Omarion, he’s been gone for a minute but now he’s back, and he sits down with Singersroom to just catch us up on where he’s been, and the whole Young Money situation. With his third solo studio effort, ‘Ollusion’, in stores now, the “Get it In” singer really gives us insight as to what’s been going on with him and where he and his career are off to now, beginning with the launch of his own Imprint, StarWorld Entertainment.
Singersroom: So, in between albums, catch us up on what you’ve been up toâ¦Can you give us insight into the rumors surrounding your signing then sudden departure from Young Money Entertainment?
Omarion: Well, in the midst of the time that I took offâ¦I really took off the time to work on myself not only personallyâ¦I just did a lot of re-evaluating and maturing and growing up. The reason why I did the business part of it is because someone like myself that has everything and has had everything could be handicapped by that and I really just took that time to mature and become a real man and spend time with my family, took a few trips here and there and allow life to happen so that I could come up with good music that not only was realistic to my life but realistic to normal people. People that get the opportunity to go through the struggles of not paying a phone bill or whatever the case may be, these are the things for a person like me that’s been in the industry and had all that help that actually could be spoiled and it can be unfortunate; it’s almost like not preparing for real life. So, I just took some time to do that, and now I’m back.
Singersroom: What event ultimately occurred that caused you to decide to do your own imprint?
Omarion: Well, it was something I always asked myself about, but I never think that I would have an opportunity to own my own masters. A lot of people don’t really understand the extent of having to be involved with the business part, because it’s really hard to be an artist and juggle the business part of it. That’s why I have a wonderful team with StarWorld, MusicWorks and EMI that really support all of my ideas and make sure that the business is being handled.
With everything that’s going on with Young Money right now, and I don’t just mean the success part of it, but you know being with Wayneâ¦It’s a lot of success over there, but if I didn’t decide to make the move that I made maybe it wouldn’t have been beneficial for me you know? Maybe I wouldn’t have a single out like I plan to or maybe I wouldn’t even have an album coming out. Same thing with Timbaland, he has his album out. I’m talking about very very creative people that I respect but at the end of the day, there the boss and there the people that say so and I feel like I am too. In my own right, with ten years of being in the game, I am a boss as well. So, I really felt like it was the best decision to make.
Singersroom: Do you have plans to sign artist to your label? If so is there a particular genre of artist you are looking for?
Omarion: I actually have artists; I have a solo male, a solo female, I have a boys group and I have a rapperâ¦The reason why I call my company StarWorld is because I really feel like there’s a void that needs to be filled. If you speak on music and the different genre of artists that there are, like you have your John Legends and your Alicia Keys then you have your performers that come under the realm of like: a Michael [Jackson], a Beyonce or like a Usher, myself, Justin [Timberlake], Chris [Brown]â¦and I really made my label after this idea of entertainment, and I mean real entertainment. What I would consider exciting to watch. Don’t get me wrong, there are so many other artist that I love that don’t perform and sing and dance on the stage. But what I find, when I was coming up, what rushed me to the TV, when I was watching award shows was people like Michael Jackson and James Brownâ¦people that put on a show and had this really nice element of showmanship, along with a dance break. StarWorld really represents all of that, entertainment in all realms.
Singersroom: What is the theme/direction you are going for musically on this album?
Omarion: Well, really I wanted to tap into this idea of what every twenty-five year old person is experiencing. I wanted to tap into the fun elements as well as the serious aspects of a person like me. I know there’s so many people that’s like me, raised by a lot of women, father wasn’t really around. I took the fun elements of my lifeâ¦the time growing up as a kid, then I took the more serious aspects of my lifeâ¦talking about love, relationships, that’s always the hot topic.
Singersroom: Do you have touring plans for this album?
Omarion: Of course, we’re actually working on something right now, I can’t really say so, but we’re definitely going to hit the tour, that’s my strong point, for me doing live performances was always the best. So, yeah I’m excited.
—— By: Interview By Lauren M. Walker
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