Singer, songwriter and rookie actress LeToya Luckett, formerly of bestselling girl group Destiny’s Child, recently stopped by retailer DTLR in the Mall at Prince George’s to promote the release of her sophomore album Lady Love.

The album is a mixture of emotional, finger-wagging songs that declare the singer’s independence and unwavering self-esteem.

Standout cuts on the 15- track album include “Not Anymore,” “Lazy,” “Don’t Need U” and the feisty lead single, “She Ain’t Got,” where Luckett playfully tells a cheating boyfriend no other woman will ever compare to her.

Lady Love presents a new, stronger side of the Texas native. Where her first album LeToya showcased the singer as a forlorn lover eager to please her mate, her August release debuts a more defiant, grownup woman with a new perspective on life and love.

“You have to love yourself, you can’t be selfish, but a lot of time we find ourselves in relationships giving everything to the point that we don’t have anything to give back to ourselves,” said Luckett in an exclusive interview with the AFRO.

“It can get to the point where we don’t know how to receive because we are so used to giving. I also learned that you don’t have to be so emotional. Sometimes women are just ready to fight about everything.”

As part of her own evolution into womanhood, the 28-year-old vocalist said reflecting on her past breakups, make-ups and tears has helped enrich her music and her personal life.

“It helped a lot,” she said of reliving her most painful experiences. “I was able to get into that head space again. I remember being in the studio and thinking about the past and actually feeling my heart break all over again. But I was happy at the same time because those moments are what shaped me as a lady, that’s actually why I called my album Lady Love.”

Luckett is also shaping up to be a knockout thespian with two movies on the horizon, Preacher’s Kid, slated for an Oct. 30 release, and Killers set to hit theaters at the top of 2010.

In Preacher’s Kid Luckett portrays Angie, a pastor’s daughter who strikes out on her own for the first time and joins a traveling gospel show. In this modern-day take on the prodigal son fable, the protagonist quickly discovers life on the road is not what she’d expected. But she fears going home with nothing to show or worse, to a father who no longer loves her.

“Growing up as a church girl I understood all the pressures of having to uphold a good- girl image that this character had to go through,” said Luckett. “But it was a great experience because the girl I was playing learned a lot and as I was playing the role I learned a lot as well.”

In her next role Luckett will play a kind-hearted confidant named Amanda in Five Killers, a character the classically trained vocalist likens to Charlotte from “Sex in the City.”

Although the novice film star said she’s always had a passion for acting, years of touring with Destiny’s Child, studio sessions and dance rehearsals never allowed her to develop the craft. She’s now training with a celebrity acting coach who has worked with talents like Queen Latifah and LL Cool J.
Despite the promising acting prospects being thrown her way, Luckett is in no rush to star in a blockbuster.

“I want to start low right now and then blast off in some big box office openers, but right now starting out in high-profile lead roles is not what I’m looking to do, it’s too much pressure,” said Luckett.

Pressure is something the mahogany-skinned singer knows all too well. Her rumored spats with Beyonce and sometimes harsh critiques on Web blogs and message boards have been hot topics among fans. Even her on-again, off-again relationship with fellow Texan and rapper Slim Thug has been under media scrutiny.

But Luckett said she hasn’t given up on love and is relying on a decidedly higher power to spark a flame in her love life.

“If God has the right guy for me I am down for it, but right now I just don’t see it happening,” said Luckett.

“Right now I’m just grinding and making my dreams come true.”

‘Lady Love’ is currently in stores.

by Marcus A. Williams, Afro.com