Charisse Mills is a go-getter, a true definition of a boss babe if there ever was one. In fact, getting her start modeling in the industry, she reveals she touched a million dollars at the young age of 14.
Boasting one million followers on Instagram alone, Charisse Mills is a Trinidadian opera singer, songwriting powerhouse, recording artist, reality television star, and entrepreneur. Her first single ever, “Champagne,” was co-written with French Montana, and she also collaborated with Grammy-winning R&B artist Ne-Yo on his song “Integrity.”
Born in Trinidad and Tobago, but raised in Queens, New York, Charisse had to learn the value of hard work from her single mom, Charmaine Mills, who raised 3 children. Classically trained, she was taught by famous Armenian opera singer Anita Darian and vocal coach Steven Kaplan. She attended the prestigious Manhattan School, where she studied with the renowned singer Hilda Harris.
Now, Charisse Mills fully dips her toes into the urban space with her newest single titled “Drop A Bag,” featuring her husband Luce Cannon. The song is meant to empower women to know their worth, and never settle for anything less. The lovebirds tied the knot last year on 2/2/2022 and continue to live out their best lives together as creatives and business partners.
AllHipHop spoke with Charisse Mills in downtown Los Angeles to discuss the new single, how she met her husband, filming her new reality television show, her new edibles, and more!
AllHipHop: Who or what inspired your new single, “Drop A Bag”?
Charisse Mills: “Drop A Bag” is really my life. I live my life super bad and boujee. I get what I want, I do what I want, and I found a husband that gives me what I want. And he knew that he had to drop a bag. Everybody wants a taste of bad and boujee, but you can’t have me. I’m exclusive. If you want to touch, you better drop a bag on me. ‘Can’t let a n*gga touch if the bag’s on E.’ Okay?”
AllHipHop: How did you and your husband Luce Cannon meet?
Charisse Mills: We met at a network launch. He was supposed to do his own show on this network, I was supposed to do my own show. Coming off a dating show, I was going to open up my own dating show and do a charm school. It just so happened, all that changed when we met at the same network event. We’re like ‘oh s###, now we gotta put our show together.’ So we’re coming out with a show called Beauty and the Beast, where it’s derived around our lives. Because we’re crazy. Sometimes, I’m the beast. [laughs] But it’s awesome. We’re also on new show called Side Chicks of LA, coming out on the For Us By Us Network launching real real soon.
AllHipHop: Who’s the side chick?
Charisse Mills: First of all, ain’t nobody no side chick! I may be on the side sometimes, before I met him. Listen, I’m all about my bag. At the end of the day, I’m never a side chick. I’m an everyday chick. [laughs] Honestly, Side Chicks is just a name. It’s an eye-catcher. You go, you watch Housewives. They’re not really married. Basketball Wives, do they really date a basketball player? Not all of them.
It’s really just a catchy name, the show is about that. Shoot, I may have had a side chick myself. Yeah. You’re gonna have to watch yourself and see exactly what the show’s about. A lot of people don’t realize they may have been a side chick without even knowing it. When they think of side chick, wait a minute. A main chick could really be a side chick, because n*ggas really got people that they treat better than their main.
AllHipHop: How long have you been doing music?
Charisse Mills: I’ve been doing music for over 15 years, professionally. I love it. I went to classical music school. I do this. I breathe, sleep, eat it. I’m in the shower vocalizing every day, around the house. Luce is like, ‘I got a singing bird up in here.’ [laughs]
AllHipHop: Did y’all come together in the studio to make “Drop A Bag”?
Charisse Mills: Yeah. Listen, Luce is amazing. He is so genius at production, genius at writing. He was impressed because I wrote all of my part. He’s like ‘damn, this is coming from you?’ And I’ve never rapped or did urban music.
AllHipHop: Do you usually sing?
Charisse Mills: Yeah, classically trained. He’s like, ‘you need something for the strip club. You need something for the streets. You need something that goes with really what your personality and essence is about. Get out of this whole boujee-ness.” I’m like, I’ma still be boujee, but I’ma be bad and boujee. On this record, you’re really getting the bad and boujee side of me.
AllHipHop: What do you want fans to take away from this record?
Charisse Mills: It’s okay to say what you want. Know your worth. It’s not being a hoe or not being portrayed as “oh, it’s all about money.” No, it’s all about what you want. Your quality of life, period. You want to go date a broke ass n*gga, go ahead and date a broke ass n*gga. Not me. Because I’m not broke. I don’t need a man with money, I want a man with money. It’s different.
AllHipHop: Talk about your Bad and Boujee edibles.
Charisse Mills: The Bad and Boujee edibles are amazing because it really gets you going. It makes you feel free. For those who have problems sleeping at night, I love it because my man doesn’t sleep well. He wakes up at 3am because he’s so used to studio time and studio life, to where his mind is just going. You know when you’re a musical genius, you’re always up and your mind is thinking? I always say “hey honey, take an edible to go to sleep.”
It’s not just recreational, it’s health wise too. You need it. Sometimes you need that. When you’re thinking so much, you got so much going on or you’re stressed, it’s a reliever. For me, the Sativa ones, I like to be happy. Indica puts me straight to sleep. I made a Sativa-based one that keeps you nice and mellow, happy and free. You can watch a movie and just chill. It’s a great mix that I made and the flavors are so yummy. Because I’m from the Caribbean, so I made a lot of tropical flavors like watermelon, peach, berry, fruit punch.
AllHipHop: How is it entering the cannabis industry?
Charisse Mills: At first, I was not a big cannabis person. I barely smoke, but edibles I’ll do all day long. My mama hates it though, ain’t gon’ lie. [laughs] She’s seeing that more and more CBD, edibles, THC, all that, it’s really a way of life. It helps. It’s better than taking pills, that’s for sure. They’re prescribing all these people with ADHD all these pills, no. Go get some cannabis in your life.
AllHipHop: What else can we expect from you guys?
Charisse Mills: We have so much to come. We just got married, so we’re still in our honeymoon stages. 2-2-2022, eternity. Everything’s been a bliss. He wants to do everything now. He wants the house, the carriage, everything. But I’m happy because that’s what I want too. I’m his peace in his life, because he needs that. He’s been in the streets so long, always on protective mode. I make him feel that peace, so I’m glad that I found my soulmate. A lot of people can’t handle me because I’m a boss ass b####. We do fight a lot because of that. Because I want my way, but I gotta let him be a man too. It takes a strong man to handle a woman like me. I’ve had all of my own businesses since I was 16. I made my first million when I was 14.
AllHipHop: Damn! Doing what?
Charisse Mills: Want me to tell you? Illegally, I was a promotional model for Anheuser-Busch. I promo modeled in New York for their nightclubs. I wasn’t 21, but I was making $50 an hour. My mind went rolling. Every client that they’ve represented under their Anheuser-Busch company, they always requested me. But I was in school, so I can’t do every event. Why don’t I hire five girls like me? I’m not available, but my friend is! Eventually, I opened up my own agency called Mills Modeling and Entertainment. 10 girls went to 83 girls, so I opened up my own modeling agency before I turned 18. I wasn’t even 21.
We had liquor brands, beauty brands, sports brands, and the girls were going around. I was paying them $25 an hour when companies were giving me $50 to 75 an hour, so do the math. Every week, I had 83 models working throughout New York City. Before I even went to college, I had my own corporations. Dealing with that and saying man, I don’t need a man for nothing! If I want a man, he’s gotta be able to do what I can do, but better. I was very bossy, very cocky. I got what I wanted. If there was something that I wanted, it’s not that I had it. If I didn’t have it, I’d work for it. That was me. Alright, I’ma save. I want this i8? Okay cool, what’s it gon’ take? Boom, cash out. That’s me. I don’t like bills. If I can’t do it, there’s no such thing as credit. But that was broke mentality. Until I met my Jewish friend that taught me credit is actually good. Don’t use your cash, I had to learn. Reprogram myself.
