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Jazzy R&B singer Chrisette Michele has a brand new CD out called “Better” and she’s currently on tour with Mary J. Blige. The Tom Joyner Morning Show caught up with her in the Red Velvet Cake studio for an In-Studio Jam and got the chance to ask her about the new CD, her fourth, the tour and more. Read on to see what she had to say.

On her new CD: Last time I was here I was very upset. The songs were sad. It was [about] a few names and a few metaphors. A lot of the songs on the last albums were about breaking up. It was a very ending-ish album. This album is about beginnings and more about healing and starting over from there. I didn’t know that healing was so available until now and that’s why I feel better. I’ve been healed.

On touring with Mary J. Blige: I’m trying to keep up with Mary and all her really cool outfits. So I bought one expensive pair of leather pants and I’m just going to wear them every single night. Her crowd is amazing. You can just feel the love and the energy and they’re there on time for an opening act. Thank you guys!

On getting healthier: I’m just working out the best me possible. Taking out animal products and meat out of my life just helped me feel very cleansed. But when you go to Barbados, it’s hard to not eat any fish so I don’t want to insult any vegans. So I would say a strict vegetarian and [even] that might get me in trouble with the [leather] pants!

On what she did between releases: I was performing and traveling, staying on the stage to keep my mind focused on creating new sounds and traveling to experience new art and new ideas. I went to Paris, London, Brussels, Amsterdam and Korea. I love the fashion in Korea; it’s so much fun to watch people wear clothes in Korea. Go by yourself. Take trains everywhere. That’s what I did.

On the CD’s highlights: “Visual Love” – Sometimes we get tainted by what we’re looking at and we forget to look inside of what we’re looking at. So I’m just letting people know I’m more than what you see. There’s a lot inside that I want you to love too. “Getting Through the Night” – This is melancholy. Gotta get through the darkness to get to the sunshine This is when I usually have a friend’s dog come over and just stay by the bedside and just pet the dog (laughs). “A Couple of Forevers” ( new song with the O’Jays “Stairway to Heaven” melody) I did it because of the nostalgia of the sound. I have a lot of fans who love old school R&B, so I thought it was appropriate to bring them in that way and allow them to hear something they love already and add a little bit to it if I could.