Dionne Farris: A Return From 'Hopeless'-Ness
By: Channing Joseph
POSTED: 12:08 EST, June 27, 2006
What would it take for you to say no to riches and recognition? Think about it. In a nation transfixed by the promises of stardom, it is difficult to imagine someone actually achieving fame and fortune and giving it up on purpose. But that’s just what Dionne Farris did.
She had already garnered a Grammy for her arresting vocals on Arrested Development’s 1993 hit “Tennessee.” And not only did her eclectic 1994 solo debut, Wild Seed-Wild Flower, receive critical acclaim for effortlessly crossing genre boundaries in an intoxicating gumbo of soul, hip hop, and alternative rock, but its I-can’t-get-this-song-out-of-my-head single, “I Know,” managed to stay atop the pop charts for seven months.
To top it off, her magical, heart-string-plucking tune, “Hopeless,” (you know, “as a penny with a hole in it…”) from 1997’s Love Jones soundtrack had become one of the standout urban radio hits of that year, burning up the Billboard R&B chart at number one for 18 weeks.
But despite all her apparent success, the despair that Farris sang about on that track had begun to eerily reflect the hopelessness that she was feeling about her place in the music industry. Instead of embracing her wild, diverse style, she says, her label’s executives wanted her to make an album of “Hopeless”-ness.
The incessant fights that followed — about the kind of music they thought she should be recording and about their plans to make her image more marketable as a “Black artist” — became too much to bear. For Farris, the costs of being a superstar had grown too great, and she asked to be released from her contract with Columbia Records during work on what was to be her sophomore record.
In one swift moment, Dionne Yvette Farris, the singing sensation, metamorphosed into just Dionne, the stay-at-home mom, active in carpentry and interior design at her local church in Decatur, Georgia. She literally used her MTV Music Award as a doorstop, rarely performing in public and pouring all her creative impulses into raising and home-schooling her daughter Sequoia, now 10.
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But it’s now been a dozen years since her last album, and Farris has her sights set on making a comeback. Feverishly finishing up work on her new album, Signs Of Life — tentatively slated for release later this year — she took time out of her busy recording sessions to talk with VIBE.com about what made her leave the business, what is finally drawing her back to the spotlight, and what inspires her never to give up.
VIBE.com: For your fans who don’t know the story, what caused you to leave the biz, and what have you been up to all these years?
Dionne Farris: Some of the things that the music industry offered were not palatable to me. I found myself not enjoying doing music. I was not enjoying the talent, the blessing that God have given me. But you cannot let any man — any enemy — stop you from what God has for you. My creative energy moved into another place. My daughter Sequoia had become my masterpiece.
When your first album, Wild Seed-Wild Flower, was released, the industry hadn’t categorized you as a “Black artist,” but after “Hopeless” began to blow up on Black radio, they did want to apply that label to you. How did that affect your listeners?
Dionne Farris: That to me was the craziest part. To me, that was a form of manipulation. Who I was as a human being had not changed since my first album. People knew “I Know,” but they didn’t know who I was. Other people knew “Hopeless,” but they didn’t know I had a record out. I said, “Let’s bridge the gap.” My first introduction to the world was through Arrested Development, which was a positive, uplifting, Black group. I wanted to do two singles: “I Know” on pop radio and “11th Hour” on Black college radio. I was being innovative at the time. But they said, no, we don’t do two singles. It was a marketing strategy that I was not privy to. They used me in it, but they didn’t include me in it.
After all this time away, do you feel good that you left the limelight when you did?
Dionne Farris: If it’s meant for you to be at a certain place at a certain time, I think you’re going to get there. I think it was supposed to happen regardless. I look at it now, and I have no regrets.
What was your inspiration to start working on this new album then?
Dionne Farris: I realized that God wanted me to sing. I was supposed to be sharing my gift. I was inspired by wanting to do music again, wanting to sing again, remembering the simple joy that it gave me. What Wild Seed, Wild Flower was to a lot of people, it gave them a lot of things. Just wanting to be a part of the source again, to be a part of the help, finding that special place and that happiness. Wild Seed, Wild Flower was the seed planted for Signs Of Life, and we’re definitely seeing that seed bear signs of life. Sometimes it takes a minute.
Do you feel any pressure to record more mainstream songs this time around?
Dionne Farris: I definitely want to sell records. This is a great platform, a great position in the universe to have, to be able to be heard around the world. But music is honest. It’s a reflection of signs of life. It really, really is. The most truth you can have as an artist is to be true to yourself. And I think that that will carry through to your listeners. So I don’t worry about that anymore. In one sense, I could take it or leave it. But I know that God says I’m supposed to be doing it.
In your new song, “Funny,” the lyrics are: “Once again, your world falls apart, and everything seems so unsure. Once again, the Earth wakes you up, and you come face to face with reality. And you need something to help you deal with it, a taste of something to numb the feeling. Once again, your world will be funny and smiling, and you won’t hurt no more.” When I heard it, I immediately thought the song was about your departure and return to the music industry. Am I right?
Dionne Farris: Absolutely! It was written by Van Hunt. He was just a great friend, still is. His son is my godson. He was able to interpret for me some of those places and spaces I’ve been. When he gave me that song, I cried because I knew that it was a song about my experiences.
Would you ever consider any more collaborations with Arrested Development?
Dionne Farris: Just look up the definition of the term “arrested development.”
Ouch.
Dionne Farris: A name in the universe is so important. When you call yourself a certain name, you have to be sure that’s what you want. Speech and I have spoken over the years, and he’s asked me to do certain things. And I have said, “No, thank you.” I’ve never looked back, but I wish them all the best. Montsho Eshe is my girl, though. We go to church together.
Does your daughter know her mother is famous? Better yet, do you still feel famous?
Dionne Farris: My daughter tells me, “If you ever meet anyone famous, get their autograph.” We were in Ikea, and a guy came up and said, “I’m a big fan of yours…” She looks at me and says, “You’re coming back! You got noticed! You got noticed!” I’m kinda low-key, so over the years, I didn’t realize what impact my music has had until people say, “I love your record.” I impacted some people, and it is a blessing.
Anything you’d like to tell your fans?
Dionne Farris: Never give up because the possibilities are endless. Know that there’s a calling on your life. Just go for it. A lot of times as human beings, we get bogged down in circumstances. But you gotta rise above those. Because they’re always going to be there. It’s never too late, and never give up on yourself. Ever. Ever. I’m just looking forward to being a part of music again. I’m curious to see what the response will be to the new album. I’m not worried about it. I’m just curious. I’m just happy to be at peace again.
This is from
www.vibe.com/news/online_exclusives/2006/06/dionne_farris_a_return_from_hopelessness/
