February 28, 2016
SWV Talks New Album, Career Longevity, and the Business of Entertainment
How do you manage your personal life–husband, kids, and grandkids, while you’re on the road? Do your children understand your contributions the music world?
Coko: My husband is the drummer for SWV, so he’s always with me. But I have a 12-year-old son, so it’s hard to leave because when we’re not home, somebody needs to be there. My 20-year-old is all over the place. He’s on the road and doing shows–and I think he may be paying me back for what I put my mom through. I think earlier in my life, I kind of messed up with my 20-year-old, so I try to make sure I’m there for my 12-year-old. My kids think it’s strange when people come up to me.
Lelee: My kids literally grew up with me, my daughter is 27 and my son is 25, so they fully know about the impact of our music. In fact, they always want me to pull the SWV [favor] ‘card’ because they think I know someone who can show special treatment. But really, I’m just mom to them. They’re older now, and I think it’s my time. I want to grow old gracefully. When it comes to dating at my age, it’s really hard because you don’t want to go through the whole process of getting to know someone. But Coko always reminds me “make sure they like you for you.†[Coko chimes in] “I know if it’s hard for her. A lot of people just want to get to know you because you’re SWV. So I have to ask her–”Do they want to meet SWV or LeLee?
Taj you’re married to Eddie George, a retired NFL player, Heisman Trophy winner and now an actor on the hit Broadway musical–Chicago. You also have children, how do you make it work?
Taj: It’s simple we love each other and we want to be married, so we make it work. We live normal lives. My youngest son, who was born after my husband retired from football, didn’t even understand how big my husband was until one day SWV was performing at a stadium and my husband was there. People kept coming up to my husband and he was confused and couldn’t understand why.
Let’s talk about the new album–Still (in stores now). How have you remained true to the SWV sound? What are your favorite songs from the album?
We’re either going to keep you in love or give you a solution for getting over your breakup. We did a live version of “Weak” and “I’m So into You†and “Right Here,†because the songs are still very popular.
Taj: My favorite songs: “On Tonight,” “When Love Didn’t Hurt,” and “MCE (Man Crush Everyday)”–which is a hashtag.
LeLee: My favorite songs: “On Tonight,” “Ain’t no Man,” and “Man Crush Everyday”
Coko: My favorite songs: “Man Crush Everyday” and What We Gon’ Do,” and “When Love Didn’t Hurt.”