Ahead of his performance Nov. 7 at Lehman Center for the Performing Arts, R&B singer Ginuwine spoke with the Bronx Times about putting his past to paper, preferring the stage over the studio and his favorite color that he hopes ladies at his concerts come dressed in.
Known for classics like “Pony” and “So Anxious,” Ginuwine explained that he and his son are currently writing an autobiographical project based on his own personal and professional experiences. The idea came about after viral AI YouTube shorts inspired the father-son duo to detail Ginuwine’s story.
“Everybody’s that’s my fans — or my supporters, I like to say — they know a lot of the ups and downs that I’ve been through. I’m just trying to show people how you can still survive and continue on your journey to get better and do things differently and just stay on your pivot and just keep going,” Ginuwine said.
He is open about how deeply the suicide of his father in 1999, and his mother’s passing from cancer less than a year later, affected him.
“Needless to say that just that within itself, you know, it took me for a crazy journey for a while; depression, drinking, womanizing … I think everybody that’s anybody that has lost someone or went through something like that can understand. And I’m just trying to allow them to know that there’s still light at the end of the tunnel,” Ginuwine said.
Ginuwine is hesitant to consider this project a “life story” as he’s not done just yet. Earlier this year, he joined other genre icons, including Keith Sweat, Joe and Dru Hill on The R&B Lovers Tour.
“Just being on the tour is always a privilege and an honor to be on stage with a lot of the greats that I was on stage with. Some of them I’ve admired before I even made it. So to be on stage with them and to have them come out and watch on the side when I’m on the stage is an honor,” he said.
“Anytime that you are able to live out your dream and have the people that you looked up to yourself come and rub shoulders with, that’s always a great thing.”
Ginuwine, who says he’s written about 90% of his own catalogue, finds songwriting to be a very important part of the job, creatively and financially.
“That’s just been me crying out or rejoicing at times and happy at times and sad at times. I think the way that it connects is because people go through the same thing. We’re not special. We just people, artists that sing and dance,” Ginuwine said. “I’m glad I started out like that and didn’t have a lot of other people writing my stuff because now I see how beneficial it is when you’re not at the top, but people are using your music and they’re still playing your music on the radio.”
The singer-songwriter explained that the state of lyricism in music, particularly R&B, is “evolving in a more dangerous way.”
“I don’t listen to the radio now, it makes me cringe and I believe our grandparents are rolling around in their graves. I remember when you couldn’t even say ‘ass.’,” he said.
This disconnect has largely shied Ginuwine away from enjoying newer music, as he continues to enjoy the work of his peers in the late 90s’ and early ‘00s, as well as his predecessors. Many newer artists like Drake, Kehlani, Tyler, The Creator and Prince Royce have sampled Ginuwine’s records
“My kids have to tell me that, ‘They used your sample or used your voice,’ and of course I’ve always cleared it because I just clear everything, because at the end of the day it’s creativity and it’s music. But I just clear everything and I don’t even know some of the stuff that I clear,” Ginuwine said.
Despite always preferring to write his own words, when Ginuwine started, he saw being in the studio as merely a necessity for his primary goal: performing on stage.
“Anyone that’s just starting off, they’re very anxious about doing a record and all that kind of stuff. But I’m talking about the actual studio, I like to get in as fast as I can and get out as fast as I can,” he said.
Ginuwine has the same advice for attendees of his upcoming Lehman Center performance with special guest Ro James as he does any other, hoping people reminisce on when they first enjoyed his classics back in the day.
“Just remember where you were when you heard it and know just to enjoy your night,” Ginuwine said. “Only thing that I do is tell all the ladies to wear red, ‘cause that’s my favorite color.”
For more information on the concert and to purchase tickets, visit the Lehman Center website.
