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 GOSPELflava.com: What has your experience in appearing in Gospel plays with Tyler Perry (such as Meet The Browns and Madea's Family Reunion ) done for your ministry? Tamela Mann: I think it just kept me in the forefront. It's kept me in sight of the people and I have reached audiences that I probably wouldn't have normally reached,  and some people that come just to plays and not to concerts. To me, it made my ministry even better. I just look at it as being a blessing how God has just opened the door. He stirred up another gift in me that I didn't know I had. GOSPELflava.com: Who are you trying to reach on the Gotta Keep Movin release? Tamela Mann: The masses! Why limit God? I want to reach everyone. I don't want to limit it to one certain audience. I look at the church folks and they have already been saved, so we need to win souls. We need to uplift somebody that is going through something. Whoever is willing to receive is whom we are willing to reach. GOSPELflava.com: In your days with Kirk and the Family and even in your time with Tyler Perry, you are known to sing those songs where you "drive it home" so to speak. On Gotta Keep Movin, you sing some urban flavored songs. Can you tell us about that change. Tamela Mann: I thank God for the traditional side, but I also thank God that I was able to show some different sides of me on this project. It was cool to sing something nice and sweet, and I just thank God for that. "Safety In His Arms" is a true testament of something different for me. To do the urban contemporary songs was a push; I had to sit back and listen to those songs and play with them to try and fine-tune that area. I'm so use to bringing it home and ushering in the Spirit of God. It's different when it's upbeat —it's about fun and praise. It was a new venture for me.
Tamela Mann: He brought a lot of joy. He's my better half! He's such a loving person, and his songs portray love. A lot of his songs are about love and compassion. That is my spouse, and for us to be together is the greatest experience. GOSPELflava.com: Divorce use to be a taboo issue in the church, but now it seems to very prevalent in the church. What advice can you give to young married couples? Tamela Mann: My answer would be first Christ and then communication. Before we became lovers, David and I were best friends. You can normally fight through whatever with best friends. When God comes into it, love covers a multitude of faults. Hang in there. Quitting is the easiest thing to do. Someone might say, "Well I quit. I don't want to do it any more. I don't want to be married any longer." I've heard that before. To me, that is very piercing. You can fight through it. Learn to agree to disagree. You're not going to always be right and he's not going to always be right. Just remember the love that you have for one another. If you quit, you have to start all over with someone else. Why not fight through it? Family is an important key. You build so much from family. I didn't have a father at home, and for my kids to have a father and a mother in the home, it's a balance. The father can caress his son and daughter. David will even kiss our son. It's so unusual for us to be together. People call us Ozzie and Harriet. It's just Christ. GOSPELflava.com: You shared the writing duties on the song "Safety In His Arms" with David. How did that song come about? Tamela Mann: David actually wrote that song years ago, and I did a different arrangement to it. I came up with one of the verses. As far as the writing is concerned, I'm just starting to tap into that realm. It's just something that kind of happened. I'm still  not what you call a "writer writer" To me, Kirk Franklin is one of the ultimate writers, I think that he's wonderful in that area. I have the desire for it and I'm just looking for God to stir up another gift in me. I did a lot of rearranging on some of the songs on the project to fit me. That's what happened with "Safety in His Arms". It was a little faster and had a different swing to it. So I messed around with it, and David felt like I took it to the place where he wanted that song to go.GOSPELflava.com:You hooked with the super talented Myron Butler to produce your album. You've sung with him before, but how was it working with him in this area? Tamela Mann: Myron Butler (laughing). I love him, but I could hurt him sometimes. He is very talented. I feel the most comfortable with Myron. He can help me reach what I need to reach. He is really good at what he does. I give him his props. He did a wonderful job. GOSPELflava.com: Gotta Keep Movin' is a nice urban ballad with wonderful background vocals. Why did you make that song the title track? Tamela Mann: Myron and Laron Vaughn had submitted that song to Lejuene Thompson. It was a scratch track. I was like, "Man, I really like that song." Myron said that Lejuene was going to use it. So time passed and when Lejuene didn't use it, I said, "Myron, I want that song." Something just clicked on the inside of me. I just felt it beyond what anyone else could hear. I said, "This is it." After going through what we went through. I don't care  what happens. I'm not going to let nothing turn me around. The devil is a liar. All the lyrics in the song were speaking to my heart. I felt that it could build up so many people that I know. Before I got any of the other songs, I said, "That's the title." I went back and forth with David and my manager. They wondered why that song. I said, Because of the testimony of my life." I'm not going to let nothing sway me. Nothing can hold me. The sky is the limit. I gotta keep movin.GOSPELflava.com: What did you learn from your years with the Family? Tamela Mann: To be honest with people. Be straight up with people. Even if it may be a little bumpy, I think that it's better to be up front. Just keep it real. Email This To A Friend
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