WASHINGTON – In her two-decade-plus career, Vanessa Williams has been the beauty queen, the hit-making singer, Broadway star and marquee film actress, and in the past few years, she has captivated fans yet again with her Emmy-nominated comedic turn as the power-grabbing Wilhelmina Slater on ABC’s “Ugly Betty.”

This month, Williams, 45, returns to a past role with the release of a new album, “The Real Thing.”

AP. What’s the key to your success over the decades?

Williams. Besides talent and being prepared for whatever, you have to stay open, you have to be flexible and think about your options and not get stuck in a rut and do the same thing – “if this works, well, I’ve gotta do it 10 different times.” Always be willing to explore and reach beyond your comfort zone.

AP. How do your fans relate to you?

Williams. Younger kids know me from “Hannah Montana,” 8 and younger … and I would say (those in their) 20s know me from “Ugly Betty,” and then anyone over mid-30s, 40s know me from my music. And above that, it’s probably Miss America.

AP. Were you worried about taking a four-year break between albums?

Williams. I’m happy that I’ve been able not to depend on one genre to make a living. The recording industry has changed immensely. … I always hope that my fan base will follow me from project to project, and I’m in a position where I have a whole new audience that doesn’t even know me as a singer, which is fascinating.

AP. What do fans think of your role as Wilhelmina?

Williams. People who know me from my recording career always get a kick out of it and say, “I love watching you be so bad,” and the people who haven’t seen me before, the younger audience, are a little bit intimidated, sometimes afraid to approach me, which I think is hilarious. To play such a role is very freeing as an actress, because you get the chance to really be as broad and loose as you want and kind of be a brat and get away with murder.

AP. How would you describe your music to those who only know you as Wilhelmina?

Williams. I would have to let whoever is discovering me for the first time see a much softer side than what they see on a weekly basis. That’s the funny thing about playing such a terrorized role on TV; my real self is different, so I think a lot of people, if they don’t know me, will see, definitely, a side of me they don’t see on a weekly basis.