MSTARS EXCLUSIVE: Goapele Finishes Up Last Leg Of 'Strong As Glass' Tour: Singer Talks Working With Snoop Dogg In Featured Remix To Her New Single, 'Hey Boy' [LISTEN]

Soul, R&B singer/songwriter Goapele is wrapping up her 14-city tour that kicked off at Highline Ballroom in New York, New York on November 7. The last show will be at The Loft in Atlanta, Georgia on December 14.

MStars News reporter, Star Connor talked up close and personal about Goapele's tour and her fourth studio album, Strong As Glass, which is available on iTunes now. In addition, the remix to her first official single "Hey Boy" produced by Keith Harris and featuring Snoop Dogg that premiered on VIBE.

“Every album I push myself to a new level, and this time, I wanted each song to feel strong and even the production sounds bigger, while lyrically it's still intimate,” explains Goapele. “I worked with producers and songwriters who pushed me to step out of my comfort zone, and really sing out, as if I were doing a live show. I want this album to reach into people’s hearts, make them feel something, make them dance, and inspire them to take risks.”

Goapele has also worked with R&B veteran Eric Benet and producer Demonte Posey to finish this genre-bending record. There are upbeat tracks mixed with powerful ballads, hard-hitting drums, classic Goapele vocals and even a duet with one of R&B’s top artists.

Goapele’s new album Strong As Glass will follow her debut album Even Closer (2001), which peaked at No. 24 on the Billboard Charts for Top Independent Albums; sophomore album Change It All (2005), which peaked at No. 32 on Billboard’s Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums and #2 on Top Heatseekers; and her 3rd album Break of Dawn (2009).

Over her career, she was also named the No. 5 artist to watch in the July 2003 issue of Rolling Stone magazine, made the countdown on MTV’s Top 10 Artists to Watch, and collaborated with ALDO Shoes’ advertisement campaign in its fight against HIV/AIDS, which featured artists such as Avril Lavigne, Charlize Theron, Pink, Ziggy Marley, and Kelly Rowland. Extending her reach further into fashion and film, Goapele was also named an ambassador for the popular clothing brand UNIQLO and became one of the faces of their 2012 ad campaign. Additionally, she was featured in Ava DuVernay’s short film The Door, which the Italian fashion house Miu Miu released surrounding the debut of their 2013 Spring Collection, and also starred Gabrielle Union.

Star: You're wrapping up the your 14-city tour, and you're coming to my city, Charlotte — how has the tour been so far?

Goapele: "It's been going really well. I haven't been to Charlotte in years. There's a lot of places along the tour that I haven't been there in years, and just to have unexpected places sell out stuff like that feels so good."

Star: You're out prompting your fourth studio album, Strong As Glass, tell us about the album.

Goapele: "Strong As Glass, the album, I feel like it has the heart and soul of a woman going through different phrases of love, and part of it is my own experience, and some of it was collaborations with other people, and growing from other people's stories."

Star: How was it working with Snoop this time around?

Goapele: "It was great!" She adds, "our paths never crossed and the I finally met him a little before I recorded 'Hey Boy.' He said that he was a fan too, we could work together, so I just jumped at the opportunity and I felt like 'Hey Boy' was the right kind of retro-soul kind of funk fit."

Star: Where did you get your inspiration this time around?

Goapele: "Some of my inspiration, that's a hard one to answer. I feel like life inspired me, and probably at my more kind of frustrated moments, and when I'm trying to work something out emotionally." She continues, "some of it is love, relationship songs, and something like 'Hey Boy' is flirty."

Goapele explained that "Hey Boy" is like "when you have that beginning chemistry with someone, that was a fun song for me to do."

Check out the full amazing interview below, as Goapele goes more into detail about her songs that relate with what's going on in the world today, like the Eric Garner, and Michael Brown killings.

2014 Strong As Glass Tour Dates Were As Follows:

11/7 Highline Ballroom New York, NY
11/8 World Café Philadelphia, PA
11/9 The Birchmere Alexandria, VA
11/18 El Rey Theatre Los Angeles, CA
11/20 Yoshi’s Oakland Oakland, CA
11/21 Yoshi’s Oakland Oakland, CA
11/22 Yoshi’s Oakland Oakland, CA
11/23 Yoshi’s Oakland Oakland, CA
12/3 The Triple Door Seattle, WA
12/4 Doug Fir Lounge Portland, OR
12/5 Harlows Sacramento, CA
12/6 The Catalyst Club Santa Cruz, CA
12/9 The Hoxton Toronto, ON
12/10 Concord Music Hall Chicago, IL
12/12 Motorco Music Hall Durham, NC
12/13 The Chop Shop Charlotte, NC
12/14 The Loft Atlanta, GA