Nothing is stronger than a mother’s love. Mothers are the foundation in every family structure and the glue to the household. As we celebrate Mother’s Day, we are here to highlight a mother-daughter duo who are both loving parents and definitely know how to get to the bag.
Kandi is best known for being a member of Xscape and has pivoted into so many different business ventures — she should be known as the Queen of multiple income streams as well as the Queen of Bravo spinoffs. The singer has her hand in songwriting, the food industry, and has been a cast on “Real Housewives Of Atlanta” for over a decade.
Kandi not only put herself on, she’s also been able to help her family get into spaces of opportunity by using her platform. One person who has become an icon in her own right due to her appearances on “Housewives” is Mama Joyce. From her viral sayings and clap backs to the memes that social media puts to good use, you can watch Mama Joyce and see a piece of your own mother in her. Kandi’s relationship with her mom is so authentic, and they give us the pleasure of an inside look at their family weekly on the Bravo network.
The mother-daughter pair chatted with REVOLT about the greatest lesson they learned from each other and ideal Mother’s Day gifts. They also shared their thoughts about their show “Kandi & The Gang.” Tune into our conversation below.
You two are in the Mother-Daughter Reality Television Hall of Fame alongside folks like Tiffany Pollard and Sister Patterson and many others. How has being on TV impacted your relationship and what’s the biggest lesson you learned about each other?
Kandi: Well, I mean, we’ve been on television for over a decade now. My mom is a real superstar. She’s the star, not me. I’ve learned a lot of things from my mom, but her push to always believe in myself and I can make anything I dream up happen. A lot of people have folks in their life who don’t believe in their dream. A lot of people have people in their lives — when they hear their dream, they go like, ‘Girl … okay’ (laughs). My mom never doubts me and always pushes me like, ‘You can make it happen.’ She hypes me up. That’s the greatest gift. To have a mom who allowed me to go after my dream while I was in high school. A lot of parents don’t support their kids being a music artist in high school, telling their children to wait and get their degree. My mom been in the trenches with me since.
Mama Joyce: She’s my babygirl and she’s there for me. I really hadn’t seen us being on reality television any different than we’ve always been. We have a great mother-daughter relationship. She loves her friends and she’s the best friend that anyone can have. If she’s your friend, there’s nothing she won’t do for you.
Mama Joyce, while you and your sisters are very wise, it’s easy to see how you all learn from one another on-screen. What’s something you learned from Bertha and Nora that you would say helped you become a better mother?
Mama Joyce: While I love my sisters, I would have to say I learned everything from my mother. I had a great mother. If anything, she’s the one that taught us all to be good moms. She was a phenomenal mom.
Now Kandi, you have four beautiful children in Kaela, Riley, Ace and Blaze. You always make it your business to make sure your stepdaughter Kaela feels just as comfortable and included. How is your relationship with Kaela at this time?
Kandi: Our relationship is great. Right now, Kaela is doing big things in New York working for a network. I’ve been trying to do better with checking in on her and Riley. We actually have a family date coming up as Todd and I took the little ones on a spring break trip. Riley and Kaela couldn’t make it as Kaela is working and Riley was in school. We decided to do something special for the older girls so we’re taking them to see Dave Chappelle just so we can have some bonding time and they get their own time as well.
With your children in different age ranges, you’ve evolved as a mother as time progresses. Is there something you learned while parenting Riley that you now do with Ace and Blaze but wish you were able to do with Riley back then?
Kandi: With Ace and Blaze, they are still in their young age where we do fun stuff at this time. There is something I did do differently that I wanted to do with Riley. I really wanted to put her in classes to learn Mandarin as her best friends were bilingual — so that was something I was going to do, started it, and didn’t keep it up. With Ace, he’s in a school where he’s able to learn both languages. But other that, honey, Riley ain’t miss out on nothing (laughs).
Family is clearly essential in “Kandi & The Gang” and the season is definitely playing out. What are your overall thoughts on the show and the cast member’s choices so far?
Kandi: I think the show is hilarious. I think it’s fun, I think it’s very lighthearted, and of course you have some shade here and there. Overall, I love our show because I see people talking about it online and they laugh every time they watch — from beginning to end. It’s a good vibe. As far as the choices the cast members made, I think Shawndreca is a bit of mess when was she talking behind our backs and got caught on camera (laughs) — but other than that, all the other stuff is the craziness that just happens at a restaurant.
Mama Joyce: I think Brendan as a manager is definitely out of line for dating one of the employees. I think that’s something that’s not appropriate and that’s from my point of view. You could say you won’t make a difference but if you dating somebody, you may not treat them the same way as you would another employee. But overall, ‘Kandi & The Gang’ is such a great show.
What is the best part about being a mother?
Kandi: The best part is seeing my kids growing up and becoming who they are destined to be … spending time with them. I love being excited for my kids and I love doing all that. What part about being a mom is not good? I was just with Riley and it’s the little things that make it fun.
What’s an ideal Mother’s Day gift you would like to receive?
Mama Joyce: At this age, it’s very little that I really want. Anything is accepted. If we just spend time, that’s more than enough.