Brooklyn Tankard Loves "Letting It All Hang Out" with Her New Body

Season 3 of Thicker Than Water is going to be all about change for the Tankard family, and no one knows that better than Brooklyn Tankard. The eldest Tankard child's transformation began at the end of Season 2 when Brooklyn moved out of Tankard Palace into her own home with daughter Diamond Tankard and sister Britney Tankard. However, with a new body (Brooklyn had a breast reduction and liposuction in her waist and thighs) and a new music career taking flight in Season 3, Brooklyn's evolution is far from over.

But even though Brooklyn is looking toward the future, she'll still be wrestling with some past issues with her dad Ben Tankard in the new season of Thicker Than Water. The Daily Dish recently caught up with Brooklyn to get an update on her life outside of Tankard Palace, a preview of her upcoming EP Royalty, and a taste of the most shocking moments to come this season.

You moved out of Tankard Palace at the end of the last season of Thicker Than Water. So how has living in Queen Brooklyn's Castle been?

Brooklyn Tankard: It has been fab-tab-ulous, if that is a word. I have really enjoyed having my space. I have enjoyed walking around naked and letting it all hang out! Especially, with my new body. It’s really cool too because my daughter, we’ve had our own homes before, so moving in with my dad, actually, I had to adapt to be there. I had to adapt to having my own home again also, which wasn’t hard to do. So, I’ve adapted very well.

Is it all set up now how you want it? Are you all settled in?

Yes, their paint was boring. I had to get some fun colors. Some red, of course. I’ve been decorating. It’s been really fun. I’m getting more domestic again. Maybe my boo-thing is around the corner. I’ve been cooking more, and I stopped burning food, maybe because I’m cooking consistently! But yeah, decorating, doing yard work. I have a green thumb, I don’t mind getting my hands dirty and getting out there and getting it in. It just feels good to pull up into your own driveway. It really does. Queen Brooklyn has her palace! Turn that!

I went to stay with my dad because everyone knows about the story where I got in trouble and had a brothel. Everybody knows this, it’s no secret. And so, I moved there so I could get things in order. So I got what I needed to do. I needed to get out of the environment I was in, change my phone number, and I did! I got into my cleansing process of my spirit and all of that, and now I’m all cleansed up and my energy’s riding, I’m not pimping anymore! Hallelujah! So now, it was just time to go. It was time for me to go. Living under their household, they had their set of rules. And I don’t think that I should be in by 11 p.m. at 23 years old if I’m running my own business and producing hair shows, as you guys saw. I was able to grow while I was there, and it was time for me to go. And I’m glad I did, because, if I had to stay too long, that could stop your growth, you know what I mean? Staying somewhere too long, and I don’t want to be pacified like that. I like having my own.

Ben Doesn't Want to Say Goodbye to Brooklyn

On this season of Thicker than Water it seems like your dad is a little concerned about keeping the whole Tankard family together, keeping everyone connected. Has that been a challenge at all since you’ve moved out? Is that something we’re going to see more of on the show this season?

I think that was more of my concern this season than his. And I think you’ll see more of that in the season. I think my strongest desire for my family, especially my dad, is to have first, that tight bond, relationship, which is something you’ve seen us working on in the first season, in the second season, and, in the trailer, you see me kind of go, “Ugh.” So, it’s pretty obvious that I don’t feel like I’m that close to my father as I needed to be, for certain reasons, and you’ll see what those reasons are in this season. 

I’ll just say, I’m the type of person, if you have something to say about me, say it to me. Don’t say it to anybody else, because that doesn’t make me trust you, you know? And so, you’ll just watch this season and see the things we’re working on in our relationship and just see how we may grow. And, it’s gonna turn up because y’all know I’m a transparent person, I just shoot it like it is. Straight up. But, at the same time, my weakness, my soft spot (everybody has a soft spot) is my daddy. It’s my daddy. Because I’ve always wanted that. Because he was gone when I was little, and I was like, “Okay, I want you here, and I want that connectivity.” I try to keep it blunt with people, but when it comes to my dad, I can keep it real, but I can put a little sugar on there. This season is all salt, baby, ain’t no sugar. Ain’t no sugar so, I’m just shooting it raw and real from my heart, and you’re going to see me from some real vulnerable places. Like, I’m talking about camera-smacking moments. Like, “Get out of my face, OK?!” And it’s real, so, Jesus! Don’t judge me!

Yes, there’s a scene at the end of the supertease where you and your dad seem to have a very emotional discussion and there's some anger there.

I had been holding some things in, as it seemed, and those things came out and spilt over. I think, sometimes, truth is the best serum for people and it makes them look in the mirror sometimes. And also, sometimes going through something so drastic after you’ve been holding something in, perhaps, is like maybe I shouldn’t have been holding that in, maybe I thought I was fine, but maybe I wasn’t fine! All the way across the board, you’ve seen me work some things out first and second season, but I was biting my tongue on a lot of stuff, and I was holding a lot of stuff in, and it all spills over this third season. It’s like three’s the magic number or something and it just gets real. So real. I feel like this would be real-live therapy. For real. Under the microscope. Because, some of these discussions, who knows if they would’ve risen to the surface, but thanks to my wonderful friends at BravoTV, everything’s working out.

What's going to surprise us the most this season?

Look at me! I think this is a nice surprise. But, definitely, this body, for sure. Also, my music. I think a lot of people are going to be shocked because I’m an entertainer at heart. I’ve always been an entertainer and a businesswoman. It’s why I love beauty shows and producing these events because I love entertaining. And I happen to be vocally talented. It just happens to be in my blood. And I’ve sung back-up... and played instruments and all that stuff, but this was the right timing for it to be birthed out of me. 

And when I tell you guys I was starting to work my music project, and I’m just gonna be real blunt, this is not something that I wanted under the microscope. It’s not something that I was like, “Ooh, let me push this.” This was not something I was necessarily ready to share. But, because I’m on a show, I have to share my real life, and you’re gonna see me go through every step that an artist goes through. From the beginning, to the end. And it’s gonna be real. Sometimes, I might miss a note,you never know. But it’s real, and you get to see the whole process. All I can tell you is that this music is the bomb dot com. It’s not what you may expect with my father being a pastor. It’s not gospel, but I do have lyrics with substance. That means something. Music that’s going to make you feel and feel your emotion that you want to feel that day. Get you moving, whether you wanna dance, or whether you need some inspiration for that day. Real life music. And so, it feels good to express my passion for life in my music. And you’re gonna see that! My story that you see this season is in my music, and you can hear it. You can hear that it is real, raw from what she experienced this season, and she put it straight into her music. 

And so, the name of my EP is Royalty and the song “Royalty” talks about how everything we need is inside. The royalty that we need is inside. Everything that we need, it’s inside. We cry, we go through all this stuff, we, da da da da, go around the world, looking for people, looking for love, looking for places and things, and everything that we need is already there. The whole time inside of us. And that is the leading single on the EP and also the title.

There’s another song called “When I’m Gone” [that has] a dance, disco, pop, fun feel. And it’s just a woman talking about, “Look. Hey. I’ve been putting up with your mess and your games, what you gonna do about it when I’m gone? Deuces. I ain’t sticking around for this.” You know what I’m saying? 

I think what’s going to surprise you is the process that I go through, the transparency that I have in that process, and how I’m still holding onto my roots in hair and fashion and still doing everything else that I’m doing. I’m not dropping those things. So I’m adding to my streams, and you get to see how I balance that with the family issues, with the drama with my dad, with the drama with my sister, and still try to keep my head above water. It’s gonna be real.

Watch the familial drama unfold on Thicker Than Water when Season 3 premieres Sunday, March 27 at 10/9c.

The Tankards Are Back!