Stephanie Mills’ love for music will never cease.

As one of four legendary vocalists hitting the stage for the third leg of The Queens Tour alongside Gladys Knight, Patti LaBelle and Chaka Khan, Mills said it still means the world to create music that leaves a lasting impact on audiences.

“I think we know how relevant we all are, still,” she told Blavity. “We’re still selling out places and huge stadiums, and that’s a lot for some people who are 82, 73 and 69. I’m the youngest, but it just shows how our music has definitely withstood the test of time.”

Nominated as one of the best R&B tours of 2025 by Pollstar, The Queens Tour will kicked off in New Orleans on May 7, with shows in Fort Worth, St. Louis, Charlotte, Houston and Jacksonville to follow.

The stage is her happy place

Outside of the tour, Mills jumps at every opportunity to perform, recently taking the stage during the 2026 JITG Fest in Miami Gardens.

“I love being on stage,” she said. “I love singing. I love performing for us. It’s something I’ve always done. This is the only thing that I’ve ever done, and I love it. I really do love it.”

Mills has spent nearly her entire life performing, beginning at age 10 and becoming one of the few child stars to transition into adult fame relatively unscathed.

“I think, by grace and not listening to all the noise, not listening to what people think you should be doing,” Mills said when asked how she navigated the transition so seamlessly. “I always stay true to what I wanted to do and what worked best for me, because everybody has an opinion, but I think what matters the most is my opinion and what and how I want to please my audience. I don’t do things for clicks and likes, and all that is in this media world, you know.”

Following her groundbreaking performance as Dorothy in The Wiz, the production went on to win seven Tony Awards. Mills said she eventually learned to appreciate the impact her work had on generations of performers.

“I’m proud of that. I was 17 years old when I did The Wiz, even though they said I was 15. I was 17, and to still live that now, I mean, I couldn’t leave the stage if I didn’t sing ‘Home,’ you know, so it’s a legacy, and it’s something that I’m very proud of,” she said.

“There was a time when I didn’t want people to say Dorothy,” she admitted. “I was tired of Dorothy. But now, being older, I just appreciate everything that I’ve done and that has lived on and withstood the test of time.”

Remembering the friends who have passed on

Whenever Mills performs “Home,” a montage featuring close friends she has lost — including Marvin Gaye, Aretha Franklin and Michael Jackson — plays in the background.

“I haven’t seen the film yet, but I do plan to go see it,” she said of the recently released biopic Michael, which follows Jackson’s life from the Jackson 5 to global superstardom.

Mills also explained why she chose to honor those friendships during performances of “Home.”

“I feel like my friends always made me feel like home,” Mills said. “My friendship with Michael was like home, especially with Teddy Pendergrass.”

She continued, “I got to know Aretha Franklin, it’s a home base for me, because Aretha withstood the test of time and never changed her R&B thing. Teddy was the same way. Michael did his thing the way he wanted to. That’s very, very important.”

“When I think of them, I miss them daily. I miss their energy, and I was telling somebody the other day, but I just think that everybody wants to have a place where they can call home. Home is a safe place, for most people, or it should be.”

On philanthropy and legacy

Beyond the stage, Mills is also a strong advocate for bringing visibility to Black children with Down syndrome.

“We see a lot of white children when they’re doing things, but there’s a huge community of Black children with Down syndrome that you hardly ever see, and it’s my business to make them the forefront,” she said.

Mills wants her legacy to reflect that she was a proud Black woman who loved her people.