You may recognize her from her duet with Michael Jackson, “I Just Can’t Stop Loving You,” and for her work with various recording artists including Quincy Jones, Tevin Campbell, Madonna, Jennifer Hudson and more. Recently, Garrett announced at the Race To Erase MS event that she was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis, a secret she’s kept since 2011 because she didn’t want to viewed differently. Here, Garrett talks to BlackDoctor.org about sharing her diagnosis, maintaining an active lifestyle and what she’s working on next…
Speaking Out About her Diagnosis
“I was afraid it was going to come out anyway and I wanted to be in control of how my story was told, so I decided to tell it myself. I thought it was going to be weird but when I first mentioned it in the Race To Erase MS program. There was an audible gasp from the audience. I really wanted to say, ‘Remember how you felt about me five minutes ago, you don’t feel that way about me now that you know I have MS. Your thought about me has changed which is why I didn’t want to say anything about my diagnosis.’ I didn’t want to be treated any differently. I didn’t want to be passed over for gigs—I just didn’t want that energy or that vibe in the air about me.
I have friends that I’ve had for many years and they never knew there was an issue. Which is why a lot of my friends were surprised to open Twitter and discover that I “came out.” African Americans are slow to reveal any ailment, especially a debilitating disease like MS. Simply because they don’t want to be passed over for jobs and they want to be looked at with pity. They don’t want to be treated like the sick person in the room. They just want to be themselves and be treated like they’ve always been treated.”
Her New Inspiring Single, “Carry On”
“It has given a voice to the voiceless. It has given melody to depression. It has given lyric to situations that people are living everyday, but can’t express. Music is a form of expression. I use music to express myself and my ideas. I use music to help me get my ideas across to other people who recognize that in themselves. Music is a medium, it conducts energy in my opinion. I like to put out good energy, good vibes, good ideas and great lyrics. I just want to be positive. It helps me live pain-free and healthily.”
How The Songstress Stays Healthy & Active
“I practice yoga few times a week. I’m looking to get into something more aerobic. I hate running and since I have MS, my legs feel like dead weight when I run, so I’m looking for a new aerobic activity. Also, I’ve always been a healthy eater. I was always hungry as a child, I didn’t have much to eat growing up. Now that I have control of my food, I only eat the best, I only eat what I love and I eat what loves me.”
Her Favorite Memory of Michael Jackson
“Just being on the road with him for a year and a half I learned a lesson of how to entertain at the highest level. He was awesome. He was really a pleasure and a joy. He was fun, he was entertaining. He was uplifting and he loved other artists that he could borrow from. He would take what he loved they did and tweak it and I like to say he “Michael-ized” it and made it his own. He would take a signature move of someone like Fred Astaire and add Michael to it and it became something completely different. He was awesome. He exemplified the theory in my new single, G.H.E.T.T.O—Greatness Happens Even Though There’s Oppression. He came from nothing and he made himself the king of the world. He was the personification of what this song means. He took his circumstances and elevated himself despite where he came from.”
Her Advice On Living An Active Lifestyle with MS
“Movement is life. If you stop moving, you start dying. As long as you keep yourself active and moving, it’s all good and it can only get better. But if you stop moving, it can only get worse. So keep it moving, honey!”
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