Laid back and all grown up
January 31, 2007 | Filed Under kate articles |
Laid back and all grown up
Former boy band heartthrob JC Chasez introduces his new, second album
Melissa Ruggieri
Music Critic
Considering he just wasted two hours on the tarmac at LaGuardia Airport, JC Chasez is impressively unruffled.
Chiseled and clean cut in black cargo pants and a tweed overcoat, the former’N Sync heartthrob sits at a table in the back of the Omni’s Barlowe’s Terrace, politely nodding at the manager who rushes over to inform him that any food ordered will take 30 to 60 minutes to arrive.
“That’s cool, don’t worry about it,” Chasez says to his manager and record label rep, realizing that any major time delays will make him even later for a club appearance at Shockoe Bottom’s Big Daddy’s.
Chasez has just arrived from Buffalo, where he visited radio stations and personally handed his new single, “Until Yesterday,” to program directors. It’s a song both gritty and glossy, produced by — and co-starring — his most famous former group mate, Justin Timberlake.
Truth be told, if the song came from Timberlake’s current smash album, “FutureSex/LoveSounds,” it would be an instant hit. But, as one local radio host put it, Chasez is going to have to work a little harder for that type of automatic success simply because he isn’t Timberlake.
Chasez says one of the reasons he and Timberlake hooked up was to “squash all of that nonsense” that in a post-’N Sync world, the two were more about competition than friendship.
“‘N Sync was fantastic. It was fun — it was, it was, it was. And it would be fun now, maybe. But it’s not where our hearts and our minds are,” Chasez says. “On a personal level, we love each other, but to go out and sing those songs, it would be fun, but right now we feel like we’re young and creative. We’re not at the 40- and 50-year-old mark. I don’t want to coast. I still want to grow, and this is what I’m interested in.”
This, for the 30-year-old Chasez, is a second album that he calls “a little more focused.” Bits were recorded in London, New York, Los Angeles and Atlanta basically wherever inspiration struck and whenever the bank account of a massively successful ex-boy bander could quickly arrange studio time.
His first attempt at a solo career came three years after’N Sync’s finale with 2004’s “Schizophrenic,” an engaging smorgasbord of pop and edgy electronica that was nonetheless ignored thanks to a spate of bad luck. The disc was released a few weeks after Timberlake’s “wardrobe malfunction” incident at the Super Bowl, and for whatever reason, the NFL promptly dismissed Chasez from a Pro Bowl performance that would have provided tremendous exposure.
Then came an upheaval at his record label and gripes from mental health groups about the cover shot, depicting an artfully mussed Chasez in a straitjacket. At that point, it didn’t matter how potent tracks such as “Some Girls (Dance with Women)” or “Blowin’ Me Up (With Her Love)” were — too many brick walls were erected at once.
“It’s just the way it goes, man,” Chasez says, shrugging and looking at the ground. “I was proud of that record. I still love it. There are some good moments for me on there. But what can you do? I’m not going to cry over spilled milk. There are some amazing artists out there who’ve never had the run that I’ve had, so all I can do it try to be creative. I can’t help circumstances, but I can concentrate on my music.”
This new album, tentatively titled “Kate,” has an expected release of March or April, depending upon the momentum of the single, which is being spun by most of the radio stations he’s visited on this promotion tour (here, that is Q94.5-FM).
Chasez, who resides in Orlando, says he doesn’t mind the downgrade from playing stadiums to visiting many mid-level markets to remind people he’s still creating music.
“Just give me a mic and a stage and I don’t care what size it is,” he says.
At Saturday’s Big Daddy’s appearance, Chasez spent most of the evening quietly hanging out in an upstairs VIP lounge. When not conversing with the handful of winners from Q94 who summoned their courage to sit across from his couch and chit-chat, Chasez was glued to a flat screen TV, watching a boxing match and later, the Winter X Games.
A few times throughout the evening, the club DJ spun “Until Yesterday,” which moved most of the crowd to the dance floor. Maybe now, Chasez has finally left behind that boy band taint and listeners will accept his musical maturity as they have Timberlake’s.
“I give Justin credit for opening a lot of doors,” Chasez says. “I think he had a lot to do with showing that it’s about talent, and you can be up there with the best of them. I like to think that soon enough, I will be, as well.”
- Richmond Times-Dispatch 2/1/07
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coming up
:: America’s Best Dance CrewJC is one of the judges on MTV’s new dance contest. The show premieres on Feb. 7 at 10 PM, with a casting special airing on Jan. 26 at 2 PM.
Dance Crew website
The sixth track on the new Sugababes album Change, “Back When” was co-written by Dallas Austin and Gary White, with additional vocal production by JC Chasez.
Listen to a clip of the song here.
:: Treat Me Right“Treat Me Right” is a track on the new Backstreet Boys album, Unbreakable. It was co-written by JC and BSB member AJ McLean. You can hear a little of what AJ has to say about the song in this post, and read reviews of the song here.
:: Break Out This BoxGet a preview of the Cheetah Girls song “Break Out This Box,” which was co-written by JC:
on youtube
song details from MySpace
According to IMDB, JC will play the part of “Ted Buckley” in a new comedy/horror movie called Killer Movie. (Formerly called Dead of Night)
Director: Jeff Fisher
Genre: Comedy / Horror / Mystery / Thriller
Plotline: A reality television shoot that goes terrifyingly awry when its crew becomes stranded in a remote Northern town. A killer is on the loose, stalking cast and crew-members one by one.
