Born and raised in New York’s Manhattan, Adrienne Bailon rose to fame as one third of Urban trio 3LW back in the year 2000.

The launching pad for a career which saw her join Disney’s ‘The Cheetah Girls‘, a recurring role in ‘That’s So Raven‘ and ‘Keeping Up With The Kardashians‘ and a lucrative deal with Ne-Yo’s Compound Entertainment.

This year, she returned to television by way of hit series, ‘Empire Girls‘.

Airing on The Style Network, the reality TV series- which also stars media personality Julissa Bermudez- follows her as she readies her debut under Ne-Yo‘s leadership, and her day to day life as an entertainer.

So, as long time supporters of Ms. Bailon, it was our pleasure to meet with her last week for a truly insightful interview.

An interview, which saw her share exclusive details on her project, her relationship with The Kardashians, her Latin heritage… and her 3LW bandmates.

Interview below…

Hey Adrienne, it’s been a while since we’ve heard new ‘Adrienne music’, could you let us know what we can expect from your new project?

Hey! It’s going to be very similar to 3LW’s sound because Ne-Yo likes that, that’s how he first knew me. It’s going have a lot of club records on there.

In terms of who I’ve been working with it’s been Ne-Yo of course, The Runners, The Dream (which was so cool) as well as DJ Khaled. It’s going to be a lot of fun. Very Rhythmic.

Sounds great! We’re currently living in a Beyonce, Rihanna, GaGa world in terms of who’s dominating the charts. With the emergence of artists like Rita Ora,  how do you think you will fare when the project finally drops?

What I love about all those artists is that they’re so unique and have their own thing going for them.

For me, I’ve always had a really Latin sound to my voice and people will hear that on the record, that’s what makes me distinct. That definitely sets me apart, and I think people will like it when they hear it.

When can we expect to hear the material?

This summer, we’re dropping a record this summer.

Wait, before we go on, can I just say how much I love your accent!

Oh, thanks a lot Adrienne. Really appreciate that.

Of course, your relationship with Rob Kardashian saw you star in the earlier seasons of ‘Keeping Up With The Kardashians’.

Recent events have seen the show branded ‘fake’ and ‘scripted’- especially following Kim’s separation from Kris Humpries. Any thoughts on the matter?

You know, I haven’t really been following that. I love the Kardashians, they’re a really great family and they’ve always been good to me. The show is not fake, it wasn’t when I was on there… it’s actually very real.

Cool. Two years ago your former band mate Kiely Williams came under fire when she released a clip called ‘Spectacular’, accused of endorsing non-consensual sex.

Do you have any thoughts on the backlash she faced and do you keep in touch?

(Brief silence)

No. I didn’t see it and we don’t keep in touch.

Oh I see .

(Awkward silence)

So you star in The Style Network’s ‘Empire Girls’ alongside Julissa Bermudez, if you wouldn’t mind-could you describe the show in a sentence?

Hmm. I gotta make this good (laughs). You know what,  I’d say it’s inspiring, lighthearted and refreshing.

Our story is about inspiration, it’s about hard work, determination and progress and you’ll definitely see that with both of us trying to each our separate goals.

Adrienne, it’s been a pleasure. 

Thank you so much. Nice meeting you!

Likewise. We’ll definitely be tuning in to the show and look forward to hearing the record.

Catch you later!

Interview by David Asante (That Grape Juice, London)

*‘Empire Girls’ airs every Sunday 9pm (ET), only on ‘The Style Network’.