Ashanti finds contentment in 'change and progress'

CONCORD, N.C. — During rehearsals for a concert earlier this month in Nigeria, Ashanti and Ja Rule had a couple of small stumbles while preparing for their first joint appearance in five years.

"It was kind of funny, because we both forgot some of the words," Ashanti says with a laugh. "The songs we have together, when we do our songs separate, we only do our parts. So when we were doing the songs together, we were like, 'Oh, we forgot this verse! Oh, yeah, you had this verse!' "

Those collaborations — including Always On Time (2001) and Mesmerize (2002) — were recorded more than a decade ago. But as Ashanti prepares to release her new single (Early In the Morning, featuring French Montana, out today), she's still staying busy.

Getting touched up in a makeup chair for a national anthem performance prior to Saturday night's NASCAR race at Charlotte Motor Speedway, before dashing off to Turks and Caicos for her birthday, Ashanti, 34, reflects on her career.

Though people might associate her music more with last decade than today, she doesn't mind when people bring up her big hits from the early 2000s.

"I guess you still appreciate it, because I'd prefer to have a catalog than be a one-hit wonder," she says. "For me, it's about doing what's in my heart, doing what got me here and understanding the concept of change and progress. And understanding my obstacles are different than a lot of people's, you know what I mean?"

It certainly didn't help her career when former Murder Inc. CEO Irv Gotti was indicted, accused of using the label to hide drug money (he was later found not guilty). Ashanti was forced to keep her distance from the label through its legal troubles and eventually was released from her contract.

These days, she has her own independent record label (Written Entertainment) and has been working on projects such as a Christmas album that will be sold exclusively through Target starting Oct. 28.

In addition to Early In the Morning, she released an album called Braveheart earlier this year — her first since leaving Murder Inc.

"A lot of people weren't federally indicted — a lot of people's record labels didn't go through that," she says. "So the fact I'm still here and putting records out and doing films and things like (singing at a NASCAR race) and exclusive albums with Target, it's really a blessing."

Ashanti filmed a movie called Stuck this summer, which also stars Amy Madigan and Giancarlo Esposito. It's set in a New York City subway car, where strangers from all walks of life are forced to interact.

She's also co-starred in Army Wives and appeared on an episode of Law and Order: SVU last year.

So does she view herself as more of an actress or a singer these days?

"I can say I love music, I love making records, I love the reaction and getting people to relate," she says. "I love when people say, 'Oh, my gosh, you wrote about this, you felt this, this is a situation I really went through, thank you so much.' That is something I can't top.

"With acting, I love being able to challenge myself and become a different character. And it's funny, because it's not hard."

Her hits remain well-known — even in Nigeria. When she performs 2002's Foolish, she says it "still brings it as hard as it did 12 years ago."

"That's one thing that will never, ever get old," she says. "You never get tired of that, ever. It's an amazing feeling."

That her music still resonates, she says, "makes me feel like I'm doing what I'm supposed to do."

"It feels like I accomplished something," she says. "My dreams and everything I worked so hard for — everything was all worth it."