Apparently, Diddy likes to take his time and for the hip and sexy Bad Boy Records songstress, Cheri Dennis, that meant waiting almost ten years before her debut album, In And Out Of Love, would ever be released.  Now that’s what you call patience. 

The singer is perhaps best known for her 2005 single, “I Love You,” which is one of the best breezy summer jams to come along in some time.  Too bad the song quickly disappeared as a result of the album being pushed back indefinitely.  Now that her debut album is in stores, Cheri is happily moving forward and ready to claim her place in the female urban music landscape.

As she was running errands around New York City and gearing up for a show that evening, Cheri, spoke with Sixshot about feeling like she wasn’t a priority at Bad Boy, her toughest compromise on the album, her new set of braces, why she wasn’t surprised to hear of choreographer Laurie-Ann’s allegations that Diddy physically threatened her, her true feelings about Bad Boy’s newest female artist, her growing gay fanbase, and more.    

So the long wait is over.  Congratulations on the album release.  How does it feel?

It feels wonderful and it feels amazing to finally have peopl e connecting with my music.  That’s the best part.

What would you say was the hold-up?

It was a lot of things.  It wasn’t just one thing.  It was label politics, it was industry politics, and it was creative differences.  It was a lot going on.  I don’t think it was just one thing that played a part.  It was all of those things that played a part in the hold-up.

During that time did you ever feel like you weren’t a priority at Bad Boy?

Definitely.  I had moments where I was discouraged—moments thinking and feeling like you’re not a priority—definitely.  I couldn’t sit here and say no; that would be so unrealistic.  At the end of the day I think that’s the nature of a label.  It’s not just at Bad Boy.  It’s at every label where an artist has felt at one point or another that the label had other priorities going on.

I read that one of the reasons the album was pushed back was due to image conflicts.  What sort of image issues were you trying to sort out?

I have a vision of myself as an artist and sometimes the label has a different vision, whether that be the visuals or whether that be the music.  I think that we definitely had to come to some kind of middle ground in terms of imaging and the music.  I think that we still aren’t totally on the same page, but I don’t know if artist and label are ever on the same page about everything,

It sounds like a power struggle.  With this album finally being released do you feel that you came out on top?

I’m a perfectionist and in an ideal world I would have creative control over everything, but I think it’s a good start. 

What were some of the things that you had to compromise on?

Just certain records—that would be the biggest thing for me.  In terms of my look and me I think I’m so outspoken that at the end of the day they’re kind of just like, we ain’t gon’ let her do whatever she wants to do, but we know that this is not one that we can just give a vision to.  The most compromise that I had to do was in terms of music—not wanting certain records on the album and having to check off other records that I liked more so than others.  That’s really where the compromising came in.

You’re being marketed as the goddess of Bad Boy.  Do you really feel that is an accurate title for yourself?

I think that my personality is very goddess like.  I wouldn’t necessary say that I’m a glamour girl all the time.  I’m kind do of like a sexy tomboy.  I like being comfortable.  If I wake up in the morning and I feel like sneakers I put sneakers on; if I wake up in the morning and I feel like flats I put on flats; or if I feel like heels I wear heels.  I didn’t self-proclaim myself that either.  It started out as a joke.  A friend of mine who works at Daddy’s House, the studio—they kept saying the princess of Bad Boy.  He was like “Everybody’s the princess of something.  I think you should be the goddess,” and it kind of just stuck. 

When I met you at BET’s Rip the Runway event you had braces on which is so cute.  What made you get the braces?

I’ve actually had them on for the last four years.  I was at the last stage and they gave me Invisalign.  The fact that I was able to take them out I never put them in.  So my teeth stated to shift back.  Now I have to wear them for like seven months again just to fix what I messed up.

At the event I also got to speak with Diddy’s former choreographer from MTV’s Making the Band, Laurie-Ann.  Laurie-Ann and I chatted about the incident last year where Diddy allegedly threatened her with a chair.  What did you think when you heard that story?  Were you surprised by the allegations?

I wasn’t surprised because you never know how somebody’s gonna react in a situation.  People are human.  I’m not saying that I’m not surprised because Puff does this all the time or Laurie-Ann does this all the time, but just not surprised that in a heated moment things can happen.  But I will say that Laurie-Ann is very outspoken and so is Puff.  So I could see two people like that finally having a situation that comes to a head.

It was announced recently that Diddy signed a new female artist, Janelle Monae--

Yes, honey and she is fabulous.  I love her.  I think the fact that she’s such an eclectic artist opens the door for other artists at Bad Boy not to have to be pigeon holed, or stay in this box of R&B.  It gives so much leverage to other artists at the label because now they’re open to hearing different sounds of music, because she comes with a whole other agenda. 

I read on a website that you responded facetiously to my previous question.  They quote you as saying “I'm still under the bus…I'm sorry I can't come up for that question.”

That doesn’t even sound like something I would say.  I think what I might have said and I hate being misquoted.  I hate that s*** so much!  I think what I said was that I couldn’t believe she signed to Bad Boy not that they signed her.  I couldn’t believe that she signed to Bad Boy just because I never would have thought that they would have got it or understood it.  But I am so glad that she is still here because it leaves room for us to not just do urban music. 

I think that just puts so may limitations on you as an artist and that’s what I said.  Just so you can put it out there I wouldn’t want anyone to be out there thinking I have ill feelings toward them or anything, because I think it’s a wonderful thing that she got signed. 

You mentioned that R&B music can be limiting.  What are the other sides musically that you want to explore in the future?

I did two house albums back in the day.  I wouldn’t mind playing around with some jazz or rock.  I listen to everything so I just make music.  Even me being like I want to do rock music or I want to do jazz music puts boundaries on me.  I want to fuse the music that I listen to into the music that I create.  I don’t know if that’s a particular sound.  I just want to make music.

You’ve got a growing gay fanbase.  You recently performed at the NYC gay club Splash.  Were you always aware that you had this fanbase?

A lot of my friends are gay—male and female.  I don’t care what your preference is if you love music.  I’m not here to tell people who they should or shouldn’t sleep with.  My job is to make good music and whoever likes it gay or straight—I don’t care.  I connect with people.  It doesn’t matter who you’re sleeping with or what you want to be.  As long as you love my music and you support it I’m gonna make the music for you.

The album is entitled In and Out of Love.  Who is Cheri Dennis when she’s out of love?

I wouldn’t necessarily say I’m a b****.  I would say I turn it off.  I just zone out.  I have no interest anymore and no interest to the point where I’m not even gonna put the effort into being an a**hole.  I just don’t want to be bothered.

Who are you when you’re in love?

Cheri Dennis is a giver.  I’m very much a giver.  I like the other person to feel wanted and special.  So I definitely give a lot of myself.

For more information please visit:
http://www.cheridennisonline.com/