Interview Time: Musiq Soulchild

Musiq Soulchild

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The reserved music man returns with his forth album LUVANMUSIQ. Having been away from the scene for a while Musiq sits comfortably at his new home with Atlantic Records and appears to be as focused as ever, keen to maintain a familiar element while introducing a new side to his music.

With his new album firmly in place, we are sure to experience Musiq on many many levels having had time to cultivate a sound and getting comfortable with it. Devoted to the love of music we can sure enough let our breath out as his new single ‘B.U.D.D.Y caresses our ears around the world. It was a pleasure to sit down and get real with one of the few talented and humble artists left in the game.

What is a B.U.D.D.Y?

A buddy is basically either somebody that you just met or knew for a little while and you’re still getting to know that person. Buddy is particularly good for single people when you’re in a committed relationship or married there is no room for buddies. But a buddy is just somebody you take an interest in and that interest can lead to whatever – you two decide what it leads to, if you want to allow it to become a sexual thing then it becomes that.

Do you have one?

Yeah – I have more than one actually (cracks a smile) you know – keeping it real. Well you know I move around a lot and I meet a lot of very interesting beautiful people.

What made you decide to make the transition over to Atlantic Records?

Kevin Lyles was basically the one who instigated that move, when he was over at Def Jam records he was the one who signed me to Def Jam records when he moved over to the Warner Music Group – which is the parent company of Atlantic Records he met me in passing when I was working on this album and asked me how would I feel about him still being immediately involved in my career and I thought it was a good idea so we talked to the label heads over at Def Jam – pulled a few strings and made things happen.

Are you happier?

Its not so much more being happier it’s just a good working situation if he didn’t step in I would of probably still been over there at Def Jam.

You’re new album LUVANMUSIQ has a slightly different sound to your previous albums – are you moving more toward an RnB sound?

Well………..it is basically…………a cross between trying to be consistent with the previous three projects with, you know to maintain that familiar element so that it could help people to… get comfortable with it because when you have already established yourself, you definitely want to be consistent with that. However, at the same time I definitely want to introduce the idea and inspire to people that I want to be more than what you already know me for because there is way more to music than just rhythm and blues and I wanna be able to tap into those areas – but I can only do it if you – the audience will allow me to do it and of course if the industry would allow me to do it also. But as far as the industry is concerned have to consistently prove myself that is the unfortunate situation with the industry, as far as my people are concerned – my audience and my supporters, I have to just introduce the idea to them that it’s possible that I can do it.

Is it, your just trying something different?

Well it’s not different to me, that’s the thing it’s just that I haven’t done it for you yet, and that’s what I would like to be able to do, I want to do it for you but it won’t matter if you don’t want it.

Some people (not me) but some might say ‘move with the times’ what would be your answer be to them?

I am moving with the times. However I still stand by what I stand for, I am completely aware of the current climate of the industry however, I still feel my contribution, my intention is valid it’s just a matter of finding a way to present it. If I didn’t move with the times the music would sound way different it would sound very retro, very vintage and that’s just not the popular music today, so yeah, I like to think that I am moving with the times, apparently so because it is proving to be successful.

During a past interview with Angie Stone, you’re named cropped up a couple times in relation to ‘real music’…

Yea big ups to Angie Stone…

(Laughs)…How are finding the industry now, after being away for so long?

Well, it is a very difficult thing sometimes because music is a subjective statement, people dig what they did – and they have a right to. And those people who dig what they dig they don’t have the capacity or the same education in music that someone like myself or Angie Stone, so its not that they don’t appreciate certain things its just not on their mind to appreciate it – like, trying to explain algebra and trigonometry to a three year old. Its not that they don’t get it they just don’t have the capacity or know how to appreciate it until they get older it’s the same with people if people were musically involved as people such as myself and Angie Stone, not to keep using her but… she’s you know…

Yea…

Um, then they would have much more of an incentive to dig people but, people have other priorities, they have other things going on their lives to sit down and analyse the content of a song.

Does that bother you?

It’s frustrating but it doesn’t bother me. For me to allow it to bother me is sorta like…its almost like I’m looking down on people, and I never wanna look down on people no matter who they are for whatever reason, people have a right to live their lives according to what they see fit. My job, I feel is to….do my best to present it to them where they would feel compelled to or inspired to care that much more. Its like a person who likes to eat a home-cooked meal – that person just likes to eat a home-cooked meal, so that person can appreciate a home-cooked meal. Then you have people out there who just likes fast-food, they can only appreciate fast-food – so you have to appeal to the things that they like in order to get their attention, then once you get their attention and their comfortable and confident then you know what they like the they will be more willing to go along with you if you give them something else.

Lets take the person who eats fast-food and they know that they can come to you for good fast-food all the time, so if you say one day – I know you like fast-food but try this! They are gonna think, well… you always give me good fast-food so apparently you know what your doing, so using that I am gonna go along with you and see, I’m gonna take a chance. And basically that is what I am doing-giving people fast-food, hoping that one day they will be willing to sit down and chose to appreciate a home-cooked meal.

Your track ‘Teach Me’ talks about learning how to love-do you think people today have lost that notion of true love?

Um……. Yeaaa…. I guess you could say that…but I don’t think it is the fact that they have lost the notion of true love, the idea is just not supported enough as much as it used to be back in the day. A lotta people want fast love, and love doesn’t happen fast, because a lot of the elements it takes to truly love someone it takes time to build. Like first off you need to get to know that person to some degree – and that takes time…time to get to know someone then you begin to see yourself in that person because we’re all generally the same, we’re all human beings we all have the same feelings, we all under go the same circumstances but these things happen particularly to what happen in our lives so what might do it for one person may not do it for another person. So if two people actually took the time out to really get to know each other rather than going off the idea of what they think about the person, when that person no longer lives up to the idea – you’re disappointed.

On the flip-side, females try to be mad at you although unsuccessfully! For example, your track ‘For The Night’ on you’re previous album Soul Star,

Ok...… get over it…. (Laughter)

Well, you’re ultimately talking about having a one-night-stand but you are probably the only person who can still make it sound so beautiful-I’m sure a lot of fella’s want to know your secret?

These are things that happen, everyday! Why is it when someone talks about it somebody wants to get an attitude…

Well, what I am saying is that you make it impossible to do so…

Because what you are doing is defining reality, that’s basically what you would be doing. Sometimes taking things to a sexual level will help you gain a different perspective and help you to make other decisions, sometimes when things get sexual, it heightens the relationship other times it appreciates the relationship it all depends on the person. And, I wanted to put it out there so that people know these things happen, however at the same time there is a certain finesse and class you can have about expressing it and if you notice I express as even and balanced as I possible can make it.

Well, yes I think you do… with your writing you tend to cater for men as well as women…

Yes!

How do work around that?

I try to be as objective as possible. I’ve had a lot of experience with women not particularly in long-term relationships or anything like that, just my experience in having conversations with women. Just observing women and of course my own particular type of relationships with women, I have my own personal education in that. Even though I am not a female, and I know that I will never see things the way female see things but at least I can use my intelligence and education out of my experience of dealing with females, I gain and accumulate as much as I can to have somewhat of a perspective where I can understand or appreciate or respect it, so that’s how I am able to write songs that a female can sit down and listen to. I mean I’m a man so I can speak for a man, it’s just having those two perspectives and doing my best to have a balance between the two of them and find some kind of finesse and class and put it in a song. Hopefully, it may help them out in their situation – that’s ultimately what I think about, I think about whatever topic, and think about it as realistically as possible – best and worse case scenario.

Lastly, I picked up something you said in the past “when you see me, I want you to automatically think of Music”…

(Laughs to himself)…do you think you’ve met you’re aim?

I’d like to think so! I’ve never had anyone come up to me and tell me that but hopefully I have accomplished that. I think I will be spending the rest of my life contributing to that because music has such a great effect on me, I have such an affinity for music and passion for music that I want give that gift of being effected that way to people as much as I possible can. It’s a beautiful thing to be effected that way, music is a very powerful thing and when you give that gift you can never take that back – there are people who are not alive anymore that are still effecting people’s lives and bringing joy to their lives, I wanna be able to have that effect on people, I wanna be able to give that gift to people when I’m no longer around I still wanna have that effect on people.