When Teedra Moses’ single “Be Your Girl,” off her pioneering 2004 album Complex Simplicity, was remixed into a bouncy, uptempo house bop by superstar DJ and producer Kaytranada in 2013, Moses got a newfound jolt of relevance. And while the New Orleans native was certainly thrilled with the slick adaptation and the new generation of fans who discovered her as a result, Kaytranada’s infectious take was just more confirmation of what she knew all along when she released Complex Simplicity back in the day: she’d made a bona fide classic album that would stand the test of time. 

“My spirit is timeless,” the R&B singer-songwriter tells BET.com. “I understand why anyone, but particularly teens to 25-year-olds, would grasp my music––particularly ‘Be Your Girl. I was different from what the industry was pushing at the time. I wanted to make something special, something people would listen to for years to come.”

Her confidence and faith in herself made Complex Simplicity do exactly as she hoped. Flavored with hip-hop, neo-soul, old-school soul, bits of jazz, and more, Complex Simplicity landed on many critics’ best-of lists when it dropped, veering from the formulated, easy-to-classify records of the day. Now, Moses is commemorating the 20th anniversary of her breakthrough debut with some fresh reimaginings of some of its tracks and embarking on a 12-city tour to celebrate the album––as well as her enduring impact on R&B. “I’ve survived as an indie artist,” she says. “I've weathered things. All I’m doing is what I've always been doing. I've always done my music for the people. The whole time, I felt like, I wasn’t in the music industry; I was in the industry of Teedra Moses.”

The anniversary edition of Complex Simplicity includes an updated version of the original track of the same name, but this “Complex Simplicity,” which came out earlier in October on the platform EVEN, features powerhouse vocalist Durand Bernarr. Additional reworks are on the way, with guest artists Moses carefully selected to envision her work in a new way while maintaining the authenticity and vibe of the original. “We’re about to put out a reimagined version of “Rescue Me,” and we added more jazz elements with beautiful vocals from my friend Rose Gold. I’ve always thought it was a very beautiful song, and it's even more beautiful now. When this [idea of reimagining these records] was introduced to me, I was scared of messing anything up. But we’ve added things that made what I was doing even better.” 

The 2024 Complex Simplicity project is not only a testament to its longevity and her vision, but also the strength and fortitude she summoned to make the original. Moses says she was in a dark place when she recorded her debut, dealing with relationship drama, family dysfunction, loved ones battling illness, money problems, the works. “I was very sad, low and depressed,” she says. “I was crying all the time, very frustrated, very angry with the way things were, even mad at God a little bit. But God was like, ‘Write these songs. I started to listen. I had nothing else to hold on to but my spirituality. Now I understand that I was writing for where I wanted to be, not where I was.” 

Where she is now: a space of gratitude and joy for how far she came and what’s to come. Besides the album and tour, Moses says she’s working on new music–some might include her magic-maker Kaytranada, who tapped her again for his 2019 album Bubba, which featured Moses on another smash, “Culture.” While she says she’d love to do a full-length with him, Moses admits, “I work slow. We've discussed it before, but I'm really slow,” which is more proof that she always, always makes what she wants on her terms, and that 20 years is just the beginning. “I like my journey,” she says. “It's been great.” 

See Teedra Moses’ tour dates here.