Cynthia Erivo’s debut solo album, Ch. 1 Vs. 1, was a long time coming.
While the record is finally out on shelves and streaming services, the Oscar-nominee, 34, chatted with Fashion magazine for their November issue and opened up about what inspired the new project.
“Music was a huge part of my childhood,” she said. “My mom would play music in the house every weekend when she was tidying up, whenever she cooked and when we’d go to school.”
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Erivo says she listened to Annie Lennox, Boney M., Diana Ross and Lauryn Hill growing up: “I was listening to everything.”
Now, Erivo hopes she can inspire others with her own music, “If one person hears this and realizes that they’re not on their own, that they’ve experienced things that I have, then that’s my job done.”
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And the “Harriet” actress says it’s refreshing to have the final say in every aspect of Ch. 1 Vs. 1.
“What I write about, how I sing it, which key I decide to sing it in, whether I make it a two – or five-minute song — it’s all very much in my hands,” says Erivo. “This is not the case when it comes to other forms of expression, whether it be on stage on Broadway or being in a film saying other people’s words.”
Ch. 1 Vs. 1 is streaming now.
