Quencie Interviews Singer/Songwriter and Owner of Anise Records - BETH

On March 1, 2022 I interviewed singer, songwriter and owner of Anise record label Beth Griffith Manley. She has sang background for the legendary and iconic Anita Baker and singer KEM. You may have seen her on season 16 of The Voice on Team John Legend and Kelly Clarkston or know her as the daughter of Motown royalty. Her dad was original funk brother pianist, Johnny Griffith and played on so many iconic Motown hits.

What had me most excited about this interview was that I got to ask Beth about being Whitney Houston’s body double in the movie Sparkle! We both share a deep love for Whitney so it was amazing to get a chance speaking about her in the interview.

BETH has a new single "Let Me Be" dropping March 22nd, and on April 15th a cover of Sade's Kiss of Life will be released. It is a collaboration with musician Blair Bryant, who is a prodigy and a musical director for NAJE'.  BETH's second album Get To Know Me will be dropping in June. 

BETH is just your typical black woman blazing trails. She’s the perfect person for me kick off Women’s history month and celebrate world compliment day cuz her journey has been more amazing.

Press play and watch our conversation below or you can listen to it by clicking here.

Whitney Houston's Estate Plans Hologram Tour and New Album 7 Years After Her Death

According to The Jasminebrand, for those who wish they could have had the chance to see iconic singer Whitney Houston perform live before she passed in 2012, that chance is coming. The “I Will Always Love You” singer’s estate has inked a new deal with Primary Wave Music Publishing, a boutique music company, specializing in the marketing of classic artists’ catalog. Some of their clientele include Bob Marley, Smokey Robinson, and Def Leppard. Their first massive project for Whitney is a hologram tour.

The show will feature Whitney Houston’s image and voice as a hologram, performing her classics backed by her original band and backup singers, including her brother Gary Houston. Whitney Houston’s longtime manager and sister-in-law, Pat Houston, says the estate is finally ready to feed the singer’s fans with new ways to honor her legacy while re-polishing her image. Pat told the New York Times:

“Before she passed, there was so much negativity around the name; it wasn’t about the music anymore. People had forgotten how great she was. They let all the personal things about her life outweigh why they fell in love with her in the first place.”

Primary Wave founder, Larry Mestel, added:

“Whitney was America’s sweetheart, and the idea now is to remind people that that is what her legacy is.”

Pat says that as the executor of the estate, she has turned down several deals pitched for Whitney after her death, including a traveling museum. She said:

“Everything is about timing for me. It’s been quite emotional for the past seven years. But now it’s about being strategic.”

She also reveals the reason Whitney Houston never wanted to be included in the Hollywood Walk of Fame:

“[Whitney] didn’t want people walking on her name.”

Primary Wave is organizing many upcoming Whitney Houston projects, including a Broadway musical, and an album of unreleased music.

Would you attend a Whitney Houston hologram concert?