Amerie knew the sound she wanted before recording her fifth album, the singer’s first release in nearly 16 years.

On Wednesday, May 21, the R&B singer and author was a guest on ‘The Tamron Hall Show,’ to discuss her upcoming LP, which will follow her fourth album, ‘In Love & War,’ which dropped in 2009.

Amerie began with talking about the natural chemistry between her and songwriter-producer Troy Taylor, who she said knew her “vibe very well.” 

“I just wanted to go with like my gut and my heart,” Amerie said about the album’s direction. “Troy and I have great chemistry.”

But the vocalist stressed that she had some “non-negotiables” for her comeback project. “The album has to be romantic, sensual,” Amerie said, adding that she didn’t want to make her content “off-brand” by tackling breakups and “trash” men.

Amerie also discussed her recent songs “Undeniable” and “Mine,” saying that for the latter song, she wanted to “capture first kiss vibes.”

Elsewhere in the interview, Amerie shared that she’ll be touring on select dates with Keyshia Cole in July.