Then & Now: Nicole Wray Talks Her 18-Year Hiatus, Missy Elliott & New 'Queen Alone' Album

Welcome to the second installment of Fuse's newest column, Then & Now! Throughout this interview series, we chat with some of your favorite artists from the '90s and early Aughts about their careers' biggest highlights and what they're up to today. This week, we spoke to Nicole Wray.

Nicole Wray first caught our ears back in 1998 when she was discovered by Missy Elliott and released her debut single, "Make it Hot." Since then, the Virgina-raised singer left Missy's The Goldmind label and signed to Roc-A-Fella Records. After her Elektric Blue album didn't get a release date, Wray eventually teamed up with soul singer Terri Walker to form the retro-soul duo Lady. Now, she is an independent solo artist who released her sophomore album—Queen Alone—on Sept. 23 after an 18-year wait.

Read on to see what Nicole Wray told Fuse about her days working with Damon Dash, why she changed her name and bringing back that old-school sound.