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CNN Sunday Morning

Interview With Dyana Williams

Aired August 25, 2002 - 07:33   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: We're going to talk a little entertainment news right now. R&B singer Ashanti picked up the entertainer of the year honors at the Soul Train Lady of Soul awards last night. Twenty-one year old newcomer received the award, despite some complaints, and a petition drive from thousands of music fans saying she doesn't deserve it, basically. Critics complain she's not talented enough and doesn't measure up to previous winners, like Tony Braxton and Mariah Carey, the virtuals who-who in music and show business, turned out to the awards ceremony in Pasadena California. Winners were apparently determined by unspecified group of radio programmers, as well as recording artists.
To talk more about this, joining me from Los Angeles is Dyana Williams, founder of the International Association of African-American Music.

Thanks very much for being with us, Dyana, I know it's godawful hour there, 4:30 in the morning.

DYANA WILLIAMS, FOUNDER, INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF AFRICAN AMERICAN MUSIC: It's a good hour. Good morning, Anderson. Hi, Carol.

COOPER: Have you slept at all?

WILLIAMS: I just came from the after party, not too long ago, I was hanging out with Patty LaBelle (ph).

COOPER: All right, well, we appreciate your taking the time to speak with us. So, is this, in your opinion, much ado about nothing?

WILLIAMS: I believe it is. I think that people are entitled to their opinions, this is still America, First Amendment rights are upheld; that's exactly how Ashanti feels as well. When you consider that her global sales are somewhere in the vicinity of four million sales, and that the first week of her self-titled debut album released, she sold 500,000 units, which is almost unheard of in the music business.

In fact, Anderson, she was the first artist since the Beatles to have three records in the top 10 pop charts, as it pertains to Billboard, and that's pretty significant.

COOPER: Well, you know, for those of our viewers, who either didn't see the awards ceremony, or don't really know, that -- I just want to bring them up to speed. They're basically, this started because online, there was a petition, that received some 20,000 signatures of this Web site, basically saying that that this performer, Ashanti, should not be given the a -- an award for entertainer of the year, that's named after Aretha Franklin, basically saying it's an insult to Aretha Franklin to give the award to a performer at the level of Ashanti. Twenty thousand signatures is an awful lot of signatures.

WILLIAMS: Yes, but compared to the four million worldwide sales, it's not, and it is unusual. It think that sometimes people snowball -- criticisms begin to snowball, it happened to Alicia Keyes, Whitney Houston, Lauren Hill; there's a certain backlash that comes with success. That is not uncommon for not just entertainers but athletes, artists, television performers, all kinds of people -- so, I think that she is a victim of this.

She is the first to admit that perhaps some of her performances in the very beginning of her career were rather weak, and she worked with a vocal coach, a choreographer, to strengthen her performance. I saw her last night, as did the audience -- they cheered, and gave her much love. They were yelling out her name. There was a great deal of enthusiasm in the audience for Ashanti, and when she went up to accept her speech, she was humble, sincere, and very flattered by all the love that she received in the Pasadena Civic Center from the attendees at the Lady of Soul Awards.

COOPER: Do you have any sense of how she personally had felt about this controversy? I mean, there was ...

WILLIAMS: Yes, spoke with her the other day. She was, of course, concerned -- no one wants to be the recipient of criticism -- do you, Anderson?

I know, I don't.

COOPER: Believe me, no way.

WILLIAMS: But, she respects artists, the audience, everyone's right to their opinion, whether it's the industry, or the music loving consumers, and she is going with the larger mass, number of people. She just came back from touring in Europe, and in Switzerland, in Germany, where people went crazy, they went gaga (ph) over her, and they're doing the same thing here.

So, she was a little disturbed, concerned, but she has been also getting a great deal of support online. There's another site that she's getting a great deal of support and love from, and then as I said, the reception last night, was extremely warm, very encouraging.

COOPER: This is, this is, today, is actually the one year anniversary of the death of Aaliyah, the singer ...

WILLIAMS: Yes.

COOPER: Tell us how she's being remembered, and how big an impact do you think she had, and her death had on music? WILLIAMS: I think that the impact will be felt forever, and last night she was the recipient of an award. She was recognized, her family was recognized, and she belonged. And she will always be. In fact, when Ashanti first came out, there where many comparisons to Aaliyah, and I might add also, Anderson, that she was the recipient of a lot of criticism when there were rumors about her marriage to R. Kelly, and even in the beginning, people criticized her vocal performance.

So, that's why I'm saying for Ashanti, it's not an uncommon thing. Success usually begets some level of envy or jealousy, or those kinds of comments, but she -- Aaliyah, will be very missed. Her music is still heard in heavy rotation. Her videos are still played as well, MTV, BET, and other video outlets around the country.

COOPER: All right, Dyana Williams, thanks so much for joining us this morning, and I'm glad you tore yourself away from the after party, and I (ph) appreciate your doing that.

WILLIAMS: From Patty LaBelle (ph) ...

COOPER: I realize, we can't compete with Patty LaBelle (ph), but we appreciate your doing that.

WILLIAMS: No, she's quite something to follow -- thank you -- take care.

COOPER: Thanks a lot, Dyana.

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