GrooveOut by Chris Sill A Good Song Is Hard to Find Dance diva Sandy B is back and ready to get real, get happy, and to "make some noise!"

Sandy B knows the art of patience. Four years ago she conquered the global club scene with "Make the World Go Round," and later followed that with the successful "Ain’t No Need to Hide." But almost as quickly as she rose to the top of the charts, she disappeared ... until now. She’s spent the past three years learning how to wait for the right songs, and that lesson seems to have paid off. The dance diva returns this year with two new singles and a forthcoming album. GrooveOut spoke with Sandy before a recent performance in North Carolina.

GrooveOut: You’ve been absent from the dance scene for awhile until recently. What have you been up to?

Sandy B: It’s funny because every time I’ve had a record there’s been a two- or three-year interval between them. So I’ve been saying to myself, "I have to stop doing that!"[laughs] There’s always been this lapse where I’m just waiting for the right song and then when I hear it I say, "That’s the one!"

Well, that’s important! You gotta have the right song.

Yes, definitely.

"Check It Out" was a strong return for you this year, but the new single "Nothingness" has huge potential.

I heard Junior [Vasquez] play it last night. Unbelievable response!

It’s a great song, how did you find it?

Konrad Carelli, my friend and an engineer, called me up one day and said he had a song that needed stronger vocals on it and asked if I would do it. I said, "For you, yes." Then I told him he had to do a song for me. I had "Check It Out" in my head for about four years, so I sat down and wrote it with him and his partner Anton Bass. They played it on the Internet the next day, and people said "Yes! Yes! I want it!"

Your first international hit, "Make the World Go Round," crossed so many boundaries and brought various types of people together in celebration, including straights and gays. Why do you think that song touched so many people?

There’s no doubt that Deep Dish [Sandy B’s remixers] put a hurting on the bass! [laughs] I always felt that the bass reaches the soul and they reached the soul.

It’s such a positive song, too.

Yes! It’s up, it’s about being real and it gives you a happy feeling.

Even your second single, "Ain’t No Need to Hide," was very uplifting, too. I think a lot of gay people could take those words to heart and feel liberated by them.

Oh, yes!

Speaking of liberation, there’s an election coming up.

[Laughs] Politics! I don’t bother!

OK, we won’t go there, but how do you feel about the level of discrimination in this country? Do you see it when you’re on the road?

Not just on the road, at home, too. I feel prejudice every day just for being black. I feel that one reason dance music hasn’t become bigger in this country is because so much of it is in the gay community. But dance is the music that moves everyone!

It seems the mainstream has a stigma attached to it, like they did with AIDS. If you have AIDS, you must be gay. If you’re into dance or disco, you must be gay.

Right! It’s ridiculous. Disease doesn’t pick a name. It doesn’t pick a number. It just gets you.

Just like a good beat, eventually it gets you. I think things have changed a lot for the better, but we have a ways to go. So much of today’s pop music focuses on youth. Boy-bands and teenage girls rule the airwaves. Has this had an affect on you?

Oh, the cookie-cutter syndrome! I’m so sick of it, but it hasn’t affected me. We don’t have that in the dance genre. Usually, it’s some diva trying to make it on her own or with a producer.

How do you keep longevity in a career doing it on your own?

The hardest part is finding the right song. And if you don’t have the right follow-up [song], the label will probably release you after the first one. This time I’m going to do a full CD with Jellybean Recordings.

Great! That will keep you out there much longer.

Oh yeah, we’ll have one single right after another.

Are you writing your own material?

Actually, I’m collaborating with Janice Robinson and my girlfriend Porshe. We’re writing songs just for me so that I have plenty for the CD, and more. The fear is you put out a CD and what’s the point? Only one single gets released. You need to do a CD that has at least six strong singles. You wanna make some noise!

Lots of noise!

Yeah, but getting the songs, that’s the hard part. I think it’s time now to tackle that.

Check out Sandy B’s website at: www.sandysbox.com.

"Nothingness" and "Check It Out" are out now on Jellybean Records.

Picks for Holiday Stocking Stuffers:

Ottmar Liebert–Christmas Sante Fe

Linda Eder–Christmas Stays the Same

Charlotte Church–Dream a Dream

Yolanda Adams–Christmas with Yolands Adams

Cast of Ally McBeal–A Very Ally Christmas

The Looney Tunes–Kwazy Christmas

Billy Gilman–Classic Christmas

By day, Chris Sill works as a buyer at Soundwaves; by night, he spins tunes at Rich’s. He can be reached at csill@infohwy.com or www.djchrissill.com.