As mentioned in part one of our sit down with R&B veteran Dave Hollister, he is prepping the release of his eighth studio album, Chicago Winds…The Saga Continues. Led by the first single “Spend the Night,” and produced by Warryn Campbell & Eric Dawkins, the new effort will tap into the feel good vibes of the 80s and 90s, while enhancing Hollister’s modern day sounds. In part 2 of our sit down, Dave talks about leaving Blackstreet, coming back to welcoming fans, crazy fans, and the difficulty of having longevity in today’s music climate.
On Leaving Blackstreet: That wasn’t my intensions to leave, it’s just certain situations forced me into it. I always thank God for my past, and just because I wasn’t there, didn’t mean I didn’t miss them. When you’re on stay with four people for years and then it’s just you, you kind of tend to miss your brothers on stage, because y’all are rocking together. Now, you got to keep the attention of the crowd all by yourself… You learn fast if you’re gonna survive.
On The Welcoming Party at Shows: The welcoming party now is incredible. You never really know how much you’ve missed until you’re gone for a while. It’s been overwhelming for me; I missed it.
On Crazy Moments: The crazy moments from fans I think will never stop. Depending on the crazy moment, some moments I enjoy, some moments are funny, and some moments just down right make me sick. They are your supporters and I’m going to always love them, regardless.
On Having Longevity Today: I definitely think it’s harder to have longevity the way the industry is now. If you started in like 2009-2010… sorry. It’s going to be hard unless there is something really unique about you that’s gonna make you stand out. I was talking to my son about it… he likes Drake and my whole thing is do not be Drake. I love Drake, Drake is a talented dude, but that’s not going to be a round for 15-20 years. It’s just the nature of the beast. I feel like you have to go back to the essence of what it is you do, because it’s hard out here. They’re recycling artists so nobody has their own identity.
Also, watch as Dave sings a small acapella of “Spend the Night” at the end of the clip.
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