People want to see consistency first and then accept whatever else that you bring brand new. So I always try to stay consistent first.
Even though you put out a consistent product, how have you changed internally as an artist?
Well, for starters, I've gotten older. As you get up in age there's a little more to talk about. I wrote "Separated" when I was 17 years old – it came out in 2000, but that song was written when I was 17. From that point to where I'm at now, there's been a lot going on through those years. I got more to talk about. At the end of the day, you have to keep it fresh, especially in the R&B game. You got to find a way to keep people interested in what you're saying. I just try my best to do that all the time to keep it fresh and new.
As you grew older, was there a defining moment or piece of advice that shaped the course of your career?
My uncle – he passed away from cancer a couple of years ago – told me to live one day at a time. He told me I had what it takes to take what they got. I was just listening to him. I've been influenced by him and everything that he did. I just try to be consistent in doing what he asked me to do. When I was five years old, he'd perform all the time. I just want to be him. He was performing all the while in the hood and he never made it big. But when you got that person that influenced you, you just want the have their characteristics, do everything that they do. It's not one moment – it's the way he carried his life, period.
At what point in your childhood did you become fully aware of your talents and start contemplating, "Okay, this might be for me"?
When I was in eleventh grade, my teacher scared me and said, "You ain't got no application for college or nothing like that. You're not going to be anything." That's when my heart fell for the music thing. In high school, you dream to be a basketball player or a football player, doctor, whatever. I took up drama instead of music. I felt like I had the voice to sing but I wanted to be real onstage. I wanted to feel real so it worked out for me. I tell all the kids nowadays to not waste time. Make sure when you're in school that you get every bit you can out of it.
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