Condola Rashad answers the phone with enthusiasm, but with the slightly out-of-breath pant that New Yorkers have when they are walking to the subway in the dead of winter. She apologizes when she has to stop and do something because she says she is “multi-tasking.” This doesn’t surprise me because she happens to be an up-and-coming singer and actress, who is clearly gifted at a variety of things.
While it might seem like Condola is just starting to make a splash in showbiz, this Tony nominated actress says she has been an artist since she was a child. Rashad is a classically-trained pianist, and her band, Condola and the Stoop Kids just released an album called, The Letter 9. She said she started writing the songs when she was on the road in Sweden, but knew all along that she wanted to sing with a band. She says she “somehow convinced these amazing musicians” to work with her, and they started performing a little over a year ago.
Condola’s resume, however, is not limited to music, and is filled with credits from stage and screen including her stint opposite Orlando Bloom in the Broadway production of William Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet.” The onstage chemistry of her and Bloom was so palpable that there were rumors of an off-stage romance. Now that’s how you play Romeo and Juliet! In addition to her work opposite the Hollywood heartthrob, she also starred in the Lifetime remake of Steel Magnolias and appeared on the hit show, “Smash.”
While Condola claims the stage is her foundation, she said she was hoping to get work in television to try something different. Her wish came true when she was brought on to star in the upcoming Fox series, “Hieroglyph,” set in ancient Egypt. She said she also, “ Wished to work on something with a bit of fantasy, and I got it, and I wanted to move out of New York for a bit, and now I will for the show.” Who is this good at turning their wishes into reality?!
Many might think this type of luck is because they believe Rashad has had a charmed life. If her name sounds familiar it is because she is the daughter of “The Cosby Show” star, Phylicia Rashad, and football star, Ahmad Rashad. She admitted to getting a bit tired of answering what it was like to grow up with her famous parents, and says she had a totally “normal” upbringing.
I wondered if the benefits of such a strong familial legacy of success came with a flipside of pressure. Instead of pressure to be great, she says she chooses to see it as “being surrounded by a lot of inspiration.” She added, “No matter what I wanted to do, I knew my parents would support me” whether it was a creative endeavor or not.
Watching Condola Rashad perform onstage, it is easy to see why she excels in a creative environment. She is one of those people who appears most at home on stage. She says she does get nervous when she is singing for an audience because she is not playing a character, but it is simply her, vulnerable to the crowd. “After awhile, though, I just get into it and I start to feel like myself up there,” she says.
When asked if she had a favorite medium, Condola said she has to have both acting and music. “To me, acting and music just go together, hand-in-hand, and build upon each other,” she says. And she has been lucky enough to have founds ways to combine them professionally. Her focus now is her new album, which she calls “alternative rock with a little bit of soul and reggae,” and Vogue called her a little more “Joan Jett than Juliet,” in reference to her recent stint on Broadway.
No matter what she’s doing, it seems Condola is certain she does not want to be limited to one genre or medium, and has managed to find a way to keep her hands in as many pots as she can handle. And she can handle a lot. Whether or not she has completely embraced the inevitable comparisons and queries about her mom and the legacy that she has created in the arts, it is safe to say that Condola Rashad is doing the family name proud.
Follow Condola Rashad on Twitter @phloella
