When the BOYIIMEN tour bus rolled into the Windy City, it was no wonder they got the whole city talking. Luckily, Wanya, Shawn, Nathan, and Michael took time from their busy schedules to chat it up with me! Read on to find out what these legends of music had to say…
As a group BOYIIMEN has accomplished an enormous amount of fame and success so far, but what are your personal goals for the future?
Wanya: I would like to be successful with anything that I endeavor or try. I have always wanted to be an actor. Right now, I am writing and producing some new material. I have even written some scripts. I just want to be successful, raise a family, have kids, and for the most part be happy.
Nathan: In the future, I would like to be a very successful producer and songwriter. I have great aspirations for that. Being an artist is completely different from writing your own material. Sometimes, people will only look at you as one or the other, not both. Due to that view, I would like establish myself as a well-known songwriter later on in my career.
Shawn: I would also like to be an established songwriter as Nathan just pointed out. In addition to that, I would like to release a solo album one day. I hope to do this on my own label without the help of the conventional process of signing to one. I would like to have my own thing. It doesn’t matter to me about record sales anymore. I’m at a point now where I want to do various projects freely without any corporate structure telling me what I should or shouldn’t do. I also have my own movie production company. It has already done one movie and we are hoping for more.
As legends and role models for a multitude of recoding artists, what advice do you give for those getting started?
Shawn: You should trust your gut. Always go with your first feeling on things when it comes to the creative side of the business. A lot of us get caught up in the corporate structure once we reach a certain amount of success; I feel you should preserve what helped you get to that point. Hold it dear to your heart. There will be other people that will try and take that away from you. Stay true to yourself and never let anyone change that.
Is there anyone you look up to for inspiration?
Wanya: Collectively, there was this group New Edition as well as an acapella group, Take 6. There was another group called Commission as well. The Temptations and Four Tops of course influenced us a lot. We also love Motown, Marvin Gay, and the Jackson 5. All those cats and of course *NSYNC!!!
What can fan expect from you in the near future?
Nathan: We have always wanted our shows to be on a personal level and in touch with our fans. One thing we try to do is get as close to our loyal fans as possible. So lately, we have been touring around smaller venues to ensure this. When you get to the bigger venues, that intimacy is lost with the grower audience numbers. The smaller venues let us make the audience feel apart of the show. They won’t be sitting in section 300 seat 90!
We want everyone to feel special and as close to us as possible.
What do you feel is your greatest accomplishment?
Nathan: Being in the business for almost 12 years, makes it really hard just to pin point one individual thing. I would personally say our career is our greatest accomplishment. The fact that we have been able to stay in this business for 12 years especially in an industry that changes constantly from day to day. This makes it tough for artists to stay in the business for long periods of time. Longevity is one of the special aspects of BOYIIMEN.
What do you love most about performing?
Wanya: Getting into the people. You can be whoever you want to be on stage. Actually, when you go out into the public, you might have to put on some type of visage. Put on something that makes people believe who you are. But, on stage you can be whatever you want. You can almost command the world. You tell them to raise their hands ad they will listen. You can ask them questions and they will answer you back. It’s just a beautiful thing. It is a truly amazing feeling.
Shawn: It is actually one of the two places I feel most at home and free to be myself. The other place is with my friends, family, and my wife. The stage is place to express myself and be free from all my worries. I am not going to be reprimanded for it. I’m not putting on a front for others, whether it is with anybody. But, on stage I can let my hair down and be loose. We are able just say what we feel and people are down with that. It is my way of escaping the madness of life.
Where would you like to see BOYIIMEN 10 years from now?
Wanya: So many artists today come in and out of the business. They go away and then come back with something big. But hopefully, BOYIIMEN will be able to do something real big in ten years. We plan on laying the groundwork now, so we could do something like that. We want to always be known for putting out great music no matter when it may be.
As a group BOYIIMEN has accomplished an enormous amount of fame and success so far, but what are your personal goals for the future?
Wanya: I would like to be successful with anything that I endeavor or try. I have always wanted to be an actor. Right now, I am writing and producing some new material. I have even written some scripts. I just want to be successful, raise a family, have kids, and for the most part be happy.
Nathan: In the future, I would like to be a very successful producer and songwriter. I have great aspirations for that. Being an artist is completely different from writing your own material. Sometimes, people will only look at you as one or the other, not both. Due to that view, I would like establish myself as a well-known songwriter later on in my career.
Shawn: I would also like to be an established songwriter as Nathan just pointed out. In addition to that, I would like to release a solo album one day. I hope to do this on my own label without the help of the conventional process of signing to one. I would like to have my own thing. It doesn’t matter to me about record sales anymore. I’m at a point now where I want to do various projects freely without any corporate structure telling me what I should or shouldn’t do. I also have my own movie production company. It has already done one movie and we are hoping for more.
As legends and role models for a multitude of recoding artists, what advice do you give for those getting started?
Shawn: You should trust your gut. Always go with your first feeling on things when it comes to the creative side of the business. A lot of us get caught up in the corporate structure once we reach a certain amount of success; I feel you should preserve what helped you get to that point. Hold it dear to your heart. There will be other people that will try and take that away from you. Stay true to yourself and never let anyone change that.
Is there anyone you look up to for inspiration?
Wanya: Collectively, there was this group New Edition as well as an acapella group, Take 6. There was another group called Commission as well. The Temptations and Four Tops of course influenced us a lot. We also love Motown, Marvin Gay, and the Jackson 5. All those cats and of course *NSYNC!!!
What can fan expect from you in the near future?
Nathan: We have always wanted our shows to be on a personal level and in touch with our fans. One thing we try to do is get as close to our loyal fans as possible. So lately, we have been touring around smaller venues to ensure this. When you get to the bigger venues, that intimacy is lost with the grower audience numbers. The smaller venues let us make the audience feel apart of the show. They won’t be sitting in section 300 seat 90!
We want everyone to feel special and as close to us as possible.
What do you feel is your greatest accomplishment?
Nathan: Being in the business for almost 12 years, makes it really hard just to pin point one individual thing. I would personally say our career is our greatest accomplishment. The fact that we have been able to stay in this business for 12 years especially in an industry that changes constantly from day to day. This makes it tough for artists to stay in the business for long periods of time. Longevity is one of the special aspects of BOYIIMEN.
What do you love most about performing?
Wanya: Getting into the people. You can be whoever you want to be on stage. Actually, when you go out into the public, you might have to put on some type of visage. Put on something that makes people believe who you are. But, on stage you can be whatever you want. You can almost command the world. You tell them to raise their hands ad they will listen. You can ask them questions and they will answer you back. It’s just a beautiful thing. It is a truly amazing feeling.
Shawn: It is actually one of the two places I feel most at home and free to be myself. The other place is with my friends, family, and my wife. The stage is place to express myself and be free from all my worries. I am not going to be reprimanded for it. I’m not putting on a front for others, whether it is with anybody. But, on stage I can let my hair down and be loose. We are able just say what we feel and people are down with that. It is my way of escaping the madness of life.
Where would you like to see BOYIIMEN 10 years from now?
Wanya: So many artists today come in and out of the business. They go away and then come back with something big. But hopefully, BOYIIMEN will be able to do something real big in ten years. We plan on laying the groundwork now, so we could do something like that. We want to always be known for putting out great music no matter when it may be.
Article first appeared in Ignite Magazine.
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By Jessica McCafferty
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By Jessica McCafferty
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