00:00Hey Essence family, I'm Yolanda Sanguini, entertainment editor at Essence.com.
00:08Welcome to Coffee Talk, your weekly dose of what's hot on Essence.com.
00:13And speaking of hot, we're here with the immensely talented and sexy Tank.
00:18Hey Tank.
00:19How you doing?
00:20How are you?
00:21I'm immensely.
00:22Yes?
00:23Exciting.
00:24Immensely because you've written songs for so many people and your music is amazing.
00:28Thank you very much.
00:29And you have a new album coming out in May.
00:31New album in May.
00:32This is how I feel.
00:33You know what?
00:34The album is really just that.
00:36You know what I mean?
00:37It is me, you know, without thinking about what they're going to play on the radio or what
00:43men want me to say, what women want me to say.
00:46Like, let me just write how I feel.
00:48You know what I mean?
00:49And just put it on record and live with it.
00:51And you said it was your greatest gainer.
00:52What do you think it is this time around that's making it, like, people are just really vibing
00:57to your music right now?
00:58You know what I think it is?
01:00It's really about timing.
01:02You know what I mean?
01:03I dropped the Now or Never.
01:05And Now or Never felt like, you know, an introduction or a promotional to this, you know, to this
01:11movement.
01:12You know what I mean?
01:13We did cool with that.
01:14But it really just set us up.
01:15And the fact that we're coming right back on top of it, using that heat to, you know,
01:20make the flame even bigger.
01:21So you got some really good news this morning.
01:24Can you tell us?
01:25Yes.
01:26I'm actually going to be performing on the Essence Main Stage at the Essence Festival.
01:31And last year was amazing at the Super Lounge.
01:33It was nuts.
01:34I mean, it was people lined up as far as you could see them and people that couldn't get
01:38in and, you know, that type of thing.
01:41And I was super, super excited about that.
01:43But, you know, I was also looking at that main stage like, oh, to be there one day, oh,
01:50fair Prince.
01:51You know?
01:52So, you know, when they called and gave us the news and Jaha, I was like, we got it,
01:56baby.
01:57You know?
01:58And I was like, oh, we are getting ready to smash.
02:00You know what I mean?
02:01So I'm excited about putting together a good R&B show.
02:04I'm excited about that.
02:06What do you love about the Essence Music Festival?
02:09Besides the women.
02:10And the food.
02:12I love, I love what it's about.
02:16I love, you know, of course not just seeing the women, but I love that it's empowering
02:21the women.
02:22And speaking of women, our readers love you.
02:24I thank the readers.
02:26So we let them ask you a few questions on social media.
02:29So can I read you off some?
02:31Absolutely.
02:32So Nicole wrote, what is the driving force behind your musical motivation?
02:37Everything.
02:39You know, my inspiration is endless.
02:42You know, I kind of, music is always in my head.
02:45Lyrics are always kind of running through me no matter what I'm doing.
02:48You know what I mean?
02:49There's a song right here about the goldenness of your jacket.
02:53You know what I mean?
02:54And how to make that into a song.
02:55That's one part of it.
02:57I'm also driven by the fact that, you know, I have four beautiful kids and they gotta eat.
03:02You know what I mean?
03:03I have that aspect of it.
03:04And then I have the competitive aspect of it where, you know, I not only want to be better
03:08than everybody else, but I want to be better than the last thing I just did.
03:12You know what I mean?
03:13So all of that combined, you know, creates, you know, creates me.
03:18That's a lot of motivation.
03:19Oh yeah, I can't.
03:20Yeah, I got a lot to do.
03:22And Cherie said she loved you in The Preacher's Kid.
03:25Is there any acting in your future anymore acting?
03:28I just finished taping Single Ladies in Atlanta.
03:33So I'm on the episode of Single Ladies.
03:35They talk about, you know, bringing your boy back.
03:37Let him get some more shine on there.
03:39You know, it was awesome because, you know, I can't tell you exactly what my role is.
03:45I want you guys to see it.
03:46But, you know, the director, she's like, so are you comfortable with your shirt off?
03:51Because I had a shirt on, you know, I was like, yeah, I'm kind of comfortable.
03:54She said, well, can I see you before we, you know, shoot?
03:56I said, yeah.
03:57I took my shirt off.
03:58She said, dear God.
03:59Yeah.
04:00So no shirts for Tank.
04:02I'm, during the whole shooting.
04:04So it was just, it was, it was great.
04:07And I don't mind, you know, you know, you know, being on display for my ladies.
04:11You know, that's what it's made for.
