Kelly Rowland fans, get ready to learn a lot more about the singer on her upcoming album.
While chatting with Wonderwall.com on Aug. 23, the 37 year old revealed that she wants to be as "transparent as possible" on her next project — addressing her personal relationships, childhood and insecurities.
"I can't tell you everything," she joked while discussing the project. "I would definitely say [it's inspired by] my personal relationships in my life, growing pains — how it's shaped me into the woman I am today. I'm really honest about my flaws in this album. My upbringing, my relationship with my mother, my relationship with my father. I just want it to be as transparent as possible on this album."
Kelly shared that she had a wakeup moment while speaking with a friend about her music. Her pal told her that even though she's had 20 years in the business and several No. 1 albums, they still didn't feel like they knew her music on a personal level.
"I remember talking to someone and they said, 'How come you never talk about your background and your mom and your father?' and I just looked at them like, 'I don't know,'" she said. "They were like, 'No, you don't, like, not at all, like ever,' and I was like, 'Wow.' So I finally decided to share because it is one of the things in my life that a lot of people will be able to relate to — the way I have discussed it on the record."
While Kelly's upcoming album sounds incredibly powerful, fans will have to wait just a little bit longer for the project. The Destiny's Child alum said that there is no release date in mind — in part because the album is so personal.
"Don't be mad at me! I will say because it is so personal, it makes it that much harder to put out because I'm like, 'Oh my God, am I going to say that? Oh my God, they're going to know that about me!' It's so vulnerable. So that is definitely the hard part — or the challenge — of releasing this record. But it's almost there," she said.
The album will be Kelly's first in more than five years. The "The Voice Australia" coach credits her husband, manager Tim Witherspoon, with helping her to overcome self-doubt and get back in the studio. So, what's it like to have such a supportive hubby?
"It's amazing. At times, it'll get on your nerves because — I know this sounds crazy — but in the moment that you're having a little bit of self-doubt and they're telling you how great you are and you're just looking at them like, 'You make me sick and I don't see it yet,'" she said with a laugh.
Continued Kelly, "They make you sick in that moment, but when you start to understand why they did it, [you start] enjoying yourself. Like, I'm enjoying myself in the studio and I'm looking at him like, 'Nobody knows me better.' You know what I mean? It's a blessing to have because he's my biggest cheerleader. When we first started talking, he was like, 'I swear to you, I'm your biggest fan. I know I am.' He was like, 'Everything about you — from this to that and your voice,' but I was like, 'He's just trying to get in!' He is an incredible guy."
The happy couple married in May 2014 and welcomed their son, Titan Jewell, in November 2014. Kelly's adorable son, whom she calls "the apple of my eye," will be 4 years old soon — a birthday that is a little daunting to the singer.
"At times I wish I could rewind the clock and just take me back to four months — hell four weeks. Just how he was so tiny and now he's talking back to me. He definitely has his own personality these days," she dished. "I think that, as he gets older, I'm going to miss this age. This was the age where I actually watch his brain just grow right before my eyes."
Some of her favorite moments with Titan include a cozy Christmas at home where he giddily spoke about his favorite animal, whales, or when he returned from school one day with "at least a pound of sand on him."
"When he started to take his clothes off for bath time, my whole bathroom floor could have been a sandbox from how much sand he brought home from school! I can't believe how it gets stuck in their shoes and pants and hair," she said.
Kelly's experiences taking her son to school, along with conversations she's had with teacher friends of hers, motivated the singer to partner with Clorox and DonorsChoose.org, an organization that provides resources to students and teachers across the U.S.
"I have girlfriends of mine back in Texas who work for the school systems out there," she said. "We have conversations where they talk about how they are helping some students in their class with certain things that they don't have for the school year — whether it's because they can't afford it or the school doesn't have it or the funding was cut. The back and forth of hearing that was so bad to me, and DonorsChoose actually comes in as the hero and they help the teachers and the students."
Visit CloroxForSchool.com for more information on how you can help support teachers and students across America.