Shortly before his live performance at the Detroit Music Hall Center, DeVaughn sat down with rolling out to provide insight on the sexy video and why he released it the day before World AIDS Day. –amir shaw
Why did you decide to take such a provocative approach to creating the video “She’s Single”?
I’m in a phase of reinventing myself. I’m going into my sexy mode. I sing and write from the heart. I’ve taken a lot of risks with my music. “She’s Single” is a sexy record. I wanted to do something that was sexy and tasteful. I paid for it out of my own pocket, but it doesn’t matter because it’s all about the artistry. I will continue to push the envelope when it comes to my music.
[[iframe src=”https://player.vimeo.com/video/17348959″ width=”500″ height=”281″ frameborder=”0″>[[/iframe]][[p]][[a href=”https://vimeo.com/17348959″>Official Video: Raheem DeVaughn – “She’s Single”[[/a]] from [[a href=”https://vimeo.com/user1940371″>368 Music Group[[/a]] on [[a href=”https://vimeo.com”>Vimeo[[/a]].[[/p]]
But there are people who say that you went too far with the sexual images in the video. Do you think it should’ve been toned down?
I don’t think there is a limit when you are being artistic. Even when you label something tasteful or raunchy, it depends on how you look at things. In my career, I have always given tasteful music and tasteful imagery. So why would I take a step backwards at this point? There is definitely a method to the madness.
Besides the power of making love, was there another reason you chose to take such a daring approach?
One of the main reasons why we wanted to push the envelope with that song was that World Aids Day was on the following day that the video was released. I’ve had a five-year partnership with the CDC. In the opening of the video, we put the message, “With great love making comes responsibility.” We want to encourage everyone to go get tested and be safe. We should all love life. You have one life to live. You can do something reckless that could change your life forever.
