Robin Thicke is Something Else
Grammy Award winning musician Robin Thicke is a truly notable talent. If you’re not sure who he is, don’t worry, because he’s nowhere close to achieving his goals. But when he is, you’ll definitely know his name.
Don’t believe all the media hype when it comes to him either. He’s no Justin Timberlake, despite fairly steady comparisons, he’s not the hottest thing to happen to neo-soul and he’s definitely not an overnight success.
The next ten questions will however give you a much better idea of who he is, what his goals are and how his soon to be released new album Something Else plays into it all.
What some people may not know about you is that in addition to being a musician yourself, you are also a songwriter and co-producer. Who are some of the artists that you have you written for?
I’ve been blessed to work with Christina Aguilera, Usher, 50 Cent, Lil’ Wayne to name a few.
Do you think you are able to fulfill another side of you when writing for other people?Totally.
I just wrote for Jennifer Hudson. The song is a Bodyguard soundtrack sort of track. When you hear her voice on this song, there’s no way I could ever make it sound that way. But her voice and the lyrics come together and give it a life that I couldn’t.
Of the awards that you’ve been nominated for and those that you have won, which have meant the most to you?
They all mean something to me, but if you ever earn the title of Grammy Award winner, that makes a difference to the press. You know, “Grammy Award winner” so and so. For me, the real accolade is from people. The people that like my music, buy my music and like what I do as an artist.
You have this very sultry R&B vibe going for you, but then with your lyrics a hip-hop influence but then in the actual composition, funk. Correct me if I’m wrong please. So I have to ask, who are some of your main influences?
No, you’re totally right.
With R&B my main influences have been Prince, Michael Jackson, Madonna, and Janet to name a few. When I was about eight, I got into Hip Hop and Gospel. Around the end of high school was when I got into rock; Hendrix, Sting, the Beatles. Then I felt like I had all the information I needed to create my own sound.
Is there a particular artist or album right now that you really dig?
Today, Lil Wayne – best album of year so far!
With your new album, “Something Else”, you don’t have the cameos or guest artists that you had on “The Evolution”. Is that a reflection of you being more secure in your music?
Not at all. With past records those tracks were made because those people were there. We were in studio together and ended up recording the songs together. Had Faith Evans been there, I would have had her on a track if it worked. When it comes to song writing or making music, it has to be organic. When it’s organic…it’s at its best.
Is there anyone that you would still really like to collaborate with?
Keisha Cole. I am trying to team up with her for a track. She’s great.
Is there a particular track on “Something Else” that you are extremely proud of that you think reflects your evolution as an artist?
Not that spot on, but “Dream World” resonates with how I feel right now, especially with how I feel about the state of society. I don’t know if you’ve heard it or not yet. I’m not a preacher, but there were just some things that I guess I wanted or needed to say.
Media has painted an inappropriate picture of you; with constant comparisons to Justin Timberlake and also with the label of you as a neo-soul artist. What’s your stance on how press labels or pigeonholes artists?
The whole point of art is to express individuality, not to assimilate so when you get pigeonholed it can be misleading. It can also be frustrating, but that’s the media’s job.
All of my music has been written and produced by me. My job is to keep making music and work on getting better and better until those labels won’t matter. People don’t label Prince or an artist at that level as an “R&B singer”. One day it’s my goal for people to just say Robin Thicke and have that say enough.
Some may see you as an overnight success, especially with “Lost Without You”. But that’s not really the case is it?
At eight or nine years old I knew it was going to be music for me. I could sing and people took notice. By the time I was sixteen, I had a record deal. I recorded an album that I didn’t think was that great. I kept writing, but I started giving away my songs. Then I’d see the people who I’d written for on TV and on the radio. A few years later I released A Beautiful World (2003). It didn’t do that well commercially but critics liked it. “Lost Without You” became a big song off The Evolution (2006), which was great. I’m glad so many people liked it.
Check out the first video and single "Magic" off upcoming release Something Else:
