“Things are moving very fast,” he confesses. “I’m playing a different show every day. Photo shoots … interviews. It’s never really been slow for me since I got in [the industry], but now it’s at an elevated level. I’m more in demand … less of my time is my own.”
As the words left his mouth, his eyes were drawn to the sunlight pouring in through the windows of our SoHo photo studio. At that very moment, you almost got the feeling that if he could momentarily press pause on his career, just to go outside and enjoy the beautiful day — he would. But that won’t happen, and the barely audible sigh that follows confirms as much. There’s still so much work to be done, and he knows it.
Ah, the price of fame. To the average person, the life of a celebrity is golden. You’re rich, you’re famous, and at every turn you’re greeted by screaming, adoring fans. To most, that’s not a bad existence. But for Trey Songz, and for celebrities who walk in similar shoes, the blessings of fame and fortune don’t come without a tremendous amount of sacrifice. From a lack of personal time with family and friends, to an inability to enjoy the simple things, like walking outside on a sunny day, the life of a celebrity can be tough.
But you won’t hear Songz asking you to commiserate with him over his circumstances. In fact, the R&B crooner is more than willing to pay the steep price of fame. It’s what he prayed for, and now that his time has arrived he’s not about to rethink his career path. As he sat down for an interview with ro, Songz revealed himself as a man who is keenly aware of his current place in life, as well as the steps that will be needed to one day become a legend. Well if his future actions align with the words uttered here, then he might be on to something.
How have your life and your personality changed with this sudden increase in fame?
For the most part, I’ve never had the personality that changes by the things that I have, or by the way people perceive me. Before this success, I was always confident in myself. I always had self-assurance. I didn’t need this to be confident in myself. But now that I have this, it’s actually more humbling than anything else. I know people think that’s kind of backwards, but this is not what I needed … this is not a confidence booster for me. This is what I feel like I deserve — this is what I worked hard for. So now that I have it, it doesn’t mean that … [I’m] gonna get a big head, or that I’m gonna feel like I’m better than any man. Because I’m only a man … no matter how great I am, or how many records I sell, I’m only a man. I’m not better than the next man in God’s eyes, so I wouldn’t think that about myself.
You just mentioned God. What role do you think God plays in your success?
First of all nothing happens without God’s say-so. Before I even started to pursue this career, I asked God if it was meant for me to do it. You can be the most talented person in the world, but if it’s not meant to be, then you won’t have it. If it’s not ordained for your life, then it won’t materialize. I feel as though this is my destiny, and I definitely feel like I’ve worked hard to have it and keep it.
With an increase in fame, comes an increase in temptation. Do you ever get caught up in those temptations?”
Do I not get caught up in it? Of course. I love women and I’m an R&B singer who’s practically a sex symbol now. So it’s easy to fall into that trap. You just have to watch who you’re around, and who you let within your circle. But that’s something I pray on daily.
Based on your music, you have every woman thinking that the neighbors are going to know your name. Do you feel any pressure to perform sexually?
Oh yeah, she’s gonna get that. I put pressure on myself, because I can handle it. When it comes to anything, especially with the ladies, when I say I’m gonna do something, I’m gonna do it … especially if I talk s— about it.
How does your family play a role in your success? Do you even have time for them?
Family is what makes me who I am before all this Trey Songz stuff. I am every bit of Trey Songz, but without Tremaine, there wouldn’t be a Trey Songz. My family and the people that know Tremaine is what keeps me humble. These are the people who know me for me, and not me for Trey Songz. And when I say that, the separation is a man who’s an R&B singer whose imagery is a brand for people to love. As an artist you want people to like you, so in a lot of ways you can’t be all of yourself. So I keep people around me who know who I am and appreciate me regardless.
How do you balance your hectic career schedule with the daily problems that you face?
I deal with a million things a day, but the most important thing is that I’m blessed. As beautiful as everything looks on the outside, I definitely have problems like everybody else. Money doesn’t make problems go away, and fame and success don’t make them go away either. I deal with real life issues just like every other person, and they’re definitely on my mind every night before I go to sleep. But I just pray, let God handle it, and try not to worry about the negativity.
Do you think about how you’d like your career to ultimately play out?
I would definitely love to be a legend, and an icon. Marvin Gaye is one of the fathers of the music that I make, and if you think about Marvin Gaye’s career path, it took off when he was writing his own music, and being his own man. It was when he took his career into his own hands that he became a soul legend. When he stayed true to who he was and what he wanted people to feel — that’s when he was the greatest. He showed that good things happen when you refuse to compromise your character. So that’s what I’ll continue to do. I’ll focus on staying true to myself, and the rest will take care of itself.
How do you avoid the failures of other artists who have come along and have been successful, only to fall prey to drug use and bankruptcy?
The best strategy would be to study successes and failures. Ludacris’ manager, Chaka Zulu, told me that. He said that I should study the successes and the failures of people. Most people only study the successes, but you also need to study who you don’t want to be like so you can avoid their mistakes. So I look at everything … the good and the bad, and learn from it all.
