Diana Ross has hailed "doll" Mark Ronson a "really incredible" and "humble" producer.
The 75-year-old Motown star has opened up about what fans can expect from her first album of new material in 14 years, which is due out in 2020, and heaped praise on the ‘Uptown Funk’ hitmaker ahead of entering the studio to work with him on her follow-up to 2006’s ‘I Love You’.
The ‘I’m Coming Out’ hitmaker also said her new material will show the "positive" place she is at in her life "at this time".
Speaking at a Q&A at Toronto’s Sony Centre for the Performing Arts as part of her TD Toronto Jazz Festival concert, Diana said: "I’m getting ready to go in the studio and do another album and I want to do songs from where I am at — is that the right English? — at this point in time in my life because I feel so incredibly grateful and appreciative of you.
"I don’t want to sing the blues. I want to sing songs that really speak to you and where I’m at at this time in my life, and optimism, and positive."
The ‘Upside Down’ singer also recalled asking Mark, 43, about winning an Oscar for co-writing ‘Shallow’ for ‘A Star is Born’ and how modest he was.
Diana continued: "So I met with this really incredible producer. His name is Mark Ronson.
"And he is such a doll. He’s so humble. I said, ‘How do you feel after winning an Academy Award?’
"And he went, ‘Next.’ He’s ready to go to work. He’s lovely, lovely."
Little else is known about the new record, which came to light last week when Diana told fans at her recent Los Angeles concert that it’s in the works.
It was previously revealed that she penned a track called ‘A Whole Lotta Lovin” with her son Evan Ross, 30, and his wife Ashlee Simpson Ross, 34, though it’s not known if that will feature on his mom’s 25th studio album.
He teased: "She [Diana] wrote a song with us, it’s an amazing song called ‘A Whole Lotta Lovin’."
The last release from Diana came in the form of 2015’s ‘Diana Ross Sings Songs From The Wiz’, a collection of tracks that were stored in Motown’s vaults for years.
Diana Ross praises producer Mark Ronson as ‘really incredible’
