While early success can be the fulfillment of the ultimate dream, media headlights and entertainment industry shenanigans can be especially punishing for a young performer. Singer-actress Ashanti learned this lesson early, signing her first record deal at 14 and then watching it crumble almost as quickly.
The Glen Cove, N.Y., native had been through countless disappointments by the ripe old show biz age of 22, and so has taken real success in stride. Ashanti's 2002 debut CD "Ashanti" set a record for greatest opening week sales by a new female artist and earned an even more distinguished place in music history when she put three songs in the top 10 of Billboard's Hot 100 simultaneously -- only the second artist to accomplish it, with the first being The Beatles.
Since then, Ashanti, now 28, has not only released more hit albums but also segued into acting, starring in movies and TV shows from "The Muppets' Wizard of Oz" to the hit teen comedy "John Tucker Must Die." Bankrate caught up with Ashanti on the heels of her stage musical debut; she starred in a special engagement of "The Wiz" at New York City Center this summer. This interview was conducted earlier this summer.
Bankrate: "The Wiz" is your first stage musical. Why is it a good outlet for your talents?
Ashanti: Everyone loves "The Wiz." So many of us are attached to it, and the character of Dorothy definitely parallels my life and that of a lot of other teenage girls growing into womanhood -- just being kind of innocent and naive and learning on your journey of life. So I think this couldn't be better for me for my debut.
Bankrate: You also starred in "The Muppets' Wizard of Oz." What was it like working opposite Kermit and Miss Piggy?
Ashanti: It was great, but it was also a little hard because the whole time we filmed, I was on a platform. The guys had to have room to roll around on these little scooters, and they had monitors with them so they would know which way to turn their hands and manipulate the puppets. So it was a little bit long some days, but I had a blast.
Bankrate: This is your stage debut in a musical. What's the most challenging aspect of this for you?
Ashanti: Remembering scenes isn't so bad because you have everyone else there and we're having actual conversations. But intertwining everything and remembering the staging (is a challenge). I have the head mic, and the 23-piece orchestra, and all these little details, so you really have to focus on everything.
Bankrate: Has anyone given you advice about how to handle stage acting?
Ashanti: Everyone has been very receptive and really cool. I had a conversation with LaChanze (who plays Glinda, the Good Witch of the South) the other day, and she said, "Feel free to try whatever. Don't feel you have to be stuck to one way of doing things. If you find that a scene works good one way, try it a different way and see which you like better. Work off your impulses and just be natural."
Bankrate: You grew up in a musical family. What are your earliest memories of music playing an important role in your life?
Ashanti: Oh my gosh, all the family barbecues and the get-togethers. There's not one party that my family had where someone wasn't on the piano, or where the stereo wasn't blasting and the speakers ended up blown, or someone didn't have a dance-off in the yard. My family is just very, very close, and they like to have fun and celebrate life. So music was definitely involved early in life for me.
Bankrate: You began performing as a child and were auditioning for record companies as a young teen. Did this early experience help prepare you for the pressure you would face later on?
Ashanti: I would definitely say it helped. I learned about setbacks and letdowns very early in life. I had three record deals by the time I was 20, so the false hope and the roller-coaster ride of emotions I learned very early on became a character builder for me. I learned early not to trust a lot of people and to beware, and that this kind of business is very cutthroat. So you've got to be extremely careful and surround yourself with a team.