EXCLUSIVE: Tamela Mann Shares How Menopause Inspired Song On Her New EP, Recalls Meeting Kirk Franklin At 18 Years Old & Salutes Tyler Perry’s Career: He Just Kept Going Up & Up

Tamela Mann, Kirk Franklin, Tyler Perry

EXCLUSIVE: Tamela Mann Shares How Menopause Inspired Song On Her New EP, Recalls Meeting Kirk Franklin At 18 Years Old & Salutes On Tyler Perry’s Career: He Just Kept Going Up And Up

Gospel singer and actress Tamela Mann had lots to share with us during her EXCLUSIVE interview with theJasmineBRAND.

Tamela Mann first dished on her upcoming EP, Overcomer. She stated:

“I’m just really excited for everybody else to hear it… I think it’s gonna be very encouraging to so many people for us to stay focused and finish, that we can overcome a lot of things that we’re dealing with right now in the world. And it has encouraged me, honestly. Not just because I did it and was singing, but just listening to the lyrics of the songs have been very encouraging to me in this time. You know, this last 18 months. And just putting it together that God is still God and He can help us and He can heal us. And we can overcome, and He’s the source of everything.”

She continued, pointing out that although she began recording in 2019, the trials of COVID-19 helped her bring it all together. Tamela Mann said:

“I started recording at the end of 2019. I was halfway done–I was halfway done, I had like 4 or 5 songs done. And then COVID hit, and we start pumping the brakes… But we worked through it, we was doing the COVID tests and all that thing and keeping the social distancing. But it worked out, and, again, I really really believe it’s going to be a blessing to a lot of people…”

She added,

“We really have to hold on to our faith that things are gonna get better and help is on the way. That’s one of the songs on [the LP], to encourage us that help is on the way, and it’s okay to even ask for help. Because a lot of times, [for] a lot of us, this thing has worked a lot of people’s mental. Just being locked up and locked in and not being able to get out and about. But I’m just really, really grateful to God that I know it’s gonna get better.”

Tamela Mann then spoke on more personal matters from her knee surgery to her experiences with menopause:

“Overcoming came about [as I was] dealing with my knees the last few years. [When] I was in pain but I was working. And I decided to go ahead and do the knee surgery, so I had double knee surgery. And then I made up my mind that it was time for me to make some changes with health and wellness with my body, so I was working on the weight thing. And then of course [I began going through menopause]. It took me for a little loop with the ups and downs that it brings. It’s funny ’cause when we’re growing up you always hear people say ‘going through the change,’ but you never heard nobody really break down that it’s a mental thing and you really may have to ask somebody for some help… I just wanna let other women know you’re not alone. You’re not crazy in no way, because it takes you on a rollercoaster.”

She then further dished on her double knee surgery–and she confirmed that she can now feel when rain will come due to her joints! She claimed:

“I was in pain. Like I would do concerts, I was doing the plays, and stuff like that. And then after I had surgery, I started really telling people that it’s okay. It’s a serious surgery, it takes a lot of work to get your body back to normal…This July was 2 years [since my surgery]. I’m just now back to most[ly] normal. But I feel when it’s getting cold and I feel when It’s gonna rain! That’s a true thing!… It’s true–even my doctor said. He was like ‘It is the true thing that it happens with the weather. I can’t explain it, but it is true.'”

Kirk Franklin

At this point in the interview, Tamela Mann spoke on how she first met award-winning artist Kirk Franklin:

“My husband David, Darrell Blair–who’s our pastor now–, and Kirk all went to high school together. They started a group in high school called Humble Hearts, and [we met through a friend]. I was like 18 when I met them. I was singing around locally, and that same weekend I was singing at this church and I told them ‘Y’all come hear me sing’… and I started singing with them. And then it kept going, and Kirk Franklin decided to do something different. He started Kirk Franklin and the Family, and we kind of went from there.

Tamela Mann then proceeded to address Kirk Franklin‘s energetic style, saying:

“He’s been clowning and jumping around since I’ve met him. He is the Energizer Bunny. He wanna keep up with the young people–I told him ‘You go ahead bro! I’ll cheer you on.'”

Similarly, she dished on when she met Tyler Perry, stating:

“It ended with Kirk Franklin and the Family in 1998, and we met Tyler in 1999. We actually had the same promoter [and we met while touring]. He told my husband David ‘I got this up-and-coming writer, you should reach out to him.’ So David flew to Chicago to meet Tyler… He told him about myself, he was like ‘Me and my wife work together and we do this thing together, and she wants to come and be a part. She doesn’t act but she sings.’ And so once I did get there Tyler was like ‘Before it’s over with, I’ll have you acting.'”

Tyler Perry

Tamela Mann commented on how Tyler Perry stepped his plays up over the years, and she also shared some words of encouragement. She said:

“Everybody started stepping it up to really have a great production, and Tyler just kept going up and up and up with the sets and all that. It’s important that even though you may start out small, you still want to do it in excellence. Whatever you do, you want to do it in excellence and not just throw something together. You want to work at it, rehearse, so when you come out you got something–a great package for people. You want people to buy tickets, so you want to keep people [entertained]… You never know what people are gonna like. You just hope. Even with this album, I hope it resonates with people. And just like the plays–we didn’t know, but the characters resonated because everybody had a Madea or a Mr. Brown or an aunt who acted like Cora… It touched everybody, and it was just amazing how it grew.”

What do you think about our EXCLUSIVE interview with Tamela Mann? Comment down below to let us know!