Queen Latifah is getting ready to host the American Music Awards on Monday night. The last and only time she hosted was back in 1995 as part of a trio that included Tom Jones and country singer Lorrie Morgan.

“It’s been a long time, but it was exciting then and It’s exciting now,” Latifah tells me. “I’m just a little bit different person, but you know, we still gotta make get it popping like we did then.”

Taylor Swift leads the night with eight nominations.

“I don’t know if I call myself a Swiftie, but I’m a fan of Taylor Swift, for sure,” Latifah says. “I always have been. I think she makes great songs. She makes really great, catchy songs that we love.”
Latifah isn’t surprised at all by Swift’s stardom.

“She was able to get those records played on the radio. That’s step one. Can you get your record played? Latifah explains. “When she got her records played, there were a bunch of girls who looked like her who connected to those songs. She wrote to what a lot of young girls were feeling, and young people, for that matter. And then, as you got to hear her talk, she seemed to be like someone who wanted to stick up for people rather than talk down to people.”

Are you going to perform during the show?

This isn’t the Queen Latifah show. It is the American Music Awards, and there are lovely people that are nominated, and they deserve to have the stage and really rock the stage. I’m here to facilitate their greatness, that’s all I’m here to do.

But you are American music royalty.

Thank you, but I’m always prepared for whatever. Roll up with a piano and if a guitar appears from nowhere, I’m sure I can figure something out.

How do you prepare for a night like this? Do you do a deep dive on every nominee?

I can’t say I’m such a musicologist that I’m familiar with everyone’s everything but, of course, I’ll play their music to get familiar with whomever I might not be familiar with. With some people, I realize I know their music, I just didn’t know their names. I’ll definitely get more familiar with everybody’s songs, and maybe some of their stories — where they come from, what they’re about because that can be very engaging as well.

How many outfit changes will you have?

A girl doesn’t tell her outfit change, but let’s say no less than three.

What was the last song you really belted out?

I was singing in the mirror last night. There’s a girl who made this version of “I Will Survive,” and I just watched it on Instagram. Bray’s Anatomy is her name. I watched her singing with all these harmonies, and before you knew it I was singing, “I Will Survive” with her.

Your last album was “Persona” in 2009. Any plans for a new album?

I am going to try and drop something this year. I guess I have to, at least start letting some of this music out that I’ve been holding on my computer for so long. I play it so much that I feel like it’s already out. I think I will actually share it with the people this year. There’s nothing that really sounds like me or is my style that is out there. There’s bits and pieces here and there, but there’s only one me, so I think I need to put some of this music out.

Will it be hip hop, jazz, soul?

It’ll be a mixture.

When will we see you in a musical again? (Latifah earned an Oscar nomination for her work as Mama Morton in 2002’s “Chicago.”)

You gotta call the people and say, “When are you going to put Queen in a musical again?” They listen to you! I don’t think there’s any type of movie that I like making more than  a musical because, honestly, I like rehearsal. You don’t get to rehearse on everything else, you get proper rehearsal when you do a musical. And it just feels so good to be able to make those kinds of movies, and people love them, the audience really gets a treat when a great musical comes out.

How about a musical on Broadway?

That has been an option so it’s always possible.

We gotta get the Jersey girl on Broadway.

I can shoot through the tunnel real quick and make it happen for the people.

Dick Clark Productions and CBS bring back the AMAs on Memorial Day, May 25, and will air the event live on CBS at 8 p.m. ET and 5 p.m. PT. The ceremony will also be streamed and made available on demand by Paramount+.

And make sure to check out Variety‘s social channels for all our coverage from the red carpet starting at 1 p.m PT/4 p.m. ET.