Ashanti says RnB music has been marginalised

The 37-year-old singer-songwriter released her self-titled debut album back in 2002, when the genre dominated the airwaves, but Ashanti now feels it’s increasingly difficult for RnB stars to achieve mainstream recognition.

The singer – whose new single, ‘Say Less’, features Ty Dolla $ign – explained: “When you’re listening to the radio, there’s not a lot of room for RnB. I think that it’s about finding that happy medium and having some merit in what you’re saying and creating a bop.”

Ashanti is poised to release her first album since 2014’s ‘Braveheart’, and she’s promised her loyal fans that it’ll ultimately prove to be worth the wait.

Speaking to Billboard, the American star shared: “I’ve been working on some incredible records. I’m excited for 2018!”

Meanwhile, Ashanti previously claimed that social media has transformed the music industry.

She said, too, that at the height of her popularity, she was probably working harder than the emerging artists of today.

Ashanti explained: “When my first album came out, we didn’t have Twitter or Instagram. If I had been able to tweet where I was, taking jets here and there, performing in Monaco, the clothes and the cars – it would have been very different. Technology changes and the sound changes.

“I feel like there was a lot more work we had to put in back then. When you were recording in the studio, you really had to record eight tracks to get harmonies.

“Now you can press a button. You couldn’t do that back then. But it depends on the artist. Your hunger and work ethic has to always remain the same.”

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