For the second installment of our new content series, #SoulTasting, Singersroom brunched with veteran R&B group NEXT, and it was a Sunday to remember.
Held at the Harlem, New York hot spot Corner Social, and hosted by the lovely Raval “V” Davis, this new installment includes tons of laughter, tears, acapella outtakes, intricate details about the group that may be news to many, and of course, great food.
During the lengthy chat, T-Low, Tweet, and RL gave intimate details from all facets of their illustrious career, including how they landed their record deal, the moves and laws they had to break to get to that point, copping bootleg gear, growing up in the church, their influences, trials, how they got their name, and much more.
On how they got their name NEXT, which means Noone Ever eXpected This, RL recalls: “We were opening for Brandy at the target center; we were waiting to soundcheck, and her band walked in and said we’ll see you at show time. I was kind of frustrated; They gonna disrespect us like that, they not even gonna give us a soundcheck. I’m like ‘we gonna be the NEXT big thing, watch, and people are gonna be able to say noone ever expected this.”
RL also opened up about his viewpoint between performers and artist: “I think a lot of times we call performers artist… An artist is somebody you could put in a room with a blank canvas, and by the time they walk out, there’s a full rendering. A lot of the people we speak on are performers. Usher, great performer, I’ve written for him. But I love artists; artistry.”
One of the high points of the interview is when RL broke down in tears after his brothers shared why he’s important to the culture while sharing his lengthy discography.
With that said, make sure you clear 31 minutes on your schedule and watch this groundbreaking interview.
Since 2005, Singersroom has been the voice of R&B around the world. Connect with us via social media below.
