Jean Baylor, formerly one half of the nineties R&B duo Zhané, is finally back with her brand new, introspective solo debut, Testimony: My Life Story, on her very own imprint, Be A Light.

In 1994, the group burst onto the scene with their smash party anthem, ‘Hey, Mr. DJ,’ a track that originally appeared on the Roll Wit Tha Flava compilation project. The extreme popularity of the single quickly brought Zhané to the attention of the majors, and the girls, along with their producer, Kay Gee [of Naughty by Nature], signed a, then, promising recording contract with Motown Records. The result of that union was their gold selling, first outing, Pronounced Jah-Nay, which also spawned an additional two Top 40 hits; ‘Groove Thang’ and ‘Sending My Love.’

The following year was spent mostly touring, but the group also made high profile appearances on albums from both Busta Rhymes and De La Soul, as well as contributing songs to a couple of notable soundtracks.

By ’97, Norris and Neufville finally dropped their sophomore record, Saturday Night, and although it spawned an additional hit, ‘Request Line,’ that was just not quite enough in preventing Zhané from ultimately breaking up.

HHN Live Dot Com recently tracked down the Providence, Rhode Island, by way of Moorestown, New Jersey, natural beauty, on the eve of the release of her long overdue, premier solo outing, Testimony: My Life Story…

Todd David: Hey, Jean, how are ya? How’s life treating you?

Jean Baylor: Since Zhane’s last release, I’ve been enjoying some life changes and have come into my own as a person and a recording artist. I got married, and have been enjoying a closer relationship with God. So, I’m truly excited to return to the music scene.

TD: It took you long enough to finally return…

JB: It wasn’t really a musical hiatus that I took, but rather a personal hiatus, especially from the music industry. I needed that time to grow in many ways, most importantly, spiritually. That growth is reflected in my solo debut, Testimony: My Life Story.

TD: Zhané’s second and final project Saturday Night wasn’t as commercially well received as the group’s debut -- Why do you feel that was?

JB: To be honest, I’m not really sure why it didn’t do as well as the first album.

TD: Did the group actually disband after that record? And, what exactly caused the whole dissolution of Zhané?

JB: We were in the process of recording our third album for quite a while, and it just wasn’t coming together creatively. It was my decision to leave the group because I simply wasn’t happy. I realized that in order for me to come into my own, I needed to break away and explore music as an individual again. That’s when my “personal hiatus” began, and now eight years later, I’m back as a solo artist.

TD:Testimony: My Life Story is dropping on your upstart label, Be A Light, correct?

JB: My husband, Marcus Baylor, and I started our own company, Be A Light, in order to enjoy creative control and ownership. That means we take all the risk, but we also enjoy all the profits! It really is an amazing journey.

TD: What can you tell me about Testimony: My Life Story…

JB: My solo debut is now complete. My husband and I co-produced the majority of the album. He is the drummer for the Grammy Award winning Yellowjackets. Also, Spinderella [from Salt-n-Pepa] made a special cameo appearance from her radio show, Backspin.

TD:What does the album’s title actually reflect?

JB: This album is a true reflection of who I am at this stage in my life. It is written in a very conversational way, which explains the “my life story” part. But, most importantly, this album talks about some of the ups and downs in my life, and the fact that God has brought me through all of them. That’s the “Testimony.”

TD: Is it similar at all to what people had already known of you from your work with Zhané?

JB: I don’t measure this album or any other projects I’ve worked on by the past Zhane’ projects, I just do whatever music I’m hearing at the time. Zhane’ was very much about “feel good” songs, and there are definitely some songs that fall into that category. We also had ballads on our albums, and that has always been my strong point, so you’ll hear a few of those as well. But, the biggest difference with my solo album is that you’re getting my personal voice. Not my singing voice, per se, but what it is I have to say through music.

TD: Many people know the history of Zhané, but when did Jean Norris first take a liking to music?

JB: My first musical experience was in church, where my father (was a pastor). I grew up in a musical home with both parents that sang, and my mother had a piano in the living room. I started exploring on the piano, playing the theme song for ‘The Mickey Mouse Club,’ and my mother immediately put me in piano lessons. From there, I was always involved in musical productions in school, as well as church. I performed in various talent shows, and really enjoyed the town’s summer Musical Theatre productions in junior high and high school. I went on to major in Jazz Vocal Performance at Temple University and earned my degree.

TD: You mention church, so I assume Gospel was a major influence on you?

JB:My musical influences growing up included; church first, R&B, Pop, and later Jazz -- Andrae’ Crouch, church hymns, Whitney Houston, Anita Baker, CeCe Winans, everything ‘80’s, and later Carmen McRae, Shirley Horn and Jimmy Scott.

TD: So did you discover early on that music would be your ultimate calling?

JB: Honestly, when I was in college I went to see the reunion tour of New Edition, with Bobby Brown and Johnny Gill. It was when Bobby hit the stage that I somehow knew that’s what I wanted to do!

TD: Interesting! Tell me, how did you and Renee Neufville initially hook up to form Zhané?

JB: Renee’ and I met in college at Temple University. We quickly became friends, and found a common interest in music. It was there that we started singing together, and later performed for different events. We worked with Jazzy Jeff for a while, and then met Kay Gee [of Naughty By Nature fame], who introduced us to the industry and produced our record.

TD: Did Kay Gee just luckily come across you all or did you actually seek him out?

JB: Someone took us to Flavor Unit, and we sang a-cappella for a few people. Our tape was given to Kay Gee who was looking for a girl group at the time. We worked with him while recording the album, and he took us to Motown.

TD: Why did you all choose the unique moniker of Zhané?

JB: Zhane’ is a combination of our names; Jean and Renee. We took the French pronunciation of both names and put them together.

TD: Describe for me your solo sound?

JB: I would describe my music as “Life Music.” I like to create music that perpetuates life in different ways. As a musical style, I would call it mainstream with a little R&B, Pop, Soul, and a touch of Hip-Hop at times.

It’s also very lyrically driven material…
I get inspired mostly by real life situations. It doesn’t have to be something I’ve actually lived, but maybe someone else’s experience. Or, it can simply be a feeling or emotion or just a concept or idea. I try to write songs that mean something to me, and will hopefully mean something to someone else.

TD: Because you have been away for so long, are you finding it harder to pick up right where you last left off?

JB: I think the key is having a foundation of true talent and skill, but learning to think less as an artist and more like a business person. It’s important to expand what you do, so you have different avenues of generating income. There are other things that I want to do, in addition to recording albums, but that’s my foundation.

TD: Tell me about some of those other things…

JB: I would like to create a community based program to assist urban youths/teenagers in career building.

TD: How has R&B music evolved from your whole era with Zhané up until now?

JB: There are some really good artists and songs out there; Alicia Keys, John Legend, Ledisi, Anthony Hamilton, Chris Brown, Ne-Yo, and some others that are perpetuating good music. There’s always a negative side of the industry, but I’d rather focus on the positive.

TD: So, do you listen to a lot of the current stuff that’s out there now? And, what else do you enjoy doing these days?

JB: I don’t listen to a lot of music. I love to laugh. I love the smell of gas. I like going to the beach just to lay out in the sun. I love having my own business. Oh, yeah, (and) watching Martin re-runs like they just came out yesterday.

TD: What is your five to ten year plan in not only music, but life period?

JB: I see myself owning a successful record label with my husband and business partner, being in a position to help more people, and possibly a mother.

TD: Will you be hitting the road in support of Testimony: My Life Story?

JB: Right now, I’m performing an acoustic set with a guitarist, and it’s a lot of fun. It’s pretty intimate, and I get to vibe with the audience. Everybody can check my performance schedule out at www.jeanbaylor.com and www.myspace.com/jeanbaylor.

TD: How were those first solo shows? Were you nervous being up on stage alone, being that you had become accustomed to having Renee around all the time?

JB: Actually, I’ve performed by myself many times before I was in the group; jazz clubs, talent shows, musicals, etcetera. But, my first show by myself since Zhane’ was at The Urban Music Festival in Austin, Texas. I was definitely nervous because I hadn’t performed in a while, and it was a little different being by my-self again. But, I’m having a huge amount of fun singing, playing, and just enjoying being on stage.

TD: As for Zhané –- Do you and Renee still remain in touch?

JB: Renee and I are still friends and will always keep up with each other.

TD: Do you think there will ever be a Zhané reunion someday?

JB: I’m not looking to reunite as a group, but am focusing on my career as a solo artist.

TD: Okay, cool. Thanks for taking your time to speak with me today, and good luck in everything that you are doing! Is there anything I left out?

JB: My CD can be purchased online at www.dajams.com or at live performances. Hope to see you there!