Interview: Ginuwine - Singer and Songwriter - Page 4

Is there one piece of advice that you think shaped the course of your career?

I think just being down-to-earth and cool. No one likes – although it's newsworthy sometimes – no one likes an a-hole. I just think that me not burning bridges, me being genuine – that always helps. Make no mistake: everybody is going to come back down. If you don't burn your bridges on your way back down, your fall is not as quick. If you burn every bridge on your way up, you will fall flat. For someone to be in the game for as long as I have, that's the kind of advice that I would give: don't burn bridges.

From ...the Bachelor all the way to A Man's Thoughts, how would you describe your evolution as an artist? In what ways have you changed and in what ways are you still the "same ol' G?"

The thing that hasn't changed is how I approach the stage and how I approach my shows and what percentage of myself I give to my shows – which is 100%. That hasn't changed. I approach my shows and people that come out to see me like this could be the last one and these people paid their money so you give them the show that they deserve and leave nothing on the stage. You give it all out on the stage. That's what I do. As far as what has changed: as you get older, you view things and you approach things differently. That's the only thing that I could probably say that has changed – the way that I view things. Everybody can adapt to that because everybody views things differently as they get older.

The bulk of your musical catalog revolves around your experiences in the game of love. When you look back on your personal life, what do you consider to be the hardest lesson that you had to learn?

Oh, wow. The hardest lesson in the game of love? I guess that would be when you lose someone. I've always respected women but what I'm saying is when you take into account what their feelings are. In earlier days, I didn't. It was all about me, me, me, me. I've learned throughout the years now, it's not about me; it's about us and how someone else feels. You don't live for yourself; you live for the two of you. I guess the lesson of love is probably to be more considerate, to not take for granted what you have, always view things from both angles and not just your side – that will hurt, that will kill you and then that will kill the relationship.

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, …

Visit Clayton Perry's author page — Clayton Perry's Blog