Sometimes a setback makes you step back, so you can come back greater than ever before. 

Just ask Elle Varner.

Recently the singer was the latest guest to stop by BET's Black Coffee. While there, Elle sat down with hosts Marc Lamont Hill, Gia Peppers and Jameer Pond to discuss everything from her latest musical efforts, Ellevation, to the healing and prosperous impact of simply letting go.

While on the topic of recent life lessons learned, Peppers asked the musician about her own personal growth between her first project Perfectly Imperfect, released seven years go, and Elle's followup EP, Ellevation.

"I have just learned so much from [my] experiences, my transition from major to independent, and transitioning with the people I worked with. I started my own label, so now I own my masters. I've quietly been doing so much behind the scenes and just building myself back up. Letting go of anger, resentment and hurt [because] it ain't gonna do nothing for me," the singer admitted.

"Life has its twists, turns and plot twists, and we have our own ideas of what we're going to do, and we think, 'Okay, if I do this, that and the third, then that will happen, I'll get it and I'll make it happen.' But we're not really in control of most things, and that's where upset and letdown comes into play."

When implied that her time away from the public had something to do with matters of the heart, the singer set the record straight by pointing out it was greater than any one relationship.

"It's more than that. Everyone always thinks [letting go] is about relationships, but there are so many bigger things that come into play. It can be people you work with, it can be friends. I have this line, 'Your day one's turn into day none's.'” She continued, “Like the song I have with [rapper] Rapsody, 'Even though it hurt like hell, I cried tears, filled a wishing well, I still wish you well.' That took me a long time to get there... [but the hate] was killing me, and bringing me so down." 

When asked who she would like to work with in the near future, the R&B songstress revealed she'd love to collaborate with the likes of 6lack and Lucky Daye, with an emphasis on teaming up with more Black women in the booth.

"I really want to work with 6lack. We've been talking about it. There are just so many amazing [artists]. 6lack, Lucky Daye, Ari Lennox. I've been on Ari, she's so dope. H.E.R. This other girl, Baby Rose. She's so dope.”

She added, “I'm open to collaborations. I'm open to shows and just bringing back that whole 'ladies first' type of [vibe]. We need that. Especially our girls need that. They need to see solidarity amongst women - Black women - and they need messaging that's also going to uplift them and help them... [Like] 'Brown Skin Girl’!”

As far as her thoughts on the current state of R&B music, Elle likened its expansion to that of an R&B Renaissance, while emphasizing the importance of the genre's visibility and recognition in the pop world.

"I think R&B is in a really cool renaissance phase. You have trap R&B, bedroom R&B, alternative R&B and you still have traditional R&B. I think it's awesome that we're expanding the genre.  It's way past due that R&B is looked at in the popular music scene, because it influences pop music. It goes into cultural appropriation, and not getting our just due for what we contribute to the culture globally.  When they do it, it's pop, when we do it, it's 'R&B,' and that's an issue."

Check out more of Elle's conversation on music, her thoughts on R.Kelly and more in the full episode here.

Be sure to tune in for new episodes of Black Coffee, live every weekday, 10am EST, only on BET's official Twitter & Facebook!