Versatility is the word that first comes to mind to describe her Twentieth Century Records release. Great arrangements of tender ballads alternate with hot disco tracks, but it is Stephanie’s wide-ranging, expressive voice that captures you. This girl can SING!
Broadway experience seems to have molded her style and delivery but, after four years of playing Dorothy in The Wiz, Stephanie says she is ready for a change. “Do you intend to do more Broadway I asker her?” “Oh Noooo! I don’t want to do any more Broadway for at least five years.”
Although Stephanie has been offered several Broadway-bound scripts, she says “They’re in the same vein as Dorothy, and I really want to get away from that. I want a new image.” And that blossoming image is already leading her to become a recording artist, to travel and concerts.
Since disco is such a new twist for her, I couldn’t help but wonder how Stephanie felt doing it after Broadway. Did she feel comfortable? “Oh yes! Although I feel comfortable singing it, I don’t consider myself a disco singer.”
The emotional cries in “Feel the Fire” off her new album testify to her ability to sing ballads. The album’s wide range of sounds also made me wonder what type of act she will be touring with in the next few months. “It will be a nightclub act she insists, “very different from the Dorothy image.”
Stephanie’s musical background helps explain her versatility. Singing gospel in the Freestone Baptist Church in Brooklyn, for instance, helped create her emotive style. That her family had show business in their blood, moreover, has influenced her style. “My father used to sing quartet in the South and my mother played the flute while my brother used to have a singing group called the ‘Admirations’.” Stephanie’s family’s influence continues. Both her brother and sister manage her career.
Of the three disco cuts on the album, “Don’t stop Dancin’,” “You Can Get Over,” and “Put Your Body in It,” the last two are going over especially well in local discos. In fact, rumors are that a couple of these tunes will be remixed and released on 12” singles in the near future. “Put Your Body in it” appears to be her follow up hit to the title track.
Stephanie has been involved with show business most of her life. She made her Broadway debut at age 10 in “Maggie Flynn” starring Shirley Jones and Jack Cassidy. “The Wiz” took up another four years of her life. But Broadway is in the past. Now Stephanie is ready to embark on a national tour to promote her new album. Luckily, that tour will include Washington.
Does Stephanie Mills have feelings about gay people? When asked that question she gleefully replied “No one’s ever asked that question but I must be candid. I get along better with gay men than regular females. When I go out to the discos, most of the men I hang out with are gay. I relate to them better; they are more open about a lot of things.”
One listen to Stephanie’s new album will reveal her remarkable voice. Having experienced her infectious good humor while interviewing her, I eagerly await her appearance in our area so I can see this bubbly, high spirited talent live.