Now, the former Danity Kane member is choosing to lean into peace, forcing herself to rest in the moments between pain and freedom. Richard’s latest album, “Quiet in a World Full of Noise”, is a time of her vulnerability, showcasing her journey of standing in her truth, taking time for herself, and finding hope at the end of the tunnel.

“I promised myself that if I did this with Spencer, there would be, finally, feeling and hope. “Whatever musical journey I’ve been through, at the end of the day my music has always been about hope,” Richard said.

Richard made headlines in September when he filed a lawsuit against his former boss and collaborator Sean “Diddy” Combs, alleging that he molested and assaulted him. In the lawsuit filed on September 10, Richard is suing for unspecified damages as well as millions of dollars in income he says he was denied. Combs’ representatives have accused Richard of attempting to “rewrite history”.

Combs has been charged with sex trafficking and has been held in a federal prison in Brooklyn since his arrest on September 16.

Richard does not directly talk about his lawsuit or his time spent with Combs during an interview to discuss his new album. She says her new music – melancholic and poetic – was inspired by the death of a family member and the stress of having parents in and out of the hospital.

“I had a lot going on that just heightened the reality that I wouldn’t be in the right place if I didn’t start speaking out,” she said. “And it’s something that I think for me, music has always been a part of the therapy that has saved me.”

She says she has stood up for herself since the beginning of her career, both as a member of Combs’s “Making the Band 3” group Danity Kane and as a solo artist.

“As a black woman, it had my story in it and I’ve been very vocal about it,” says Richard. There were moments when she felt more like a product than a person. She says that her album “Goldenheart” was a metaphor for her struggles in the industry.

“It was about a warrior who felt like he was like David and Goliath, this guy who has a little rock trying to fight these giant dragons,” he said. “And that’s really been the story and message that’s been in most of my projects.”

Now, Richard wants others in the music industry to follow him on this new path of freedom, where he is in control and creates music as a tool for healing and expression.

“I want people to feel like they can speak their truth and do so in whatever way they want. I want that change,” she said. “And I hope that every woman, every gay person, no matter who they are, will feel safe enough that they will feel comfortable saying, ‘I can speak out on this. I have peace within me to speak on this.”

Released earlier this month, “Quiet in a World Full of Noise” is Richard’s second album with multi-instrumentalist Zayn. The musical duo, who met through indie pop musician Kimbra in 2018, previously worked on 2022’s “Pigments.”

“We give each other space to really be ourselves,” Zahn said. “If you’re making music that’s designed to be more commercial it’s a space that’s probably hard to reach. “None of us ever thought about whether it was good or bad.”

Richard appreciated that Zahn did not evaluate her lyrics as they were creating the songs: “If anything, he said, ‘Woo, okay, let me play. Let me build around it. ‘ And that’s what you hope for.”

She sees “Quiet in a World Full of Noise” as a metamorphosis, a chance to highlight some of her most intimate moments with the hope that listeners can find solace and comfort.

“I love the person I have become. I love the musical person I have become. And this project reflects what that journey has been like and how I feel,” she said. “It’s an honest process about me as a person, less about what I’ve done and what I do, but more about who I am as a person and who I aspire to be.”

The Associated Press does not typically name people who say they have been sexually abused unless they come forward publicly as Richard has.

This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without any modifications to the text.