Since the shocking breakup of the soulful R&B group Floetry, Marsha “The Songstress” Ambrosius has been living a busy life penning new music for Ciara, The Pussycat Dolls and more whilst working on her first solo outing and she’s not holding back on this one!
In a recent interview with Singersroom, the singer known for the hits “Say Yes,” “Getting Late,” and “Supastar” says “I just wanted [to be] somewhere that someone understood what I do and Dre had that ear”of her choice to sign with Dr. Dre’s Aftermath Entertainment for her upcoming album.
After a highly publicized break-up and replacement of group member Natalie “The Floacist” Stewart by MTV2 VJ Amanda Diva, Ambrosius focused on moving forward with her life as a songwriter and as a growing artist. Previous collaborations with Busta Rhymes and The Game helped the songstress to make the transition over to Aftermath, which she says was not her idea. “...I wasn’t looking for a solo deal, I didn’t go out shopping for a particular situation. The situation was presented to me and I’d always been instrumental in Hip Hop.”
Even though signing with Aftermath was an easy transition for the singer whose album is due later this year, some fans and industry heads looked at the deal cross-eyed, assuming that the singer would turn out nothing but “West Coast Gangster Tracks,” instead of the Marsha fans have come to appreciate over the years. But don’t worry, Ambrosius says “I am talking a lot about relationships, heartaches and new found love and everything that I’ve experienced; just being out there by myself now” of the new album which meets somewhere between the records “Say Yes” and “Butterflies.” She does however acknowledge the difference between being a part of Floetry which she says came apart due to personal reasons and being a solo artist – “I tried to be there for her as a friend and she kind of push me away so you can’t help anybody that doesn’t want to be help. We weren’t getting along, we weren’t clicking anymore. You can’t force a situation [just] because people are affected [by] you.” Now performing solo, she looks at her music as a totally different ball game which allows her to speak her own mind for a change. “ It’s just a whole other ball game being a solo artist cause I get to speak my own mind and find out who I am without having to compromise for another opinion.”
Even though Ambrosius and Stewart’s chemistry was strong after so many years, looking back she says “[we] worked so well together because we allowed each other to say whatever we wanted to say. We didn’t necessarily have to agree, it just made sense that she had her opinion and I had my opinion.”
Not holding back her opinion as a solo artist, Ambrosius released an eyebrow raising mixtape entitled “Neo-Soul Is Dead” where she sang over Dr. Dre’s chronic instrumentals earlier this year making a mockery of comments like “yo Marsha is on Dre’s label, yo this is not gonna work” of which she responds ... “ then Neo-Soul is dead.”
Speaking candidly about the tape which she admits even her mother hates, Ambrosius says “I can only be honest on everything that I do. I am human I get pissed of just like the next person. If I do so [then] I don’t have to repress that just to appeal to the standard that people have depicted of me.” Ambrosius goes on to say that music is her therapy, “it’s everything that I have to say, if I hold it heavy on my heart I am hurting myself.”
If music is her therapy she certainly is doing well with it. In addition to her upcoming album, Ambrosius is busy penning new music for many artists including R&B singer Ciara’s new album due in September, a potential song for Beyonce’s third effort and new records from Busta Rhymes and Dr. Dre. She says choosing between singing and songwriting is hard, “It kind of goes head to head. It’s nothing like creating an idea and having that song become a part of life for people to hear and experience it.”
Click here for more on the exclusive interview with Marsha Ambrosius where she discusses the Floetry breakup, her love life, and where she and Natalie stand as of today.
I loved their sound as a group. I'm sure I'll dig their sounds as solo artists. They are both talented and sometimes you gotta move forward because the universe is pushing you in a different direction. I'll miss floetry though
nunya
7/7/2008 8:17:24 PM
about time shes coming out solo, i liked some of the stuff floetry did, but that poetry chick shouldve been out fo the group. id cop her solo effort.
Since the shocking breakup of the soulful R&B group Floetry, Marsha “The Songstress” Ambrosius has been living a busy life penning new music for Ciara, The Pussycat Dolls and more whilst working on her first solo outing and she’s not holding back on this one! 
