Eternal Soul: The Aaliyah Story (excerpts)
Wax Poetics Magazine Remembers Aaliyah’s Musical Legacy and Examines
Her “Eternal Soul”
Excerpts
Story Online on August 5th
Print
Edition on Sale August 13
New York, NY – July
14, 2014 –R&B star Aaliyah will be on the cover of the
upcoming summer issue of Wax Poetics. Journalist Michael
A. Gonzales, who lays claim to being the first journalist to interview the
vocalist, wrote the 5,000 word piece, which will premiere in its entirety
online on August 5th. Gonzales has a storied career as a journalist, having
covered popular culture for more than 20 years and interviewing countless
R&B legends, including Sade, Barry White, Curtis Mayfield and Sade. Below
are quotes from the story.
Excerpted quotes from “Eternal Soul,” Wax
Poetics (#59) cover feature on singer Aaliyah by Michael A. Gonzales.
Aaliyah on meeting
R. Kelly: “He was just
completing Born into the ‘90s, and I sang for him. I sang for him
and he liked what he heard. Still, we didn’t start working on the album until a
few years later.”
Aaliyah on working
on with R. Kelly: “We vibed off of one another, and that’s how the songs was
built. He would vibe with me on what the lyrics should be. He’d tell me what to
sing and I’d sing it. That’s how the whole album was done. We put in a lot of
hours; as far as the music, we’d be in there all night making sure it was
perfect. There were times when I was tired, but I knew I had to push on if I
wanted to come off.”
Aaliyah on
sex/marriage scandal: “I faced the adversity. I could’ve broken down, I could’ve
gone and hid in the closet and said, ‘I’m not going to do this anymore.’ But, I
love singing and I wasn’t going to let that mess stop me. I got a lot of
support from my fans and that inspired me to put that behind me, be a stronger
person and put my all into making One in a Million.”
Aaliyah on
Timbaland and Missy producing much of her second album One in a Million: “At first Tim and Missy were
skeptical if I would like their work, but I thought it was tight, just
ridiculous. Their sound was different and unique, and that’s what appealed to
me. Before we got together, I talked to them on the phone and told
them what I wanted. I said, ‘You guys know I have a street image, but there is
a sexiness to it, and I want my songs to compliment that; I told them that
before I even met them. Once I said that, I didn’t have to say anything else.
Everything they brought me was the bomb.”
Aaliyah on covering
Marvin Gaye’s classic “Got to Give It Up”: “I don’t know how Marvin Gaye fans
will react, but I hope they like it. I always think it’s a great compliment
when people remake songs. I hope one day after I’m not here that people will
cover my songs.”
Aaliyah’s first
collaborator R. Kelly on his early days: “(Kenwood Academy music teacher) Miss McLin
started me writing (songs) every day. I’d write a song and she’d tell me it was
the most beautiful song she’d ever heard. She also started me messin’ around
with the piano. I just wanted to make her happy.”
R. Kelly on
songwriting: “I write from
everyday experiences and what moves me; that, to me, is a true writer. I love
all forms of music. Everything that comes into my mind and hits my heart, I
write it and record it. I love songs that mean something, and have some kind of
truthfulness to them.”
Singer Courtney
Noelle on Aaliyah: “There are so many artists trying to recreate the Aaliyah
vibe in their music Aaliyah was so relatable and cool; she wasn’t over
sexualized, so we didn’t worry about mom disapproving. She sang, danced and
acted, but she did it all so effortlessly. She was just so beautiful and
graceful.”
“Eternal
Soul” by Michael A. Gonzales http://www.waxpoetics.com/magazine
posted by michael a. gonzales @ 2:25 PM
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