Kandi Burruss prepping new album, new RHOA season

Kandi, hands down, has been the most "real' of the housewives on the show (though I have yet to talk to the two newbies yet so I'm not counting them yet). She is incredible normal and unaffected by the fame, unlike some of the others. And she actually has talent and a track record of success.

So talking to her is always a treat.

"I think I'm in a great place," she said. "I'm happy. The music I've been coming up with, I'm really excited about. My relationships with my daughter and my mom are strong. My family supports me 110 percent. Everything is going well where business is concerned. The only thing is to get the relationship life together. Then I'll be totally together!"

Kandi said she has no nerves about doing the National Anthem. "I think I got it down," she said. "I'm looking forward to it."

She's not a huge football fan, though she follows the Falcons as the hometown team. Her late brother (who died in a car accident years ago) was also a big football player in high school, she noted.

Kandi will be opening for Fantasia's new tour. (Dates coming soon. She knows Atlanta will part of it but doesn't know what date yet.)

"Fantasia and I were already friends," she said. "My manager, who also managed Xscape, put the tour together." The tour is set from November through January.

Her upcoming album, set to come out November 23, was inspired by her relationship with A.J. Jewell, who died a year ago after a fight outside a strip club. "It's a real love album," she said. "It's a lot of songs inspired by relationships. The good and the bad side. I also have a couple of songs about being a single mom." (She has an eight-year-old daughter Riley.)

Her first single "Leave You" is already being played on V-103 and other stations. "It's a women's anthem," she said. "At the same time, the subject can go either way. A man could relate to it. It's a real R&B record, not hip hop."

She is also getting  into Twitter, where she has 200,000 followers.

Kandi admits the timing of the "Real Housewives" starting October 4 is good for her album sales. "They'll be aware the album is coming," she said.

She said she couldn't talk about the various housewives, per Bravo's request to control the flow of "news" from the show. (She will probably try not to get dragged into the NeNe-Kim dramas best as possible.)

In general, Kandi said she's nervous about what's going to air, "wondering how it's going to be edited sometimes. I speak before I think." She knows she was popular last year and hopes that doesn't change.

The show will feature her gingerly entering the dating world. She said she's not with anybody seriously right now. "I'm not in a committed relationship,' She said. "I'm  slowly taking my time."

She is about to prep for the concert tour and plans to "step up my dance skills." She is also happy with her vocals. "My voice is stronger than it's ever been." She expects to keep Riley in school during the week and fly her out to dates on weekends. "It will be an exciting experience for her to be able to travel and see different places," Kandi said.

Kandi also does a vlog once or twice a week on lifestyle website Hello Beautiful called "The Bitter and the Sweet."  "We just talk about whatever," she said. "It's me in my natural state. I'm not dressed up or being Kandi the artist or TV celebrity. It's just me and my every-day life."

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