Two-time Grammy award winning singer songwriter talks the inspiration for her new self-titled album expected to be released June 24.
R&B crooner Kendra Foster is well-known for working on “Really Love” on D’Angelo’s Black Messiah for which she was honored at the Grammys. But after the release of her single, “Promise to Stay Here”, back in April, anticipation for the new album has only heightened. The Knockturnal got the chance to speak to Kendra about the process of creating her new album.
Q: I remember being floored when I saw you perform on SNL last year. What was working with D’Angelo like?
Amazing! It was a dream come true, for sure. He is definitely one of my favorite musicians.
Q: Are there any artists you would really like to collaborate with?
Yes, definitely! I really have been wanting to work with Kendrick Lamar for a long time. Flying Lotus, Thundercat, I would love to work with either of them.
Q: How does working with other artists differ from writing for yourself?
It’s wonderful. I guess writing for me, in general, is just writing. I love to create, so writing for other people is easier, because when I’m working alone I have to go through my own process. Collaborating is a whole other kind of magic, and it is such a beautiful exchange. Even though you go through merging each other’s process and energies it’s a really awesome experience.
Q: Does songwriting or singing come most naturally to you?
They both come pretty naturally, they both take the same amount of work, practice, or cultivating. At this point in my life, they both come pretty easily, or hard, relatively equally. I guess I should say singing is more natural because it is like breathing. But they flow to me in a similar way.
Q: Did you always know you wanted to sing or did you just fall into it?
No, I always wanted to sing. I mean, in terms of going in and out of practical thinking and dreaming, I wondered about it being a career. But I always loved to sing, probably since I first opened my mouth.
Q: How did your childhood lead you to becoming a singer?
I was totally reared in music. My mother is a beautiful vocalist, she’s the president of a college. She also plays piano and a little guitar. A few of my aunts can play piano and sing. My grandmother sings. My father is a great, great lover of music. He used to say he bounce me around to Coltrane when I was a baby, and he’s seen Herbie [Hancock] and Freddie Hubbard, and Miles [Davis], live. My other mom, or stepmother, also had her influence by playing music that drove me into the church aspect. We had a very musical church. I was completely engrossed in music, so I really was raised in it.
Q: You were a dancer, though, so did you consider dancing professionally rather than singing?
I was trying to be a ballerina for 11 years. My parents, everyone, was upset when I gave up my piano lesson for an extra ballet class. You know, my parents had bought a piano for me and probably invested a lot in all that. When I came to college, I joined the dance company, Orchesis Contemporary Dance Theatre, and then I switched from being a ballerina to learning modern dance and diasporic dance. But dance wouldn’t mean as much to me, not that movement isn’t beautiful and doesn’t move me to me to watch and to do, without the music. That was also a part of what made dancing joyful.
Q: What would be your best advice to someone aspiring to sing?
If it was just for a singer or performer, I would say as soon as you can, get a vocal teacher. Or find vocal exercises online. No matter how awesome you come to this world being able to sing, or not, you will discover range exploring your voice. And also, to maintain the craft and protect it. One of the things that saves me is that I try to practice breathing exercises and stuff that supports your voice and keeps it healthy.
Q: Do you ever, still, meet with a vocal coach occasionally?
I have, but it is hard for me to schedule time now. I still pull out my keyboard and metronome and go through the exercises I have learned from the many vocal teachers and coaches I have studied with. I also keep in mind the things I have learned from going to a throat doctor, specifically for voice. It’s is worth it to check in on that.
Q: What was your process like/inspiration for the new album?
This is a soul-based album, with elements of pop. But it has variety of sounds, and it speaks on all subjects of life. In my musical ministry, I consider it multidimensional. Most of this music was very cathartic for me. I was having all sorts of experiences I was having on the road, and in life, trying to grow in the industry. A lot of that is just coming out in this album, and I think it’s pretty universal. Kelvin Wooten is the producer and my co-composer, he is amazing! He plays every instrument. I have been nursing a lot of this music, which he and I wrote 7 years ago. It takes the right time to come.
Q: Was Promise to Stay Here, your newest single, a glimpse into what the album is like?
I believe so, yes. I chose it because it is like a landmark of what the album was going to be. It was my baby of all of them.
Q: What are you looking forward to this next year? Will we get to see you on tour with the album?
The music video for Promise to Stay Here is coming soon. And yes, yes! We will be doing more shows off of this album, really be digging into it and sharing the music with the world.
She’s releasing her new self-titled album on June 24.
This interview was edited for clarity.