In the cover story, the singer talks about his creative process, his start in music and how he’s mastered the art of channeling personal experience and emotion in his songwriting.
On what he has learned so far :
That there’s still so much to learn. Be teachable. It’s so important to be teachable. If there were ideas that you thought were perfect before and as you grow, you start to see that’s not the case, confront it. Be brave and change your mentality.
On the impact of “5 Star” and his Sickle Cell story:
My A&R Dionte made that happen, so big up him. I’ve been sitting on that song for a long time. I say in the song, ‘Sickle Cell showed me crisis’, I was sick as a kid for 20 years, so sick. And after 20 years I stopped, I became strong. It’s so rare for somebody that has sickle cell to do the things that I do, almost impossible. I honestly cannot tell you why or how. It must be God. There were so many things I couldn’t do growing up, it was so tough, both physically and mentally.
When he’s not singing or making music, this is what he’s up to:
Skincare. I think beauty is a necessity and skincare is crucial. Fashion has always been there. I’m working on my own line. I’m very excited, there’s some pretty interesting things coming soon.
On what his fans and music lovers should expect from him:
I don’t know where my soundscape will go, whatever I’m feeling at that moment is what I will do. Everything I’ve done previously, I can defend, because nobody has told me to do it, so that will never change. The next project, I can start to do something entirely different and you will like it because I will make sure it is quality. We will wait to see what the future holds, but for now we’re going to sign off the tour in style and rest before getting back to work!
