Why Dionne Warwick Still Loves Performing at 81 (Exclusive)

Dionne Warwick isn't letting anything slow her down. The 81-year-old songstress chatted with ET's Kevin Frazier ahead of the March 24 premiere of her Las Vegas residency, "An Intimate Evening With Ms. Dionne Warwick," where she spoke about her social media fun, time in Vegas and new music.

"Everything in Vegas has changed from the very first time I worked here to the present," the singer noted. "The Stirling Club decided they wanted to create a showroom such as it is and they really did a wonderful job. It's incredible, it's a pretty room and it's a very easy gig for me."

Warwick shared that she was excited to be in Vegas, where there are plenty of "wonderful shows" to see, especially during an exciting time when people "want to come to Vegas."

Describing the show as a time for her fans to "hang out" with her, the singer explained that she arranged the show to ensure that she was "keeping up with the times." 

"Am I being as forward as I should be? Everybody knows the songs and their original form and I think they might enjoy hearing a different kind of approach to them, that's what I do," she shared. 

That includes her new single, "Smile," which will be a NFT on Theta Network. Although Warwick is admittedly new to the NFT concept, she joked that her sons -- who have joined her on the road -- are trying to turn her into a "techie" for a good cause!

The proceeds from the sale of "Smile" go to Operation Smile, a nonprofit organization specializing in treating cleft lips and cleft palates in children. 

"I'm thrilled to be a part of this, you know, giving back has always been something that I have made a part of my life and especially when it comes to babies," Warwick said. "It’s wonderful that people are reacting to it the way they are, wanting to give those babies the opportunity to do what we naturally do, give that big smile to them."

Between her new music, her Vegas residency and her charity work, it's surprising that Warwick has time to become the Twitter Queen that she is. But the musical legend assured ET that she is indeed working her Twitter fingers. And no one is going to tell her what she can and cannot post!

"I do what I wanna do," she said. "Why should I let anybody else do it for me when I have the withal to do it?"

Watch the video below to check out more on Warwick's online fun.

RELATED CONTENT

Dionne Warwick and Kelly Price Celebrate Whitney Houston's Legacy

Dionne Warwick Celebrates 81st Birthday With Charity Event

Dionne Warwick Doubles Down on Paying Postage for Taylor Swift's Scarf

'SNL': Dionne Warwick Serenades Dionne Warwick With Delightful Duet

Related Gallery

Must-See Celeb Sightings: March 2022