WBOne simple question apparently struck a very strong chord with Adrienne Bailon.
During The Real today, Bailon—who first entered the entertainment industry as a singer for the group 3LW and later Cheetah Girls—read a fan question that asked, "You have an amazing voice, why are you hiding it from the world? Why are you not making music?"
The tears instantly began to fill up Adrienne's eyes, causing her co-hosts Tamar Braxton, Tamera Mowry, Loni Love and Jeannie Mai to get choked up, too. "Umm, one, I'm scared to fail, so I've had this solo album people that I've been saying is coming out for the last five years," Bailon began, "I'm scared to fail, I don't like the sound of my own voice."
She continued, "And that's honest. In 3LW, I probably enjoyed the music side more because it was like R&B, it was more of my thing, but I felt like in Cheetah Girls, they praised the fact that I sounded so young. And as a 30-year-old woman, sometimes I hear myself recorded and I still think I sound really young!
"But, for a long time I think when I finished Cheetah Girls, I got a record deal at Def Jam and it didn't go the way I thought it was gonna go. Like there was so much more to music than just what I love about music. I grew up singing in church. I sing everyday—nobody knows it, but I love to sing.
"I felt like the music business was different than when I got in the game at 16 years old. It was about music and talent and singing. And to step out on my own and let my voice be heard, I'm scared. Like what if people don't like it? Or what if it's not, I don't know...what if it's not successful? Like I almost have been saying I would rather it not come out and just say, 'Well it just never came out,' then for it come out and be wack."
That's when gal-pal Tamera Mowry reminded Adrienne of a piece of advice she always gave her.
"Adrienne, you're always the one telling me though, 'Never live your life with what ifs,' like, 'What if I did this or did that'? So would you ever want to live your life asking yourself, 'What if I never tried, I never went out there and did my own solo album!' You'll never know until you try it!"
Bailon added, "It also felt like at a certain time when I was doing my music, every other door kept opening for me, but music." Tamar suggested, "Maybe the door has not been open for you because you're not ready and you'd be walking into it for all the wrong reasons."
Regardless of what Adrienne decides to do, Jeannie reassured her, "You know you will have our support behind you!"
And us, too!