Sunday Diva/Three From The Hip: CeCe Peniston

Sunday Diva/Three From The Hip: 

CeCe Peniston

In my own personal big gay church, there is a wing festooned with disco balls, strobes and a pulsing dancefloor. Here reign the Divas of the Dancefloor; a rare cultural phenomena somewhat confined to the clubs. Their siren calls beckon you forth, bewitching you with soulful sounds and inspirational words, causing your body to gyrate as if taken by a spirit. Theirs is the world of house - and by house, I mean, these ladies know how to take you to church, son. With their voices we soar and are liberated from gravity's and reality's pull.

One such diva?

The Queen Of House

CeCe Peniston

CeCe Peniston rose to fame in 1991 when her hit single Finally peaked at #1 on Billboard's Hot 100, going on to become one of the most iconic dance songs in music history. Winning numerous awards by the end of 1993, and scoring five major #1 dance club hits within three years, Peniston was named Billboard's #1 Hot Dance Music/Club Play artist in the world.

A poem she performed at her high school graduation... took the world by storm.

She's been lighting up the dance floor ever since, sending us, time and again to club heaven.

And the woman just keeps getting better with age.

A true ally, she's always there for the LGBTQ+ community.

In addition to her amazing career in music, Peniston has also been branching out into speaking and acting.

This diva remains a force to be reckoned with!

The gospel according to her?

Well, here are three from the hip, dropping from her lips.

The topic?  Life Since 1991

"I felt at home on stage whenever I sang. FYI: my singing debut took place when I was eleven years-old. I did my first show, H.M.S. Pinafore, where I played the part of Buttercup. I knew this is where I was supposed to be, and this was the beginning of my singing career."

"When you perform live it is in real time. You get to see how the audience feels and reacts to what you are doing. You can perform the same song different ways each time you sing it. The energy in the audience dictates how the moment will go, and many times the moment is incredible and comes out in an unexpected way."

"I love to perform live. It is such a rush to look out in the audience and see a whirlwind of people in the crowd singing the songs that I helped create along with me. For that instant in time the audience forgets everything and just has a great time, and that is a blessing for me."

“...Finally was a poem I wrote in high school,”

I came to record it  after doing background vocals for A&M artist Overweight Pooch, and that is where on a song called I Like It that the signature CeCe Peniston adlib came to life. I also worked on a song called Give It All You Got by Marvelous JC, and doing those two songs are what led to me doing the song that we all now know as the global anthem Finally.

“I remember walking down the street and some guy was like ‘Yo! CeCe! How you doin’?’ and I thought, 'Is he talking to me?' It was such an encouraging experience. They are happy that I am here; they came to a show just to see me, and I’m (as) thankful as they are. This little poem that became a song has now become a career.”

"Make sure to be involved in your business. This is very important. When I began my career, I let my manager handle my business, and as an artist it is necessary to be involved in all aspects of everything you are doing."

"The biggest challenges... come from me originally releasing music in 1991, (when) we had a publicist, record company, record deals and artists really got signed to labels. MTV and VH1 were actually video channels..."

 
"Now...?  Instead of record deals there is streaming and reality shows. Ten million downloads used to mean ten million dollars. There is not a lot of money to be made from streaming. Royalties are almost null and void for many artists, which make them have to work that much harder."

"My finest hours have and still are traveling the world. Since 1991 I have been in a whirlwind, and it has been and is amazing. I am constantly gaining more wisdom of who I am as an artist, and I love being on this journey." 

Finally - CeCe Peniston

Movin' On - CeCe Pentison

CeCe Pentison - Believe

And one last parting shot...

"I learned so many things from my parents. I think one of the most important lessons is to treat people like you want to be treated. I am always aware of this and have always kept to this notion. The world would be so wonderful if everyone worked on being good folks. I am always intentional with who I am."