Sat. November 1, 2003
Jeff Timmons is a renegade -- not only has he taken a break from the boy band 98 Degrees, but he chose to break out independently. Jeff is doing everything on his own, from marketing to promoting radio relationships for his new CD entitled Whisper That Way. It is commendable to go in this direction and not be swayed by having to conform to all the packaging and hype of some of the major labels.
I had the chance to talk with Jeff about his career, debut album and feeling sexy.
Do you feel you've grown as an artist since your hiatus from 98 Degrees?
I definitely think so. Taking time away from the group and spending time in the studio and writing about what's going on in my personal life getting to do this album on my own really taught me a lot about enhancing my craft.
What do you feel you have gained by having total control over your solo debut?
Having total control means you get to create and be the person in charge of the entire project. The product is exactly what I want it to be. When you are with a major label, you have a lot of cooks in the kitchen. They kind of twist what you do to what they want to put out and market.
This is the best possible project I could do on my own.
When was the first moment in the music business when you found yourself completely star struck?
I was really star struck when I met Stevie Wonder. We did a collaboration with him on Disney's Mulan soundtrack. He is an idol of mine. He is the most humble and down to earth musician. It was a real inspiration meeting him.
You are considered sexy by women and gay men alike. A lot of the boy bands have this sort of cross following. How does this make you feel?
I'm completely flattered that anybody would find me attractive at all. I did consider myself kind of a nerd. I never found my niche group of friends to hang out with. I was a late, late bloomer. Girls were like "he's the cute little friend." To be looked at in a sexual way by anybody is quite flattering.
Let's talk about some of the songs. "Be the One" is a classic ballad.
I wrote that awhile back about my wife. Having Jim Brickman playing piano with me on that song makes me feel great. I don't play any instruments and programmed most of the album.
I originally wasn't going to put it on the album. I played the song for Jim and it was like "you have to put this song on the album. It's your classic radio ballad."
My favorite song on Whisper This Way is "Rainbow." The reason being is that the song has a Michael Jackson touch to it.
Good job! I love you! You're perfect. I'd like you to do every interview for the rest of my life. You're asking all the right questions and you're picking all the right songs. "Rainbow" is my favorite as well. It's got a little retro Michael Jackson feel to it with that old Off the Wall sound.
Thanks.
By Bill Biss, Buzz Columnist (sd.Buzz.com)
This article originally appeared on sdBUZZ.com. Republished with permission.
Related Article: Jeff Timmons In Chicago Nov 3rd and Nov 29th
Related Article: ChicagoPride's 21 Questions Interview with Jeff Timmons
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