A NEW DESTINY
Former Destiny’s Child member LeToya Luckett is channeling life lessons into music
LeToya Luckett splits her time between Houston and L.A. But the singer, an original member of Destiny’s Child, says she can’t escape her Southern twang.
“It won’t go away, and I like that,” she says. “If I go home for a second or if somebody calls from home, people can immediately hear my accent change.
“I can’t tell, but everybody else is like, ‘You just went country.’ ”
Indeed, a slow drawl slips into Luckett’s cadence as soon as she starts reminiscing about home — and the Houston food, in particular.
“I miss The Breakfast Klub. I miss Pappadeaux. I could go on all day. Love me some Burns BBQ. And the Turkey Leg Hut,” she says.
She’ll have to take it all to go these days. Luckett just released her third album, “Back 2 Life,” this month. It’s her first in nearly eight years.
Though she sporadically put out singles and teasers during that time, Luckett was trying to balance music with a burgeoning acting career, which included roles on the VH1 series “Single Ladies,” Fox’s “Rosewood” and the OWN series “Greenleaf.” She was recently cast as Sharitha Golden, Suge Knight’s ex-wife, in the USA pilot “Unsolved: The Murders of Biggie and Tupac.”
Luckett will play Dionne Warwick in an upcoming biopic alongside Danny Glover as Warwick’s father and Olympia Dukakis as Marlene Dietrich. Luckett is recording Warwick’s past hits and working closely alongside the legendary singer.
“She wants me to put the work in, and I love that. I know how important this is to her. Just walking in her shoes for a minute, that’s everything to me,” Luckett says. “I’m so glad that she’s here and able to hold my hand through this and kinda coach me through it.”
In title alone, then, “Back 2 Life” signifies a return to her first love — music.
“It’s definitely something that kept getting pushed back. I planned on coming out with the album six years ago,” Luckett says. “I really feel like it came out at the perfect time in its perfect season. I’m definitely in a different space than I was before. I’m more confident. I’ve gone through a lot in the past few years and learned a lot of lessons. I was able to express that through my music.”
Even a cursory listen to the album reminds you that Luckett is an underrated singer and stylist. She sang on some of DC’s biggest hits, including “Bills, Bills, Bills” and “Say My Name.” But she vanished from the group, alongside LaTavia Roberson, after management issues with Mathew Knowles.
Luckett released her debut solo album in 2006, which spawned the hit “Torn.” She’s the only Destiny’s Child’s member other than Beyoncé to sell a million copies of one album. The “Lady Love” album followed in 2009, which included R&B hits “Not Anymore” and “Regret.”
She hopes the new album shows fans “that I’m a real person, that I go through things.”
“I want people to hear my growth. I want people to be able to relate to this music,” Luckett says. She divorced husband Rob Hillman last year after less than three months of marriage.
“Music has healed me on so many different occasions, and I want my music to be able to do that for someone else. Music is powerful. I want somebody else to say, ‘Man, that ‘Back 2 Life’ album got me through. There were songs that really empowered me to get out of my safe zone or to leave that abusive relationship or made me feel confident.’ ”
Indeed, the album’s strength is in its intimacy, which comes across in both the lyrics and vocals. Luckett sings with conviction, whether she’s alluring and breathy on “In the Name” or bright and flirty on “Show Me.”
“Weekend” has the whiff of summertime in Houston. And there’s a simmering pain that swirls through “Grey” and the gorgeous standout “Disconnected.”
Luckett says it was her “duty” to share her experiences.
“God has given me this gift to get out there and share my music and share my experiences and share my testimony. Why not be open? Why not be real? Why not walk in my truth?” she says.
“There were moments in the studio I would literally be in tears and go, ‘Nope, I have to do it. Jump the hurdle.’ There were records like ‘Disconnected’ or ‘Worlds Apart’ ... I was in a hurt space. Very sad and going through it, just like people in love do.
“I wouldn’t have done that on the last two albums. I guess as a grown woman, which I am now, you’re in a more careless state of mind. I’m living my life. I’m doing me. This is who I am.”