Luther Vandross’s niece talks about who inspired him to write love songs

Luther Vandross was one among the best vocalists to ever step behind a microphone. The singer, who died in 2005 on the age of 54, sold greater than 40 million records worldwide, won eight Grammy Awards and released 11 consecutive platinum albums during his lifetime, according to Diversity.

Now his niece Seveda Williams has spoken about her profession and private life in a brand new interview with The Guardian. People. Williams told the publication that Vandross’ iconic love songs were inspired by his own life, but not necessarily his romantic relationships. The “Never Too Much” singer was known for being private about his personal relationships while in the general public eye.

“I think the depth of his love came from his own situations, and when you’re young, he was writing before he was in a relationship or anything,” Williams revealed in an interview published June 30. “So he wasn’t always singing about romantic love.”

“Most people assume that, but if you look at his lyrics, it’s not all romantic,” she continued. “So it’s about loving yourself, loving your mom, loving the situation you’re in. It’s not all autobiographical.”

Williams added that Vandross rarely talked about his romantic relationships with anyone who wasn’t his close friend. “He had friends in his crew, and no one else had to be a part of it,” she explained. “If you’re not my friend, why are we talking about things? It’s not everyone’s business all the time.”

Williams is the pinnacle of Fandross, the Luther Vandross fan club. She is worked up about the brand new vinyl, CD and digital reissue of Vandross’s second album, This Close To You, which was recorded along with his previous group Luther. Williams said Vandross was “the consummate professional, a man who took an interest in his business and made sure his audience was happy and delighted.”

“I know he wanted to be known as the top singer of his time, and he definitely achieved that,” she shared. “They don’t like him anymore. He was the last, in my opinion, true king of romance. He had a great voice, but he also wrote lyrics, those honest lyrics.”

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Williams can also be celebrating the upcoming release of “Never Too Much,” a documentary that may delve deeper into Vandross’ life and profession. The film will probably be released in January 2025, 20 years after his death, according to People.

“I recently rewatched it and I really enjoyed it. I’m willing to endorse it,” Williams says. “It’s not going to be a movie for everyone. I think it’s a very well-rounded movie and you can watch it and form an opinion. It doesn’t hold anything back. It touches on so many layers of who he is or was, how he got there and what happened to him or to him.”

The film’s director, Dawn Porter, told The Guardian how she decided to discuss Vandross’s sexuality. Share.

“We tried to strike a balance between how Luther dealt with these questions in his life,” she explained. “But that was really, really important to me, and I hope the viewer will sense that I’m trying to pay homage to how he lived, because it’s important not to expose people when they don’t want to be exposed and when they didn’t choose to be exposed… I’ll let him have the final say.”