Whitney Houston: First Interview Since Entering Rehab...
Soul Diva Whitney Houston in the BamS exclusive
interview:
Only now I have really a life
Of ILKA PEEMOELLER
In the last couple months Whitney Houston
has had a difficult time:
a lot of stress with husband Bobby Brown and her alleged drug
problems.
But exclusively for ''Bild am
Sonntag', Whitney interrupted her rehab program to
give an exclusive interview in Atlanta. It's her first
interview for a newspaper since 1992. She want to prove to everyone
that she is still capable of reaching the top.
Interviewer: In March you
decided you wanted to
change your life and voluntarily entered into a
rehabilitation hospital.
Whitney Houston: It was time:
I decided to get some unnecessary things out of my life.
You have fulfilled a part of the therapy so far - How
are you doing now`?
I am happy, I feel whole now. I'm finally completely ME again. I feel much
stronger then ever before. (She starts to sing "...Stronger
now...'', afterwards she smiles).
Who gives you the power/strength in these difficult times?
My mother Cissy Houston. And Krissie - I completely trust my daughter Bobbi
Kristina. It's an incomparable love. Bobbi Kristina is the highlight in my
life, not in my career. When I first saw her I
knew: It was all worth it! And when I see her now, I know that I can go
through/overcome all the highs and lows just for her.
You had a lot of them (highs and lows). How hard is it to be Mrs. Whitney
Houston?
Well my mom is Mrs. Houston, I am Mrs. Bobby Brown. I had a
wonderful/blessed career, I enjoyed the fame and all the opportunities that
were offered to me. But believe me: I don't not want to go through all that
again.
Please explain....
Sometimes I just felt it was too much. My life was taken away, my privacy
was taken away. I was 20 years-old and I wasn't able to do the normal
things. I couldn't go to the clubs, I couldn't
date guys or just go for a walk without being observed.
You weren't prepared for it?
I am a singer and a performer/entertainer. I have always asked myself: Does
my private life have anything to do with my the music that I make? I needed
to understand that you cannot separate those two.
And now (these days)? Are you still under a lot of
pressure?
I'm still under huge pressure, but not that huge
compared with before. The reason is that there's a lot of young singers out
there - like Beyonce, Missy Elliot and Alicia
Keys. I pray for them,
because I know how brutal/hard it is, if you want
to try to stay at number
one.
If you look back these days - How did you feel you have
changed?
I am wiser. (she takes a break and starts to sing: "...I’m
not the foolish girl you used to know so long ago...“
she laughs). Age is a wonderful thing. I
love to be 40 years-old - really! I don't want be in my 20's and 30's again.
When I look back now, I ask myself
whether or not I really had a life.
And - did you have one?
No, I didn't. I had a career -
I only really have a life now.
What are your plans for the future?
I don't have any plans for the future, my motto is: ''Live day by day.''
But you already have a plan - You will tour in Germany in July.
Will you bring your daughter with you?
Yeah, I would love to do that.
Recently, you said that you were pregnant again...
I am not pregnant, otherwise you would see it. But I would like to have one
more child. (I would like to become mom again)
[Interviewer] gives Whitney Houston a picture,
that shows her with her daughter on stage during one of her concerts 10
years ago. Tears fall
from Whitney Houston's eyes while she looks at the picture, her chin
is trembling [with emotion].
Thanks, that's very nice of you - May I still look at it for a moment? Wow,
what a touching picture! Children are the best thing.
Your father died last year. When do you miss him the most?
When I sing. He used to be with me when I sang concerts. He loved seeing me
on stage. There were days where he called me and say 'Do
you still remember this and that song? I love it, when you sing it.'
Which songs did he like most?
Songs like 'The Greatest Love of All',
'All At Once', or 'My Love Is Your Love'. If
I sing those songs these days I miss my dad like crazy.
He was there for me to give me some some suggestions. I could lean on
him.
Do you believe in God?
He is very, very important for me (she gulps). I
would not be here today, if he
didn't exist. He was and always will be there for me.
Do you go to church and pray?
You don't need to go to the church to let God into your life,
you carry your church in yourself. My life is a creed. I survived 40
years,20 years on stage. I always knew that I am strong enough.
You had an awesome stage presence in the 1996 movie ''Preacher's Wife''.
Why haven't you done any movies after that?
I have noticed that the filming takes a lot of
time out of you. I am a stage performer. I need the immediate satisfaction
coming from the audience. You can call me selfish (she's
clapping, laughing loud). But I need an immediate
feedback, so that I know that I did my job
well.
So does that mean no more Hollywood?
I received some scripts have have been offered some
roles. Hollywood is a unique place,
but you need to be well prepared. I have survived it: I have made 3
successful movies. That should be enough.
So you say NO forever?
Well if I should get a nice offer -
a dream offer - that I really like and
which is suitable for me then I would make it. But for that I must still be
well prepared.
NEWSFILE:
3 MAY 2004
|