Instudio with WERZ

January 22, 2007 | Filed Under interviews-radio, transcripts |

JC’s second interview today was with WERZ in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Thanks to Year of Chasez for the clip:

[right-click/save]
Instudio with WERZ - mp3, 7.6 mb

In addition to discussing Until Yesterday, JC talks a little bit more about the reasoning behind the idea of naming his album Kate. He also gives more background on his work with Eric Bazilian of the Hooters.

Click the link below for the full transcript.


Glen Turner: It is Glen Turner and with me in the studio: formerly of NSYNC, it’s JC Chasez. How you doin’, man?

JC Chasez: I’m great, man, how ’bout yourself?

GT: I’m doin’ fantastic. Uh, welcome to New England in January.

JC: [Laughs] Yeah, beautiful weather we’re having.

GT: Nice balmy 32 degrees we got out there right now.

JC: I’m thinkin’ about gettin’ a tan. [Laughs]

GT: [Laughs] Yeah. Uh, and I have to apologize if everyone seems a little down in the building, too. Of course our beloved New England Patriots got it handed to us yesterday.

JC: Yeah, I was actually, I was rootin’ with you guys, so I was pretty bummed out myself.

GT: Well good. If you had said you were a Colts fan, I was gonna say “Hey, thanks for stoppin’ by!” [Laughs]

JC: “Thanks for stoppin’ by, now go ahead and die.”

GT: Exactly. First album, uh, your first solo album, Schizophrenic, came out in 2004. Since that’s come out, besides workin’ on the new album, what you been doin’? You working on any projects or anything?

JC: I’ve been traveling. I took some time off for myself after I finished up touring with the last record, and now that this record’s pretty much done, I’ve actually started to work on other projects as well. I just did a writing trip in London and placed a couple tunes over there, which is fun. I’ve been so focused on my thing for a while, it was actually nice to go ahead and try and gear my head around somebody else.

GT: It is JC Chasez, formerly of NSYNC, joining us this afternoon on ERZ. Now did I read right, that you worked with one of the guys from the ’80s band The Hooters?

JC: His name’s Eric, Eric Bazilian, yeah. We ended up writing a song with this girl named Jonatha, who’s a writer and artist herself. They’re really, really great songs, a really, really cool guy, like super-talented.

GT: When I first read that, I’m like, “Wow!” I had to look and search through my iPod to find “And We Danced.” [Laughs]

JC: Yeah, exactly! You know what, people don’t even realize it, but he also wrote - I mean, he’s one of those guys who was an artist in a band but he writes for other people, and he ended up writing some of Cyndi Lauper’s greatest songs.

GT: Oh wow, that’s fascinating!

JC: Yeah, yeah. So we’re sitting in the studio and he goes, “Remember this song?” He’s sitting there playing, ’cause I had like an old Juno keyboard or whatever, which is like a vintage piece, and he’s like, “This pad is what we made this song on.” And I’m going “Aaahhh!”

GT: [Laughs]

JC: So yeah, it was cool, it was a cool experience.

GT: It is JC Chasez from NSYNC who we’re talking to here on WERZ this afternoon. Uh, it’s a pretty good network of people that you worked with on other projects, work on your projects - who’d you bring in for the new CD?

JC: Um, yeah, I worked with Dallas. Like I said, the guy - to me, in my mind, in the pop world, he’s probably one of the most underrated, overly-accomplished producers. You know, it’s like everybody knows about, you know, Timbaland, who is taking over the world…

GT: Yeah, yeah.

JC: …right now, and I ended up writing a song or two with him. I also ended up working with Justin, who seems to be on top of the world now.

GT: [Laughs] He brought sexy back, you know.

JC: Yeah, he brought sexy back. So, I mean, that was a great experience for me, we had a lot of fun in the studio just, you know, talkin’ ’bout old times and making new music.

GT: Uh, and “Until Yesterday” is the new single, uh, we’re gonna play it here in a couple of minutes here on ERZ. And, uh, do you have a different influence now than you did, say, during the NSYNC days? Do you have something that drives you musically, differently?

JC: Yeah, I mean, you know, for me now, everything I hear everyday alters my opinion a bit - that’s just evolution and growing as a human being and an artist and a writer. Just this whole album, I wanted to make an interesting record. You know, some people just wanna make a record that, you know, that you wanna dance to, and some people wanna make a record that’s very emotional, and I wanted to make a record that just grabbed your attention and made you think a little bit. This, this first thing will kinda, reminds a bit of Freddie Mercury. It’s very storyteller, the harmonies are very rich, but it’s a big chorus, so it still has that pop sensibility, so it was a lot of fun to make. We were sitting around, just kind of digging around…’cause you’ve heard the breakup song a million times…

GT: Oh yeah. [Laughs]

JC: …but the interesting tagline is, you know, to say - to tell somebody, “You know what, I loved you…until yesterday.” You know? It’s an interesting way to say I don’t wanna be with you anymore. It’s just a, it’s a play on words but it just tends to be a little bit more interesting to me.

GT: Was there an inspiration behind the song?

JC: The storyline itself is, your girlfriend actually gets pregnant by another dude. Now that hasn’t happened to me personally, but it’s not an easy subject matter, so you know…but, again, it takes it away from being the typical. Everybody can say, “Oh, I can’t, you cheated and I hate you.” It’s another thing to find an interesting situation, tell it in an interesting way and still make it, you know, fun and entertaining on such a dark matter.

GT: Well, the single is called “Until Yesterday” - brand new stuff from JC Chasez right here on 107.1 WERZ.

—

GT: …JC Chasez on 107.1 WERZ, called “Until Yesterday,” JC in the studio with us here. Uh, what about the new album that you’re working on that that single comes from? You have a name for it yet?

JC: So far, the title is Kate. Because, um, I wrote this collection of songs and I always just kind of imagined this person in my mind, so each one of these songs, you know, they’re taken from different experiences in my life but not one as a whole, so I’ve kind of dreamed up this person in my mind and I’ve given her a name and it’s Kate. So I’m thinking about calling the record Kate, but we’ll see.

GT: Does this person talk to you?

JC: Uh, sometimes, yeah.

[Laughter]

GT: Hey, I understand! You know, lots of travelin’ and stuff, you know…

JC: You know, every artist needs their muse, right?

GT: Of course, of course, there you go. Uh, and I’m sure every time you meet someone named Kate you just go, “Hmm.” [Laughs]

JC: Well, you know what, I…and it’s funny ’cause it’s only recently come up that I’ve attached the name to the entire record, uh, ’cause there is a song on the album called “Kate.” Um, but I ended up kinda like looking at the whole picture - I took a step back and it’s kinda like, “Well, this song’s pretty much about her, and so is this. And this and this and this.”

GT: [Laughs]

JC: And I was just like, “What?” And you know what, I haven’t run into anybody named Kate yet since I’ve kinda like decided on this.

GT: [Laughs]

JC: So I was kinda like wondering, “What am I gonna do when I run into somebody named Kate?” I mean, I don’t know if they’ll take it in a good way or a bad way. I mean, there are good songs about you, Kate, but there aren’t some great songs either, so…

GT: Uh, what about the, uh, what about the rest of the guys from your NSYNC days? You still talk to them all the time?

JC: I do. Uh, yeah, everybody’s happy. Everybody’s busy, you know. Justin’s out on tour, Lance is, uh, what is he - I think he’s at Sundance right now or something like that. And then Chris and Joey, they’re off making TV shows, so, you know, life is good.

GT: It is JC Chasez, formerly of NSYNC, in the studio here at ERZ. And I have to ask: any chance of you guys getting back together any time soon or what?

JC: Um, you know, not at the moment. I don’t think anybody’s thinking about that right now. Uh, so, uh, sorry. [Laughs]

GT: [Laughs] No, you know, lots of women in the office wanted to know. Actually, and the other question lots of women in the office wanna know: is there, uh, you know, is there a special someone in your life right now?

JC: Uh, yeah. The people at the record label are special to me right now…

GT: [Laughs and claps]

JC: …the people who buy my records are special to me right now. Yeah, those people are the most special. The people who actually go out and get the music. Those are the only special people in my life for the moment.

GT: So, any touring plans for the new record?

JC: Right now I’m just, I’m doing the promo run, and then after that we’ll sort it out and…I mean that’s my goal, obviously, is to get out there and get in everybody’s face. I would love to sing these songs live. This is, again, a great collection of material. And it, you know, even this first single, when I was writing it, I was already thinking about it live.

GT: Yeah, I’ll tell you, it jumps out at you because it’s not what you expect from, you know, from someone who may have been labeled as a “pop” person to begin with, you know what I mean? It’s…you said it, it has the lyrics that have a different vibe about them. And musically, too, I like the way it sounds. It’s different than a lot of other pop music right now, which will make it stand out.

JC: Yeah.

GT: Which is, you know, why I’m lookin’ forward to it bein’ a big hit here on ERZ.

JC: Thank you very much.

GT: And uh, finally, if people want info on you, then go to your website which is:

JC: jcchasez.net, or you can check me out on MySpace.

GT: And uh, do you read the comments on the MySpace?

JC: I do, I do. I mean, one of my best friends actually runs it on a daily basis but I’m usually on there about once a week.

GT: Oh, fantastic. So you’ll add me as a friend? [Laughs] I know lots of people who wanna be added as your friend there.

JC: Well, tell ‘em, tell ‘em to hook it up, man.

GT: All right, well, thanks for stoppin’ by, man. And what date does the album come out? We don’t have a date yet?

JC: Uh, we don’t have a date on the album; I mean, the single’s dropping this month and the album should be out, you know, March/April.

GT: Fantastic. Hopefully we’ll see you back in the area and get a chance to talk to you again.

JC: Perfect.

GT: All right, man, thanks for comin’ by.

JC: Thanks, buddy.

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Listen to a clip of the song here.

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