Interview: Deborah Cox - Singer and Songwriter - Page 2

Is there a particular piece of advice that Clive Davis gave you that has really stuck with you over the course of your career?

I think because he was such a song person, into the structure of a hit song, over the years of listening and dissecting songs, I developed this knack for hearing good songs by at least the second listening. I know what I like, but his early teaching on how to find the right elements in a song, what are the right elements listening to lyrics, paying attention to not so much production – because he was always the kind of person that was like if you got a great song, the person who wrote the song doesn't necessarily have to produce it – that opened me up, too. He's really old school in that sense. Now, you find the people who produce the songs are also the writers. With Clive, it didn't have to be that way. It could very well have been, "Hey, I found this great song and I want to get such-and-such to produce it." So those are some of the things that I learned and kept with me throughout my career.

After the success of "Things Just Ain't the Same," many of your songs found a lot of success in the club circuit. Looking back, how do you feel being regarded as the queen of dance, like Donna Summer, instead of being considered an R&B songstress?

I find it flattering to be known as the queen of something, you know? [laughing] I think the dance remixes have definitely been the one thing that has set me apart from the other R&B songstresses. I really pride myself in being known within multiple genres. I think the one thing about the great artists of our time is the diversity they had. When I think of Michael Jackson, when I think of Tina Turner, when I think of Ray Charles, they sang all different styles, all different types of music and it really set them apart from everybody else.

I still remember when Akeelah and the Bee first came out. Normally, people walk out during the credits, but "Definition of Love" came on and really grabbed the audience. I'm curious to know how you became connected to that project.

I had known Jam and Lewis for the longest time and right around the time of Akeelah and the Bee, we were in the studio writing songs together: myself, Big Jim, Terry Lewis and Jimmy Jam. Basically, the director came to them and said, "We'd love an end credit song. Could you come up with something?" So those guys came up with the song and asked me if I would sing it. I jumped at the opportunity once I heard it. It didn't take much. Anything that those guys write, I'm usually pretty open to it. They played me the song and I fell in love with it. I'm like, "Wow, this is a great, great song."

Article Author: Clayton Perry

Clayton Perry's mission parallels that of John Hope Franklin, Marcus Garvey and Carter G. Woodson. As the founder of the NUBIANO Project, Perry facilitates the design of projects that give voice to the Black diaspora, empower the Black community, …

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