The Interview: Marques Houston

You’ve come a long way since your time with Immature and Roger on Sister Sister. A lot of artists find it difficult to take their image and transform it from their life [where it is now and put it] into their music. You seem to have done that with the last album Naked. Can you talk about that maturation process?
Well I feel like you know, it’s definitely something that has to happen naturally. I know a lot of artists that start out young, they want to just totally wipe out that young image, so they try to do something real drastic to change that. I don’t think it’s about really doing anything drastic, but more just, you know, keeping your pace. Going at a steady pace. You start out so young, people love you for the music you do, I think it’s about keeping that pace and being a natural maturity. Having that natural maturity and having that natural transition from being a child star to an adult star.

So I think the Naked album really helped, because it helped people see me in a different light, see me as an older man, as opposed to Roger or Immature, back in the day. So I think it was a really good thing.

Have you checked the reviews on Amazon.com, as far as the Naked album?
Nah, I haven’t.

You assume these people are your fans and what not. There are a lot of comments, seems like, young girls are saying there is too much sex on the album. One girl called you, she described you as a “horn dog.”
[laugh] Well you know people are always gonna have something negative to say and because of my young fanbase I probably could have offended a couple of people with that last album. But the mommas and the aunties was wit it! [laughs]

You know what I mean? So you’re never gonna please everybody. It’s gonna be a handful of haters and you just gotta roll with it.

What about your decision to get naked in “Naked”?
I felt like it was the only proper thing to do. The song was called naked I wanted to be really self-expressive with the point I was trying to across with. You know, that was a big step for me. It took a lot of courage and I did it and I look back on it now and I wouldn’t change it for the world. I think it was a really great career move for me. I’m happy with that.

Did you care about the obvious comparison to D’Angelo?
Nah, I didn’t care. You know, D’Angelo has influenced me a lot as far as an artist. I look up to cats like D’Angelo, R. Kelly, Boys II Men, people that have done it before me. So I just really wanted to be, you know, do it differently though.. a lot different. It wasn’t exactly what he did, the video. Obviously you’re gonna compare because of that one shot, but it was definitely a little bit different.

So now, taking those things into consideration, how did you approach the new album?
With every album I’ve kind of done songs that have kind of been about where I am at that time. With this album it took me about a year and a half, two years, to record it. I was really about getting out of a relationship. You know, so I was getting out of it, getting over a heartbreak. So it was one of those albums where I kind of just wanted to write about depressing situations [laugh] that I was going through as far as relationships and stuff. So with this album, it’s a story. My book of stories. It’s a story that happened to me and it’s compiled on one album.

So you’re really getting the realness on this album. The things that happened and my relationships and my outlook on what relationships are. What they should be about and everything.

And I hear that in the two singles “Favorite Girl” and the new one is “Circle”, right? Is there a video coming for that?
Yeah, “Circle.” The video, actually I was here in New York doing 106 and Park. The video [just] came out. So y’all can check for the video.

Who are some of the producers on the album?
Definitely, the Underdogs, who produced “Naked”, they have a couple of songs on the album. Tank. Brian Michael Cox who produced the single “Circle.” He’s produced like everybody. I just had a great team of producers with this album.

You know what I noticed too, is the Scream Tour. You came off as the elder in that group. But you also got pretty good reviews as far as being the standout artist on stage. As far as your dance moves and everything else.
Well you know I was really happy. The Scream Tour really helped a lot. I feel like the last Scream Tour a lot of people was like, “You gonna do the Scream Tour again?” I just felt like as a career move I didn’t want to go on the last one. I’ll leave it to the youngsters and everything like that.

Part of that transition.
Yeah, just like I said that natural transition of becoming a different person and to where I’m at personally.

Do you write all of your songs?
Most of the songs on this album I did. I’m getting into that. When you become more of an artist, when you get older, like I’ve got a lot more to write about as opposed to when I was 20, on my first album. I didn’t really have a lot to write about; but over the course of the last five years I’ve seen a lot and done a lot. So you know, I had a lot to write about.

How long have you been in the industry?
Since I was 8. 17 years.

So that’s a lot to say?
A lot to say [laughs].

On the album you have a collaboration with Mya and Shawnna. What is that song about?
That song is about being caught in a situation where you got a girl, but your feeling this other girl and you don’t really know how to do it. The song is called “Holding Back” and the other girl has a man and she’s feeling you, but we don’t let each other know about the other ones. We just kinda, we can feel like there’s a distance. Like, “Why you holding back?” “What’s holding you back from me?” Or whatever.

Knowing I got a woman and she got a man. So that’s, you know, a real life situation. What can I say?

Yes it is. Good talking to you. Any parting words?
I just want to say to everybody out there, I love y’all. Thank you for supporting me. Always keep God first in whatever you’re doing.

With God, anything is possible.

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WHUDAT.com @ February 2007