Eve Talks New Album Lip Lock, Hopes to Release LP in Fall

A decade ago, Eve was a force in music. Her first three albums, 1999's Let There Be Eve...Ruff Ryders' First Lady, 2001's Scorpion, and 2002's Eve-Olution, each enjoyed commercial and critical acclaim. Now, after years away from the musical limelight, instead focusing on acting, the Philadelphia native is mounting her comeback.

"I wanted to really take what people loved of me and fell in love with in the beginning, with the Ruff Ryders and all of them, and combine it with where I am now," she told Time about her upcoming album Lip Lock, which she says is finished and hopes to release in the Fall. "As far as my ear with music now, because I traveled so much, I think musically my ear has grown. And then lyrically obviously I think I’ve grown. Hopefully people will feel that. Hopefully my core audience won’t feel like I’ve left them behind. That was a big deal for me, to make them feel like they’re involved in my growth."

E-v-e said that she has been dealing with push backs for the album's release. "I need another word for frustration," she said of the process. "I’ve completely gone past frustration 100 times. It’s like with anything that you create—you just want to put out. Because it’s been so long for me, music has changed so much. It’s beyond frustration. I just really can’t wait till this record is out."

The reason the music hasn't come out yet isn't because she wasn't ready, or it wasn't finished, though. "It was delays on the label side—I’ve switched management, I’ve switched labels, I’ve switched lawyers," she continued. "And this was over years. And now I feel like the dust has finally settled and the team that I have now is the right team. Sometimes that’s all it takes, for the stars to be aligned and the dust to settle. And I think we’re there now."

Eve will be performing as part of the Ruff Ryders reunion at Rock The Bells this year. “It’s gonna feel great to be on that stage,” Jadakiss said of the opportunity in June. “Of course I do a bunch of shows with Styles and Sheek, but to actually have Eve up there is gonna be great. We haven’t been on stage since the Ruff Ryder/Cash Money tour, so I think it’s gonna be crazy.”

This Sunday (July 8), Eve will appear at the Essence Music Festival.—Adam Fleischer (@AdamXXL)