After months out of the spotlight, a healthier and slimmer Aretha Franklin performed before reporters at Detroit’s Southfield Westin, according to the Detroit News.
She battled an undisclosed illness for some time and it kept her home and forced her to cancel a number of spring and summer concerts. Although Franklin remains tight-lipped about her illness, she does open up about the treatment she received: “The side effects were rough.”
And, now that it’s over, it’s time to move forward.
“I need a party, after what I’ve been through,” Franklin insists. “I spent most of the summer in bed. But everything is good now, good to go.”
Franklin will return to the studio Thursday to begin work on her new album. This time around, she’s recruited both Babyface and Don Was to help with the record. She even gave reporters a sneak peek of what to expect—performing “At Last,” one of three scheduled covers. The other two are Whitney Houston’s “How Will I Know” and jazz standard “Teach Me Tonight.”
After her meeting Thursday, Franklin will travel to New York to attend the Fashion Group International’s gathering in honor of Marc Jacobs next week.