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Deborah Cox has opened up about her experience as “the voice” behind the iconic Whitney Houston in the 2015 biopic dedicated to the legendary singer. In a recent conversation on the “What Matters with Liz” podcast, hosted by Woman’s World Editor-in-Chief Liz Vaccariello, Cox reminisced about the unique opportunity presented to her by director Angela Bassett.
During the episode released on April 8, Cox, now 51, recounted the moment Bassett reached out with an intriguing offer for the Lifetime film, Whitney. “She called me and said, ‘I’m working on this project. Would you sing the music?’ My immediate response was, ‘Absolutely,’” Cox revealed. “I was in the middle of another project and had just one day off. I flew from Miami to LA, recorded the songs, and we wrapped it up.”
In what was clearly a whirlwind session, Cox managed to record an impressive six songs in a single day, demonstrating her remarkable talent and dedication.
Separately, Angela Bassett, who directed Whitney, is also celebrating a milestone anniversary of another iconic project. This year marks the 30th anniversary of the beloved rom-com Waiting to Exhale. Reflecting on the film, Bassett, now 66, shared her fond memories with Us Weekly at the New York City premiere of her new miniseries, Zero. “Waiting to Exhale was a beautiful experience with four incredible women in a scorchingly hot location,” Bassett recalled warmly.
Waiting to Exhale turns 30 this year, and Angela Bassett has nothing but fond memories of filming the beloved rom-com. “Waiting to Exhale, four incredible women, an incredible time in a very, very hot place,” Bassett, 66, recalled while chatting exclusively with Us Weekly at the New York City premiere of her new miniseries, Zero […]
Cox also shared how hands-on Bassett was during the filming process.
“Under her direction, she was just like, ‘This is the moment. This is what’s happening,’” Cox said of Bassett, 67, explaining the plot to her during big musical moments like “I’m Every Woman” or “I Will Always Love You,’” adding that the goal was to nail the “essence” of Houston’s voice.
“And I think, as a performer, you find little areas of a person’s voice that really resonate with you and that’s what’s inspired me all these years,” Cox explained.
Cox said she knew “very early on” that singing was what she was meant to do.
“I knew when I was singing along to songs on the radio, commercial jingles. I had an affinity for melodies. You know, certain things would just stick with me,” she shared.
Some of her early influences included Billie Holiday, Gladys Knight, Aretha Franklin and Dinah Washington, all of whom her mother would play in the house as she was growing up. Cox discovered Houston later in life, and knew that she “wanted music to be a career.”
Brandy is adamant that she will never share the final note her late mentor and “North Star” Whitney Houston gave her before her sudden death in 2012. The multihyphenate performer, 47, opens up in her new memoir, Phases, which was released on Tuesday, March 31, about the famed note Houston slipped her the day before […]
In 1994, Cox signed with Clive Davis, the famed award-winning producer and music executive who shaped careers of artists like Janis Joplin, Aretha Franklin, Alicia Keys and Houston. In 2000, Houston and Cox collaborated on the duet “Same Script, Different Cast.”
“It’s interesting ’cause it’s not until you go through life when you look back you go, ‘Wow, there’s certain patterns that happen and certain synchronicities that happen as well,”’ Cox told Vaccariello. “And I found that to be very interesting.”
Houston died on February 11, 2012, of an accidental drowning in her hotel bathtub, while under the influence of cocaine and other drugs.
Cox, meanwhile, is currently starring as “The Unsinkable Molly Brown” in Titanique, a musical parody of the hit 1997 film Titanic starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet. Titanique features an exclusive score of Céline Dion songs. She also appeared as Glinda in The Wiz and as the titular character in Aida.