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Elle Varner covered VIBE Vixen and served up sexy secretary at the same damn time! I love the sex appeal, even though Elle thinks wishes she could be “So Fly.”

She’s like that girl next door with the hair and style you covet and a voice that’s soothingly soulful. Ok, so maybe she’s not the girl next door, but she’s got that kind of familiarity that makes you feel as if you could walk over to her place and borrow a cup of sugar.

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I get feelings watching Elle perform on stage as if it were me holding the mic and crooning about a “Refill.” The pride is real because I’ve watched Elle grow as a woman and as an artist. I’m taken aback with how far she’s come and excited about where she’s going.

I still can’t get “Stop The Clock” out of my head. Elle has officially bypassed one-hit-wonder stardom and has proven that she’s got the vocals to lead her into diva-in-training. With her raspy, soulful tone and her killer good looks, Elle has breathed new life into R&B. VIBE Vixen sat down with the Perfectly Imperfect songstress and chatted about where she is as a person, an artist and where she’s going.

Check out some of the notable quotables from the interview here:

Who is Elle?

In this moment right now, Elle is a young lady becoming a young woman stepping into a more responsible role—knowing what I want and speaking out for what I want and getting it.

Are you getting more comfortable with the uncertainty of fame?

I’m more comfortable with my choices. The more I step into Elle Varner as an artist, I’m more comfortable with what I want or what I feel like I want because that’s really what being an artist is. Playing into what you think people want you to be, that’s not an artist. It is scary, but that’s why the greatest ones are the one that take the risk and just be whatever they want.

Fans cry at your presence these days. How does that feel?

It’s nuts [laughs]. I feel, honestly, that you have to constantly remind yourself that you are just like everyone else because everyone is treating you like you’re not. People are making you their savior, their role model, their idol. People actually love you, and it’s crazy. They’re like, ‘Don’t change’ [laughs] but you have to in a way. There’s no way not to. But you still want to keep the part of you that is pure.

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How do you see yourself changing?

Being a little bit more serious. That’s something I’m starting to embrace a little bit more. When I am serious, I get so much accomplished. There’s so much room for me to grow as an artist. Maybe some of my sounds are R&B, maybe some of my songs are folk, maybe they’re just songs and there is no name for what it is. I embrace it because I think there is a new wave of R&B that, in a way, is not even R&B; there’s just nothing else to really call it. But you have artists like Frank Ocean, Miguel, myself—it’s not mainstream R&B.

Check Out Some Of The Hot Photos From VIBEVixen!

Check Out Elle Varner Below:

Thank You To Our Loves From VIBE Vixen For The Photos!

More Elle Varner:

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For 2024’s iteration of MadameNoire and HelloBeautiful’s annual series Women to Know, we knew we wanted to celebrate the people who help make the joys of film and television possible. To create art is to create magic. This year, we spotlight Hollywood Executive’s changing the face of cinema.