Vanessa Williams
Vanessa Williams has had an undeniable impact on pop culture in the decades since her historic Miss America win. The “Save the Best for Last” crooner has remained a constant presence in entertainment with her work as a singer and actress, including unforgettable roles in shows like Ugly Betty and movies like Soul Food. Now, after a lengthy break from the music world, Williams is back with Survivor, her first new album in 15 years.
Survivor comes after Williams returned to music with some upbeat, dance floor-ready singles earlier this year. She got listeners on their feet with lead single “Legs (Keep Dancing)” and teamed up with her daughter’s band Lion Babe and her fellow Queen of the Universe judge Trixie Mattel for “Bop!” Single “iLike Moonlight,” meanwhile, is one of several lounge singer-esque outings on the project along with covers of jazz classics Williams has performed live for years like “Junk Man,” “Zaz Zuh Zaz,” “Come Dance With Me,” and “On the Other Side of the Tracks.” She dabbles in some Natalie Cole with “La Costa” and keeps the disco energy up on original track “Here’s to You.”
Whatever you’re looking for, needless to say Williams has “The Right Stuff” for you.
When speaking about the album on social media, Williams called Survivor “a never-ending journey of self-discovery” that took quite a while to come together. For her, just the fact that she’s putting out a collection of music like this—especially at this stage in her life and career—is more than satisfying.
“My God, I’m 61 [and] I’m still doing what I love and still doing what I’d dreamed that I’d be doing, which is singing and dancing and acting and meeting wonderful people and working in incredible ensembles and traveling the world. It’s all afforded to me by my lovely career that I have,” she told fans on Instagram ahead of the album’s release. “So, through the ups and downs, through the cancellations and rediscoveries, through the hate and the conquering and my great community of friends and peers [and] family, I’ve survived and we’re all surviving because we’re all still here.”
“Here’s to Survivor,” she concluded. “Here’s to always seeing the light at the end of the tunnel, always knowing that there’s another day, and always knowing that once the dust settles you’ll always get a chance to prove yourself. So never, ever give up.”
