This interview originally appeared on EARSTYLE January 1st, 2011
If you didn’t find out “What Chilli Wants” on Season 1 of her show get ready for Season 2 premiering Sunday January 2nd at 8:30pm! If you want to find out a little bit more about 1/3 of one of the biggest selling female trios of all time check out our exclusive interview with Chilli!
EARSTYLE: Congrats on Season 1! I know you have to be excited for the premiere on Sunday.
CHILLI: Yeah, I Am excited. It seem like it was so far away before, but it’s literally right around the corner so I’m like tripping.
EARSTYLE: What can everyone expect from Season 2? So much happened on Season 1 and it was obviously a hit.
CHILLI: Well, definitely some eye candy for the females and a lot of relatable things for women that I open up and share with. It’s just another journey that I feel women will be able to go on with me.
EARSTYLE: Are you still with the person you picked last time?
CHILLI: Who Bill?
EARSTYLE: Yeah.
CHILLI: Oh, uh uh. I’m not with him. Bill is a really nice guy. He has a lot of great qualities, but there was no love connection. Once you realize that there’s not going to be a connection like that between you and the person…and I don’t care how awesome they are it’s not fair to stay with them. That’s very selfish.
EARSTYLE: There’s obviously a lot of chemistry between you and Floyd Mayweather. What’s holding that connection back?
CHILLI: (Laughs) Well that you will see in the new season. I don’t want to give that one away. Everyone’s questions will be answered when they watch.
EARSTYLE: I believe Usher is single now. Does he make an appearance on Season 2?
CHILLI: No. You are so silly. No. That’s the past Zay. The past is the past. Don’t go backwards. Just go forward.
EARSTYLE: I mean I feel like there’s still some love there.
CHILLI: Why you say that? What do you mean? What are you talking about?
EARSTYLE: Seems like there is still a little love somewhere deep inside.
CHILLI: You know what I think when you have loved a person and it was real, you will always have a love for them. I think that’s normal. That doesn’t go away. What goes away is the in love part and wanting to be with them. I’m not in love with anyone in my past and I don’t want to be with anybody in my past. I’m clear on those things. I still have love for him like I still have love for my son’s father, but I don’t want to be with either one of those guys. You know what I Mean?
EARSTYLE: So if you don’t find what you need on Season 2 will there be a Season 3 or do you think you are just going to take a different route to find whatever it is you are looking for?
CHILLI: (Laughs) That’s a good question. I don’t really know. I guess I just have to kind of cross that bridge when I get to it.
EARSTYLE: Everybody still loves Chilli. The ratings were crazy. Do you have any other plans for some on screen action like other TV Shows or Movies?
CHILLI: Yeah, I see that sitcoms are slowly, but surely making their way back. I would definitely love to be apart of an actual television show like a sitcom. I want to be able to play a character. That’s so much fun, but comedy for sure. Not anything serious. I’m sure that I can challenge myself and do something serious, but that comedy kind of comes a little more natural for me.
EARSTYLE: I actually just picked up Ticker and my friend was like “OMG isn’t that Chilli?” It was so funny, but very random.
CHILLI: (Laughs) I Know right! You know what, Steven Seagal asked me to do that so you can’t say no to Steven Seagal. So he’s like, “I Just need you to do this quick little part for me” and I was like “Uh yeah”. (Laughs) That was real funny. I don’t talk about that much. (Laughs) There was probably two times in my whole career when I played hooker-ish kind of roles. It was that and “That 70s Show”. I played a nurse and I had the white fishnets and I was kind of like a hooker nurse. I can’t play no more hooker-ish roles. That’s it! That is it! I had fun though!
EARSTYLE: You know people don’t only want to see you on TV. People still want the music! Drake is a huge TLC Fan! He was caught in a TLC shirt and he flipped “Fanmail”. How did you feel about the track?
CHILLI: I thought he did a great job he and the producer. I like that they didn’t change it so much that you didn’t know what it was. I even talked to Dallas about it too and he thought it was cool and Tionne. When I got Drake’s information Tionne and I called him. It was so sweet how he was tripping. He was like, “Oh my God, I can’t believe this. Oh my God TLC”. I was like, “Aw this is so sweet”. We really wanted to perform the song with him, but our schedules kept conflicting so hopefully we will still get to do something with him in the future. I know he would love to work with us. He definitely wants to work with us, but yeah I thought that was awesome with what he did.
EARSTYLE: Speaking of working with Drake. Are there any plans for some new music? A lot of people were teased with your solo tracks that were released. I know you are focusing more so on the TLC brand so how is that all coming along? Everyone still wants the music from y’all.
CHILLI: So far that is what I always tell my group member too! But we really want to get a situation that’s right and comfortable for us. That’s the most challenging part. Being that next year will be our 20th anniversary we are definitely working on doing some real cool things next year so we can celebrate with our fans all over. We do a lot of touring overseas, but not so much in the states. We want to do more stuff here. Everyone wants to celebrate with us and that’s what we want. We know that’s what Lisa would want too.
EARSTYLE: You and Tionne are great on screen together. “R U The Girl” was hilarious, have y’all thought about maybe just getting some footage just living y’all crazy lives, recording, and performing, and making it a reality show.
CHILLI: We have talked about stuff like that, but there are a lot of other things that we have talked about. I personally would love to be on stage everyday. If I could choose to be on stage everyday and do nothing, but that I would just do that. That’s my first love. I love being on stage singing and dancing. I can be on there for hours. I love it. I’m personally just trying to make that part happen. The performance we did with Justin Timberlake in Vegas went so well! The turn out was amazing and the response was really good. The fans made us feel so good, so happy, and glad that we did that. I just want to do more of that. There is nothing like going to a concert and seeing the group that you love doing the songs that you love and even the songs that weren’t singles. We have a lot of cool album cuts that people want to hear. It would be great to just do a whole catalog of TLC hits and exactly the way you know it. I hate when I go to a concert and it’s my favorite song from an artist and they switch it up. Maybe like an acoustic version…I’m like “WAIT A MINUTE!” This is not how this went…I want to hear it like I love it and know it from the CD and don’t do the same adlibs. I know that’s how I feel so I don’t see how anyone would feel differently.
EARSTYLE: This is the holiday season and TLC released two original Holiday songs that have become classics, “All I Want For Christmas” and “Sleigh Ride. Which one of the two is your favorite?
CHILLI: Oh, “Sleigh Ride” definitely.
EARSTYLE: I knew you would say that since you love to dance.
CHILLI: (Laughs) Yup. I love that song.
EARSTYLE: It comes on the radio like it’s a new song every December.
CHILLI: Much love to Organized Noize, they are the producers of the track. That track is crazy. I’m like wow. That is amazing that you hear “Sleigh Ride” TLC’s way and then you hear it the other way. It’s like Night and Day. Oh my God.
-Chilli Starts to Sing- “Just hear those sleigh bells jingling, Ring ting tingling too”. (Laughs) You’re like, “That ain’t how Tionne do it.” (Laughs) It doesn’t even sound like the same song.
EARSTYLE: I have a young lady on twitter who wanted me to ask you about Chilli’s Crew. She wants to know what’s happening with it and how can she be involved?
CHILLI: Well Christal and I are still getting that together. When you have your non-profit organization you have to have someone who is consistently working on that. I’ve been so busy doing other things, but that is very much so a priority for me. It’s something I believe in and something that I feel is needed. We’re definitely in the process of trying to make it better.
EARSTYLE: TLC also did a gift-wrapping event in Atlanta recently with the Lisa Lopes Foundation. How did that go?
CHILLI: IT was really nice. IT was really great to see the kids perform our songs.
I was so cute. A couple of them I know weren’t even born when we came out. It’s amazing to how each generation is exposed to a genre of music, because of the parents. It’s no different with my son loving Michael Jackson although he was still active when he was born. He knows all of the old stuff though too, because of me. I think that’s awesome. Even on twitter sometimes…first of all, I don’t understand why a 10 year old would have a twitter account, but they will say “They love TLC and they are 10 and 12”. I’m like, “OK”.
EARSTYLE: Did you buy the Michael Jackson game for Wii? I’m sure y’all have the moves down already.
CHILLI: Of course. I bought it for Tron. You know we got it.
EARSTYLE: My best friend brought it over the other day and it’s like a workout.
CHILLI: (Laughs) Yes. It’s certainly a workout, but it’s so much fun as well. It’s a lot of fun, but you’re burning calories!
EARSTYLE: “Remember The Time” is my favorite Michael Jackson song so I was in here getting my two-step on to that.
CHILLI: Oh My God…I Swear…well, my all time favorite Michael Jackson song is “Human Nature”, but my second favorite is “Remember The Time”. That is…aw man.
EARSTYLE: That song never gets old.
CHILLI: It doesn’t when that song comes on –sings the melody- I’m like oop. Turn it on. I love it. I know the whole routine from the video too. Do you?
EARSTYLE: I know a little bit. I’m going to work on it
CHILLI: (Laughs) Ok.
EARSTYLE: Thank you so much.
