Johnny Gill is riding high. His voice is full of joy and he is loving the idea of calling his own shots as the CEO and lead artist of J Skillz Records.
Known best for his affiliation with New Edition and breaking away from the group to share timeless hits like “My, My, My,” “There You Go” and “Rub You The Right Way,” he’s been a vital part of the machine that promotes and sells artists. With respect to major labels and how they function, his preference is clearly to run the operation.
“Nobody’s going to ever see your vision the way that you see it or probably really truly understand it better than you can,” he explains. “But you’ve gotta have a vision. It’s one thing to own the label and say, ‘I’m a put my own music out so I can make money,” versus actually knowing and having an idea, a vision for what it is you’re trying to do and accomplish. And that’s a different ball game.”
As evidenced by the past five years, which has seen him generate a significant buzz with tracks like “5000 Miles” (Game Changer) and the recent billboard smash, “Soul of a Woman” from Game Changer II, his business model is working.
“You know, when you have a hit movie, … they normally do a sequel,” he jokes with a confident chuckle. “So this was my sequel to Game Changer. I’m excited because the music on here gives me the opportunity to stretch out and at the same time, not lose the essence of who Johnny, is.” Click here to continue
