Jordin Sparks on ‘Sparkle’ Audition, New Solo Material
In part two of the Rolling Stone interview with Jordin Sparks, the star of Sparkle talks about her audition, reveals a particularly intense scene with co-star Whitney Houston and says she’s already working on a new solo record.
“Sparkle fell into my lap. I had heard a little bit about it, that it was being redone in early 2011. I was just kind of like, ‘Oh, that would be really cool,’ and not really thinking too much about it, and then it came through my agency,” says Sparks. “I read it, I fell in love with the script and I went in to audition.” Sparks endured four nerve-wracking auditions, but didn’t know Whitney Houston was set to play her mother in the film.
Sparks and Houston share a tense scene in Sparkle where they fight, marking a turning point in the film and for both characters. For Sparks, the scene was thrilling, if a little strange. “At first, it was funny to me because I was like, ‘Whitney Houston is yelling at me! This is the most amazing thing ever!'” Sparks says. “One minute she’d be laughing and the next, they’d yell, ‘Action!’ and Whitney wasn’t there anymore. She was Emma, she was the mother, and it was so amazing to see that change so quickly.”
With Sparkle dedicated to the memory of Houston, who died in February, Sparks knows her spirit is with the cast, crew and film. “I know she’s going to be walking on that premiere red carpet with me. I just know she is,” Sparks says. “She’s going to be there in all her glory, but I know she’s watching, so she gets to see all of it from a bigger perspective.”
Sparks is also readying her next album, confirming she is working on material for the new record. But fans should listen for a fresher, different Jordin Sparks. “Think, I guess, early Mariah [Carey],” she says, noting she’s about seven or eight songs into the process.
Sparkle is set for an August 17th release.