Melanie Fiona explained to Billboard.com what exactly has been the hold up on the release of her new album.
"You know, there were a lot of changes, obviously, in the music industry, a lot of merging and label mergers and fires and re-hires and stuff like that," Fiona, who moved from Motown to Universal Republic for "The MF Life," which comes out March 20 after an originally planned 2011 release. "When it gets like that, it gets hectic and you have to wait for the dust to settle and keep your head above water and see where you're gonna land. So I used the time to keep working on the album and perfecting it...In retrospect, the waiting served a better purpose."
Fiona says the delay allowed her "to get some last-minute features" on the album, including J. Cole on "This Time" and Nas on the rocking "Running." "I Been That Girl," co-written by Drake, was also a late addition to "The MF Life," as were the funky "Watch Me Work" and "6 AM," a bonus track featuring T-Pain. "That was like a buzz record, something we wanted to add as a little extra thing at the last second," says Fiona, who co-wrote six songs for the album and three more for the deluxe edition.
Fiona is in the midst of a pre-release promo tour for "The MF Life," with some live showcases beginning March 21 at World Cafe Live in Philadelphia and including the Austin Urban Music Festival on March 30 in Texas. Meanwhile, she expects a more extensive tour will follow once the album is out. "Hopefully we can solidify a more set tour, whether with another artist or my own tour," she says. "Time will tell what we'll do once people hear the music and want it to come to their city."
