‘No holds barred’: Candiace Dillard Bassett is bringing rawness to her next R&B project

Candiace Dillard Bassett, like many millennials, grew up on 90s R&B and the sounds of Stevie Wonder, classic soul, disco, and the emotional storytelling that influenced the genre’s golden eras. So she understands why so many fans joke about missing the days when singers stood in the pouring rain, while pouring their hearts out.

And if you ask her, they might be onto something.

The 39-year-old “Real Housewives of Potomac” alum, who is currently working on her next album after making her official R&B debut with “Deep Space” in 2022, believes the genre could use a return to its emotional roots.

“Some of what we’re hearing today is missing that, just the rawness and the color and the heaviness,” she told theGrio during a recent sitdown. “I mean, it’s rhythm and blues. That’s what R&B is. I think some of what’s missing is the blues.”

Still, the singer believes a renaissance is already happening among her peers.

“And I love that I get to be part of that conversation,” she said.

In February, the artist released her latest single, “If Only,” along with a cinematic music video set in Washington, D.C.’s Union Market. Dressed in furs, with smoky eye makeup and her honey-brown highlighted curls cascading down her shoulders, she delivers heartbreak with the kind of dramatic vulnerability reminiscent of the late 90s and early 2000s. Fans quickly picked up on the vibes in the YouTube comments.

While the “Drive Back” singer remains proud of “Deep Space,” she describes that project as her introduction to the industry.

“I always hold space for ‘Deep Space’ because it was my first album, my baby,” she recalled. “I always say I jumped in and put my wig underwater. I got all the way in.”

This next era, she says, reflects a woman who feels more grounded and more certain of herself.

“I’m in a space where I’m saying no a lot. I’m also saying yes a lot,” Dillard Bassett explained. “I’m fully present. I’m owning and celebrating who I am. Most of this project I actually wrote and recorded while I was pregnant, so that informs a lot of what you’ll hear. It’s raw. It’s emotional. No holds barred.”

That honesty is clear from the opening lyric of “If Only,” which wastes no time setting the tone.

“I’m not mincing words from the beginning,” she said with a laugh.

Fans can expect more singles and visuals in the coming months. For now, she’s enjoying the freedom and excitement that comes with expressing a fuller version of herself through music.

“My public persona has always leaned toward being very authentic,” she explained. “Sometimes being authentic can feel like your worst enemy. But being consistent in who I am is what I want my music to always feel like.”

That multidimensional version of herself was also on display during her recent appearance on Peacock’s hit celebrity competition series “The Traitors,” where she played one of the season’s most memorable traitors, secretly eliminating competitors by night while maintaining her cover among the faithful by day in a castle in the Scottish Highlands.

“I had the time of my life,” the TV personality gushed about her run, which lasted until episode eight. “I didn’t know what to expect because I’m not really a competition show girl, but I liked the idea of challenging myself.”

Her gameplay quickly made her a standout. Dillard Bassett survived multiple roundtables, participated in demanding physical challenges, served looks alongside host Alan Cumming, and even helped orchestrate strategic distractions, including a spontaneous conga line through the castle that allowed her fellow traitors to make an undetected move.

Though she initially needed some convincing to join the cast, she said support from NBCUniversal and longtime Bravo fans helped seal the deal.

“I was like, I don’t get why people wanted me on this show,” the Bravo star joked. “I knew the premise, but I wasn’t a huge fan yet.”

By the end, she understood exactly why she belonged there.

“It was one of the greatest experiences I’ve ever had,” she said. “It reaffirmed that I sit at the intersection of bad bitch and Black girl magic.”

Part of the excitement around her casting stemmed from her reputation on Bravo for delivering some of the most unforgettable one-liners in “Housewives” history. From the castle to the reunion stage, she continued that tradition, including one viral moment when she coolly clarified to a fellow contestant: “It was a declarative statement that requires a response.”

Still, Dillard Bassett said “The Traitors” allowed audiences to see a different side of her than the sharp-tongued debater fans often saw on RHOP.

“For better or worse, I fully own the version of me people saw on ‘Housewives,’” she admitted. “But what I love about shows like Potomac and Atlanta is they show that Black women are not monolithic.”

She appreciated that The Traitors gave her the chance to challenge some of the stereotypes often placed on Black women in reality television.

“It opened the world up to a different Candiace,” she said. “I’m not always the loud one with my finger in the air. That’s part of me, but it’s not all of me. It was nice to just be myself and see people appreciate that.”

Candiace Dillard Bassett attends the 2024 Billboard Women In Music at YouTube Theater on March 06, 2024 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Amy Sussman/Getty Images)

Fans will soon see Dillard Bassett back on television again with an appearance on Bravo’s upcoming “Ultimate Girls Trip,” where she reconnects with familiar faces from her RHOP past. Beyond that, she continues to balance a full slate that includes her podcast “Undomesticated” with writer Michael Arceneaux, preparing to tour with fellow DMV native Tamar Braxton, and adjusting to one of her most important new roles: motherhood.

Dillard Bassett welcomed her first child, a son named Jet, nearly 18 months ago with her husband, Chris Bassett. Becoming a mother, she says, has fundamentally changed how she sees both herself and the world.

“Motherhood reminds you how powerful women are,” she said. “It also makes you see the beauty in life differently. It’s easy to become cynical, especially right now, but seeing the world through my son’s eyes makes me want to focus on the good so he can see that too.”

The experience has also given the mother a new sense of confidence.

“I’m more confident now,” she added with a laugh. “I mean, I’ve kept a child alive for over a year. What can’t I do?”