get discovered and signed into the music industry?
TRUTH HURTS: I started off as a songwriter. I started writing songs and this was pretty much after I was in a girl's group when we had our first deal with Giant Records but it was short lived, so I became a songwriter after that and I kind of got discovered through my writing. I was in Diddy's Bad Boy camp and then I ended up in Dr. Dre's camp. This was all just with my pen.
TERRANCE: I know you've written for artists such as Billy Lawrence, Eric Benét and Shanice's "Yesterday" in particular.
TRUTH HURTS: Oh, look at you. *Laughs*. Listen, people don't usually reference that one, but that's one of the ones that was really, really a work of my pen, so yes I wrote that with Shanice and Jamey Jaz. That's a great, great song honestly.
TERRANCE: This year marks the 20th anniversary of your debut album Truthfully Speaking. Talk about a special memory creating that project.
TRUTH HURTS: I think at the beginning of creating that project or kind of just starting a project and finding out I was going on The Up in Smoke Tour and thinking I was going to be in a regular studio creating the album and their telling me, no, you're not going to create it that way. You're going to create it on the studio tour bus. Yeah, so the first few months of creating the album was on a tour bus. It was a rolling studio. Those were my favorite memories, because those were the times I was most creative. I went all in and gave it my all and tried to dig in and see who I was as an artist. It was my first chance and I totally gave it my all. I did like 100 songs total. After I wrote all of those songs, Static came up with "Addictive" and wrote it in five minutes.
TERRANCE: Are there any personal favorites from that album?
TRUTH HURTS: "Do Me" and "Next to Me" are my two favorites.
TERRANCE: Where were you when you first heard "Addictive" on the radio and what was your reaction?
TRUTH HURTS: When I first heard it on the radio I was at home cooking breakfast on a Saturday morning for my daughter and my mother at the time. I swear I might've dropped the dang spatula. *Laughs*. Man, I was blown away. I can't describe the feeling. It was out of this world. After so much work, after so long, it was surreal.
TERRANCE: After the success of that album, you then moved to Raphael Saadiq's Pookie label for your second album Ready Now. How did that come about?
TRUTH HURTS: It came about me kind of running away from the lawsuit and all of that with Interscope and kind of just wanting my freedom at that point. I knew Raphael and he kind of convinced me that independence was the way to go in the industry and so I thought I would try it with him. That's how I ended up working with him in his studio.
TERRANCE: Are there any personal favorites from that album?
TRUTH HURTS: "U" which is one I co-produced. That's the last song on the album.
TERRANCE: How would you say the industry has changed since your first inception into it?
TRUTH HURTS: The industry has changed a lot. It's mostly digital now or online. You don't get regular record sales. You can't go platinum like you used to. So it's changed a lot. I always say it's for better and worse. There's two ways to look at it. Of course, you can look at it like it's a good time to be independent because you can get your own cult following online or if you're lazy and looking for a deal then that's an option. You can look at it either way, but you gotta be willing to put the work in. I see a lot of people out here grinding on the socials and really making a way for themselves, because they're willing to put the work in, so in that respect, I feel like that's a Godsend. For me, I feel like it's a good time actually. It's 360 degrees.
TERRANCE: Who are some artists that you genuinely love and would recommend?
TRUTH HURTS: I like Teyana Taylor, Travis Scott. I like a lot of foreign artists actually, but I'm looking for a little of everything. I still like Jill Scott. I like what Mary J. Blige is doing right now. I like classic, authentic artists who are just timeless. I think the artist H.E.R. is great and Jazmine Sullivan. Artists like that who are keeping it true.
TERRANCE: Are there any special talents that you possess that people might not know about?
TRUTH HURTS: Being a mom. I'm a great mother. *Laughs*. You know? And I'll say that to say, I juggle it well. I admire people like Mary J. Blige who decided their career was what they were going after like that was their baby. I have my baby and my career and I was trying to juggle them both and I have to give myself a pat on the back to say that I did both, you know what I mean? It's not easy. Back when I was out, they made it so hard to be an artist and say okay, I want to be a mother too and I'm married to someone. They made it so difficult and said it can't be done. Cardi B is actually making that a thing now. Everybody's like, you can be out here pregnant and do a rap album. So yeah, Cardi B made that possible. Back when I first came out, the label would be like, 'nah bro! You can't do that or we'll drop you'. We're women and that's what we do. We should have the choice to do that and that's what we're here for partially. So I admire both Mary and Cardi. Mary made a decision that she wanted to do it her way and I admire Cardi too.
TERRANCE: What advice would you give a younger Truth Hurts that's just getting started in the business?
TRUTH HURTS: Oh man. I would tell her she would have to get this book I'm about to write. I got too much to say to put it in one sentence. But I'll say this to anyone young and coming up and trying to feel relevant in art and entertainment, you have to create your own brand and find your voice. Find your voice first, and then when you find your voice and your place, do not give it away or give it up for anybody or anything. I would tell someone coming up in the industry or wants to be involved in the industry in this climate, because that's the only thing that separates you now is being something individual that no one else can be. That's the only thing that will get you there now.
TERRANCE: Are there any final words you would like to share with your fans and listeners?
TRUTH HURTS: Sure. I would just like to tell y'all to continue following me on my socials. We're doing really great things with the brand, so stay tuned to that. Don't give up on me because the best is yet to come.
Follow Truth Hurts:
Facebook @Theentitytruthhurtspage
Instagram, Twitter, TikTok @truthhurtsworld
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