When the second episode of Empire, “Without a Country,” airs Sept. 30, among the guest stars popping up will be Ludacris, Kelly Rowland, Becky G, Andre Royo and V. Bozeman. As fans will recall, Bozeman put an exclamation point on the first season of Empire with her captivating performance of “What Is Love.”
Now Bozeman ramps up that oh-wow factor with “Hourglass.” Among the songs introduced in the upcoming second episode, the powerful ballad was co-written and co-produced by Terrence Howard, aka Lucious Lyon, and Max Beesley. Underscoring the song’s beautiful but tragic love story is the striking range of Bozeman’s soulful vocals.
“Terrence told me he wrote the song during one of the lower points in his life,” recalls Bozeman, whose first name is Veronika -- the same as her Empire character. “When he asked me to translate that emotion for him, I said, ‘You don’t have to tell me. I’m in.’ The song was created in a lower register but Terrence wanted it higher. Going full-blast and exercising my vocal muscles like that took me back to church.”