It's often said that life influences art. How has marriage and fatherhood impacted your career and the singles on Real Talk?
I'm not only representing myself, I'm representing a family. So, the best thing that I can do is be myself. Being myself is a person that likes to dance, a person that likes to party, a person that likes to cuddle – I can be sensitive at times, maybe shed a tear here and there – a person that likes to be sexy, a person that knows how to approach a woman, a person that knows how to set the mood with a female, a person that knows how to wine and dine, a true gentleman, a person that's there for life, a person that shows that chivalry isn't dead. I have a son that probably is trying to imitate me, and I make sure that I lead by example. Putting that all together, the end result is just being myself.
Having had a great deal of previous success, I imagine that it's hard to escape the cloud of 112. As a solo artist, what do you want your mark to be?
To be honest with you, I never want to escape the mark of 112. It's because of 112 that I have been able to be in a position to do solo records. The mark that I want to leave as a solo artist is to be to this generation what Marvin Gaye was to his generation, or Luther Vandross, Teddy Pendergrass, Donny Hathaway, Smokey Robinson or Stevie Wonder. They were very musical, true musicians, lyrically sound, great performers, and had a huge following. People relied on them to deliver great music and they did it. That's what I want to do as a solo artist.
When you're part of a group, it is somewhat hard to project your own individuality, so how would you fill in the blank: "I was the ____ of 112"?
They called me the politician because I would always keep things even-keeled. If there was a fight, I was the mediator. I was always named the sex symbol of the group, even though I believe everybody had their own sex appeal. But when it came to sing the sexy suggestive lyric – that's when my number was called [laughing]. That's a long blank, huh?
Article comments
1 - jpharraway
Hello Mr. Q, I'm still proud of your success. You may still remember me but if you have forgotton, I want hold it against you. Love ya, Mrs. Pharr, Long Middle School