Taraji P. Henson Reveals New Project Outside of Acting

Taraji P. Henson is working on her first musical project. The former Empire star has showcased her singing ability in several projects, including Hustle & Flow, Tyler Perry’s I Can Do Bad All By Myself, and the live stage version of Annie. Now, Henson is ready to put out an actual album.  

“I actually have an EP that I’m working on. Surprise!” she said during a recent appearance on Good Morning America. “I’m just working on some really good, feel-good music,” she added. “I’m not trying to toot my own horn here, but it was time for a pivot because I’ve done so many iconic roles, you know what I mean? It’s like, I can’t just, you know…acting it has to be something that excites me and challenges me.”

Henson says music has always been a passion of hers. She majored in theatre while attending Howard University in Washington, D.C. Having her son Marcell while in college made it difficult for her to pursue music full-time, but her entertainment career has given her a second chance. She says starring in Annie gave her the push she needed to finally get into the recording studio. 

“Like, Miss Hannigan in ‘Annie’ challenges me,” she continued. “That’s musical theater, taking me back to my roots. So it’s about just continuing to challenge myself…I kept saying that music, I might have missed it because I became a mother so early on in college, but God has other plans for me because the music is just really falling in my lap.”

For her role in the 2005 musical drama Hustle & Flow, Henson received a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture nomination. She also performed the song “It’s Hard Out Here For a Pimp” live alongside the rap group Three Six Mafia at the 2006 Oscar ceremony. The song was featured in the film and on the soundtrack