KELLY CLARKSON - ListedMagazine.com

interview
BOYS
II
MEN
The late eighties saw four young men with big aspirations sneak backstage at a New
Edition concert to amaze band member Micheal Bivins with an a cappella version of New
Edition’s Can You Stand the Rain. Two decades on and fi gures show Boys II Men to be the
most successful male R&B vocal group on record. Listed’s Ellie Cowley catches up with
Wanya Morris . . .
Twenty years in the music industry for
you guys, how has it changed?
The music industry has changed
tremendously because times change,
you know? And it’s really up to the artist
to stay in with the times and conform or
maintain what they feel and believe in and
try to move on like that. What Boys II Men
tried to do was maintain our integrity and
wait till it comes back around because it’s
all a circle.
How’s it been for you to be in the industry
for so long?
Wow. It’s been incredible. It’s been a
rocky road; there’s been ups and downs.
But we believe only the strong survive
(chuckles) we’ve been fi ghting! Defi nitely.
Like with the Hip Hop era, getting in
where we fi t in.
Does music come fi rst in your life? If so,
can we be nosey and ask what comes
second?
Actually, I couldn’t say that music comes
fi rst. I’d have to say God comes fi rst,
because he’s the author of all things. Then
I would say it’s family, and then it’s music
because I use music to take care of my
family.
How has being spiritual mixed with a
‘rock n’roll’ kind of lifestyle? Has that
been diffi cult?
It hasn’t, ‘cause we don’t consider
ourselves rock n’ rollers
In terms of the music scene?
Yeah, we don’t do a lot of the things that
the so called ‘music industry people’ do.
We’ve never been that type of group. I
mean, we like to have fun. Even being
spiritual you can have fun if y’know what
I’m sayin, you don’t have to be a stick in
the mud to believe in God. The thing is to
keep moving, allow yourself to do the right
thing, the moralistic thing, and have fun.
So you’ve been pretty good role models
for your fans?
Yeah, that too, but I don’t think it’s a
conscious role model type thing. I think
it’s we know where we came from, and
we want everyone that came up with
us to be proud of us. We just don’t have
the kinda mindset to be doing the Amy
Winehouse thing.
Does Boys II Men still sound like an apt name?
I think it does, because the name
simply means growth. . . each day we
32 www.listedmagazine.com
continuously learn and in wisdom we
continuously grow. No one can tell a man
when he’ll become a man unless they’ve
gained all the knowledge there is in the
world, and you are always ever learning.
Where do you see Boys II Men going in
the future?
I see us consistent, just maintaining and
doing shows consistently. . . maybe get
a room in Vegas, making money and
hanging out, like the Rat Pack!
Did you envisage the group being
together this long when you fi rst started?
No, no not at all, all we were trying to
be was a singing local group who liked
to sing to get girls. . . this was actually a
fl uke, you couldn’t have forecasted this
one!
Speaking of girls, what’s it like being an
international sex symbol?
Ah well, if I knew I was an international
sex symbol, I’d fi nd out what it was like...
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