LOS ANGELES (AP) 鈥� Ren茅e Elise Goldsberry is most inspired by artists bold enough to take a career leap, even when there鈥檚 no guarantee of a safe landing.
Over the years, Goldsberry spent her celebrated career surrounded by fearless risk-takers. Now, the Tony and Grammy winner, best known for her breakout role in the musical is taking a bold move of her own. She鈥檚 stepping into the spotlight as a solo artist: Her debut album, 鈥淲ho I Really Am,鈥� was released Friday.
鈥淚鈥檓 surrounded by friends that do really crazy, brave, 鈥業 could fail miserably鈥� things,鈥� said in Hamilton won her a Tony in 2016 for best featured actress in a musical. In that same year, she earned a Grammy for best musical theater album.
鈥淭hey jump off cliffs, they start to fly, we get to see it and it鈥檚 so inspiring that you put out an album,鈥� she said.
Goldsberry has made her presence felt in other Broadway projects including and 鈥淭he Color Purple.鈥� She's had standout work on and 鈥� and was on the daytime soap 鈥淥ne Life to Live.鈥�
With 鈥淲ho I Really Am,鈥� Goldsberry is carving her own musical path. The album is a 13-track project filled with soul, funk, blues and gospel vibes featuring a reimagined version of her iconic 鈥淗amilton鈥� song 鈥淪atisfied,鈥� which was originally penned by .
In a recent interview, Goldsberry talks to The Associated Press about finding her identity through the album, whether returning to 鈥淗amilton鈥� is an option and aspirations for an EGOT, a term for the rare person who鈥檚 won an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony award during their career.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
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AP: You wrote 11 songs on the album. While creating this project, what did you discover more about yourself?
GOLDSBERRY: I need to give myself license to be more than one thing. I think that鈥檚 always been the case with recorded music for me. I鈥檝e been writing since I was a kid. The challenge for me has always been feeling like you have to be extremely specific about a box when you鈥檙e a recording artist. It has to all sound like one mood, one vibe. I had to give myself permission to not try to fit into a box that exists, or even a box that鈥檚 specific. I gave myself license to express myself in all the ways it naturally comes out.
AP: You started the album process in 2020. What was your initial thoughts on re-recording 鈥淪atisfied鈥�?
GOLDSBERRY: Somebody said to me 鈥淵ou could probably get a record deal and do an album if you re-record 鈥楽atisfied.鈥欌�� I said 鈥淎bsolutely no.鈥� I鈥檓 absolutely not doing that. It already exists. It鈥檚 perfect. The show is perfect.
AP: What shifted your thinking?
GOLDSBERRY: In the process of recording all the music, we rented a studio in Nashville. It鈥檚 where Dolly Parton recorded 鈥淛olene.鈥� It felt like all this history was there. We had all these great musicians there. We booked the studio for a week or two and we finished early, and they were going to let everybody go home. And I was like 鈥榃e might as well record this version of 鈥橲atisfied鈥� that I do in my concert, because we鈥檙e sitting here.鈥� And these cats are amazing. We started playing. They started playing, and our minds exploded. The control booth. Our brains exploded. It was so good. Then I started singing it. I said to us 鈥淭his belongs.鈥�
AP: Your 鈥淕颈谤濒蝉5贰惫补鈥� co-star Sara Bareilles wrote the song 鈥淪miling.鈥� How was it reuniting with her?
GOLDSBERRY: I think she is one of the greatest singer-songwriters that has ever existed and might ever exist. I had the privilege of being in a concert with her. I opened for her at the Hollywood Bowl a couple of months ago. She was doing something new. I love artists and I'm one of them in this moment. But I love artists that do new things that might not work, bravely. She had orchestrated all of her music. She had a huge symphony orchestrated show. All the music that she had written.
AP: What happened next?
GOLDSBERRY: We got to see her jump off a cliff for the first time. It was one of the greatest things I ever saw in my life. I could start crying right now. It was so great. It鈥檚 so brave. I鈥檓 surrounded by people like that, and it鈥檚 so inspiring. They鈥檙e all doing crazy things. All of them. Like that鈥檚 insane.
AP: Would you ever return to 鈥淗amilton鈥�?
GOLDSBERRY: That's what taught us: Never say never.
AP: You're halfway to EGOT status. Is that something you feel like it's achievable?
GOLDSBERRY: I鈥檓 not going to lie, I鈥檝e thought of different ways I could slip in the back door, you know what I mean? Like I have a documentary called 鈥淪atisfied鈥� (which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival last year) about the journey in my life when I was part of the original company of 鈥淗amilton鈥� and also trying to raise my young family. We were like, 鈥淲hat original song can we put in this movie to contend for slipping in the Oscar category. ... It鈥檚 possible. But I鈥檓 less interested in the results of a journey than the journey itself.
Jonathan Landrum Jr., The Associated Press
