Stacie Orrico talks about her pull back from music industry

THE LATEST album by R&B pop star Stacie Orrico, 'Beautiful Awakening', has been certified gold in Japan for sales of 100,000 copies and is also making waves in Germany and Australia. The 20 year old singer spoke to Billboard magazine recently about her decision in March 2004 to exit the music business, returning to her family in Seattle and taking a waitressing job at a neighbourhood seafood restaurant. Said Stacie, "I knew if I didn't step away and build a life outside the music industry that I'd always be holding on too tight. So I went away and shut down the machine for a couple of years. . . I spent (some time) building a foundation, reconnecting with my family and the friends I had since childhood, meeting new people and having normal life experiences. It was healthy and very vital to me being able to come back and do this again."

Eventually, Stacie began writing songs for a new album and wound up with 55 new tunes. She enlisted some noted producers to craft 'Beautiful Awakening', including Dallas Austin, Dwayne Bastiany and former Naughty By Nature DJ Kay Gee. The result is an album that leans more toward the R&B of Alicia Keys and Lauryn Hill than Orrico's previous polished teen pop.