Tony-Award winning actress and Broadway star, LaChanze, has been gearing up for her national tour and preparing to launch her new EP called Feeling Good. Beginning on Monday, February 27th at the Highline Ballroom in NYC, LaChanze will be sharing the music of her heart and soul. Before hitting the road and embarking on her adventure, LaChanze talks to SWAAY about her journey recording the EP, her musical influences, and the importance of music in her life.
Winning the 2006 Tony Award for “Best Actress in a Musical” in the original cast of The Color Purple, LaChanze is commonly known as a Broadway legend. She also has stared in musicals such as If/Then, Once on This Island, and Ragtime, as well as movies like Hercules and The Help. Now, LaChanze is expanding her horizons by beginning to create her own dialogue with her new EP Feeling Good. “I am used to having people write for me and reading scripts, but it is so amazing to work on original pieces,” LaChanze said, “sometimes I will wake up with a melody in my head, and I would take my phone and make a voice memo of me humming the tune, all while I am still in bed.”
The EP is based on her personal experiences and journeys that have impacted her life. “I talk about my favorite music from the late 60’s and 70’s, and how that music impacted my life,” LaChanze says.
“I also talk about my late husband, and how my children helped me get through those tough times.” Through the EP, she aims to touch and influence the audience by taking them on her personal journey through sharing the music of her life. “The music that I am performing during my tour has influenced my life and helped me become the woman I am today,” said LaChanze.
Feeling Good is meant to uplift the audience by inspiring them to reflect on their personal journeys, and help them through whatever they are dealing. LaChanze’s new EP is about comfort, hope, faith, and inspiring others. The Feeling Good tour begins in early March and will occur all across the country. “I am looking forward to traveling to new cities and inspiring people to look at the Broadway community differently,” said LaChanze.
Along with preparing for her national tour, LaChanze is also writing a memoir about her life so far. “My life has been pretty interesting, and I have gone through quite a bit of things that people may not know of,” said LaChanze. She has also written a children’s book Little Diva, which presents a story about a day in the life of a little girl with big Broadway dreams.
“Feeling Good is a peak into my life through song,” stated LaChanze. The tour will give listeners a peek into her life through song with original material as well as musical highlights from her career. “I found some really great music, some original and some that people are familiar with, as well as some that people know me from in the musical theater world,” said LaChanze. As of now, LaChanze is focusing on her our, but will go back to Broadway after her daughter graduates from high school.
“The journey has been tumultuous at time, but also very inspiring, and at the end of the day, I want to inspire others by telling my story,” stated LaChanze.
To follow LaChanze on her musical journey, follow her on Twitter at @laChanze or instagram at @mslachanze.
WRITTEN BY
Sydney Lorch