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Tonight, on The Biggest Loser, the remaining six contestants will receive a makeover and be reunited with their loved ones. They’ll also be surprised by R&B star Ashanti, who will perform her inspirational music for them. Today, Ashanti spoke to RealityWanted in an exclusive interview about her guest appearance on The Biggest Loser, what brought her to the show, and what she has going on in her career.
Q. Gina, RealityWanted: As an R&B/pop star, have you faced a lot of pressure regarding your image or your weight?
A. Ashanti: I definitely think image is a large part. Obviously people seeing you, they’re gonna have something to say good, bad, or indifferent. It’s a major part of being in the public eye. It’s more about being healthy and happy with yourself. It’s definitely important.
Q. Gina, RealityWanted: What made you want to be a part of the makeover episode this season on The Biggest Loser?
A. Ashanti: I’m a huge fan of the show! I actually partnered up with Reveille Productions we’re going to be working on my own tv show which I’ll executive produce. Being that they executive produce The Biggest Loser, it was a perfect fit. This is the first time they’re doing a guest surprise performance. That’s obviously what I did and it was really, really cool. It was a great experience getting to see their passion, drive, and willpower.
Q. Gina, RealityWanted: Did you get a chance to talk to the contestants and hear their stories?
A. Ashanti: I spoke to the producer and he explained all of their individual stories to me. In the dressing room, I was memorizing them. I was like, “Okay, this is SunShine, this is Sam.” When I went to the stage, they were like completely different people. That’s a compliment! I had already known their stories and what had gone on. It was just great to get out there and perform for them. I’m not sure if they’re gonna show this on the show but we did a full fledged, long concert. They were up dancing and partying and it was fun.
Q. Gina, RealityWanted: Are you impressed with the amount of weight they’re able to lose in such a short period of time?
A. Ashanti: Absolutely! I think collectively they lost over 800 pounds this time around. That is crazy! You look at someone’s picture and you’re like, “Is that the same person?” That’s a major, major compliment.
Q. Gina, RealityWanted: You’ve always been a person that gives back and is involved with charity work. Was that something that was important to you, using your celebrity status to give back to others?
A. Ashanti: Yes! Absolutely! It’s always a positive thing. I love to give back, especially when I’m in a position to. I’m fortunate to do it with something I love. To be able to use that and give back is great. I’m an ambassador for The Boys & Girls club as well. We’re doing an event in Phoenix tomorrow.
Q. Gina, RealityWanted: What else is going on for you in your career?
A. Ashanti: My album is coming out. It’s amazing I’m very excited. Being a writer, I’ve written on my albums. This time around is definitely deep. I have a lot to say. I’m definitely excited about the album. Everything is going really good. I have lots of good things going on. - SOURCE
Below is an interview Ashanti did on Monday morning with Sportstown Chicago’s Dr. Pete and Rick Camp in support of her guest appearance on NBC’s “The Biggest Loser”.
Ashanti spoke about how the invite to appear on “The Biggest Loser” came about amongst many other things!
UPDATE: Click HERE to check out another interview. This one comes from the The Bobby D Show.
She’s beautiful, talented and a Long Island girl! So life should be perfect for Ashanti, right? Well, even when you’ve “got it all”, there IS a price to pay. She showed up on Talk Stoop with Cat Greenleaf to tell us all about it.
VIBE.com: During Tuesday (October 13) night’s airing of VH1’s Hip Hop Honors, viewers watched today’s rappers do their best impressions of Def Jam icons, but one of the night’s most notable storylines was Ja Rule and Ashanti’s onstage reunion.
The two former Murder Inc. headliners took the stage to revive their hits “Down Ass Chick” and “Always on Time,” the duo’s first joint performance in years.
“[Ja] reached out to me,” Ashanti told VIBE Wednesday night, a day after the tribute show aired. “We were talking on the phone back and forth for a week or two before the show, and when we saw each other at rehearsals the first time in a long time he gave me a big ol’ hug. It was back to years ago. It felt good to be on stage [together].”
As feel-good and historic as it was, however, TV viewers actually watched the tag team’s second taped performance. Due to an audio malfunction, the first play of the classics was scrapped and Ashanti and Ja hit the stage for an unscheduled encore.
“I don’t think it was [DJ] Chuck Chillout’s fault, but something happened with the music to where it started [sounding like] chopped and screw. It was just like, wahh wahh!” Ashanti recalled, imitating Houston’s lethargic music effect. “I was like, ‘Whoa, what happened?’ I would’ve just automatically stopped, but I just saw that Ja kept it moving and they kept the record going so I was like, ‘OK, I’ma go with it’.”
She continued, “It threw Ja off for the verses. And the timing, everything was off, off, off. So when we finished, I was backstage, like ‘We gotta do this over.’ There’s no way we were going out like that!”
Another un-televised moment from Hip Hop Honors was the hatchet burying between DMX and Ja Rule. Ashanti had already split–the singer/actor had to do early-morning radio the following day to promote the 70th anniversary of The Wizard of Oz, as protagonist Dorothy–but she was glad the on-and-off-friendly MCs made peace.
“I heard they made up. I was so happy,” Ashanti said. “Me and [DMX have] always been cool. We took a trip to Africa one time together and we were on the flight for, like, 100 hours. I was always like, it’s kind of awkward with, you know, where I was and who I was and then whatever it is that [Ja Rule and DMX] had between each other. So I was glad to see that they made up. That shows we can unite in hip-hop.”
Eminem, Foxy Brown, Kid Rock, Mary J. Blige, Method Man, Redman, Ludacris, and Scarface were among the nostalgic night’s many performers. -John Kennedy
MTV.com: Ashanti and Ja Rule were among the many who took to the stage during VH1’s “Hip Hop Honors” celebration that paid tribute to Def Jam Records.
The former standout stars on the label performed their hit, “Down A– Chick.” Together they ruled the charts during their Def Jam run, scoring hits from both of their albums separately and in collaboration. So reuniting for the festivities wasn’t a hard thing to do, according to Ashanti.
“It’s been great,” she told MTV News before the show. “I haven’t performed with Ja since — I can’t even remember it’s been so long. We talked to each other on the phone and we said, ‘Yo, we gonna make it hot! It’s gonna be like old times.’ It feels good. When we did the rehearsal, the chemistry was there.”
Next up the songstress is readying a new album, her first since parting ways with Irv Gotti and Murder Inc. Records earlier this year. The untitled project is slated for release next year on her own Written Entertainment imprint, she said.
For her forthcoming album, her fifth overall, Ashanti said she’s working with a mix of new and familiar faces, including the writer behind her last album’s biggest hit, “The Way That I Love You.”
“I’ve been working with a lot of people,” she said. “These new producers, The American Dream, Warren Campbell, L.T. [Hutton] again, who did my last single. So it’s been good.”
Stylelist.com: “I remember performing downtown in the city and it was like 85 degrees and for the performance my hair was bone straight. But when I came outside and got to the second song I had like a five feet afro thing going on.” - Ashanti
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