In an interview with Vibe, the 2021 Lady of Soul Ashanti revealed she was hesitant about adding the song “Baby” to her self-titled debut album. Vibe published the interview on Sunday.
When asked if there were any tracks on the record that she initially didn’t want on the album but eventually changed her mind about, Ashanti said that “Baby” was the song she felt shouldn’t be on there.
“I didn’t like ‘Baby,’ she said. “Yeah, that was an argument. It was crazy. I don’t know. I felt like I liked what I wrote, but it was a different vibe because it’s such a low register, you know, slow. But it was a vibe, and I was a little nervous. To be released as a single is something different than an album cut, you know? So [when] making the album, I didn’t know which ones were gonna go and be picked as a single, but I remember fighting with everybody in the studio. They was just like, ‘No, shut up! You’re doing it.’ I’ll give them that!”
Despite the Grammy Award-winning singer not liking the track, its music video remained at the top of the list on BET’s nostalgic music video show 106 & Park. “Baby” also sat in the top 10 for Billboard’s Hot 100 and R&B/Hip-Hop charts.
Amber Corrine, the interviewer, then asked if she eventually learned to love “Baby.”
“Absolutely,” Ashanti answered. “I love ‘Baby.’ I love just conceptually how I flipped it and going back and forth with the ad-libs and the verse and the metaphors. I love the record. But I was just nervous about it because it was different.”
Ashanti also revealed that she released her book that dropped on July 13 titled, “My Name Is A Story,” and stated that it was already number one on Amazon.
Ironically her first album went number one, was released on her sister’s birthday, and now, her book has gone to number one on Amazon and was released on her mom’s birthday.
