In the last year or so, Theophilus London has been around the world, up on billboards, blasting out of the TV, and damn near everywhere else. The Warner Bros. artist is somewhat of an anomaly in the music world, creating a name for himself through corporate sponsorships and partnerships without crossing into mainstream record sales or heavy radio play, but mostly driven by unique style. Regardless of record sales, London is creating a successful business lane and continuing to broaden a sound that already crosses numerous pop music eras. We caught up with Theophilus before the Seattle show of his current Tour de Roses, to talk about singing lessons, working with ASAP Rocky, and the touring in the US vs. abroad.
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PIMB: Your music incorporates sounds from multiple generations, when you’re listening to music for inspiration, do you spend more time keeping up with new releases, or looking to older music?
Theophilus London: Anything I come across that I like and I’m inspired by. Man, lately, you talkin’ about Timez Are Weird These Daysor you talkin’ about now? Because I’m working on a new project comin out in a month or two and it’s got 27 new songs, so it’s a whole new vibe. Each project is a different thing.
PIMB: We saw the behind the scenes clip of you and ASAP Rocky recording “Big Spender” off of Lovers Holiday: Rose Island. Tell us a little about that track, as well as about the project.
TL: That’s a new, new project. That’s fresh out the oven. It’s definitely inspired by the Bay, San Francisco, definitely inspired by ATL, some Shocka [5000], Master P, it’s got that Marvin Gaye twang. It’s a whole new me. Feel me? Inspired just a bit by all that stuff, and I can do my thing on it.
PIMB: The video of you and ASAP came out and had the internet buzzing. Tell us about working with him and how it came about.
TL: I’m surprised everyone liked it. I guess I can see the logic in it. We’re definitely two people from two different worlds, and its so crazy how the friendship has been built. We just talk on the daily, he calls me up whenever he wants to talk. We talk about whatever, and it’s not even about the music anymore, we like him like it’s a brotherhood. We wanna see him survive and kill the game, so it’s deeper than that video.
PIMB: I read that you took singing lessons before Timez Are Weird These Days. What made you want to add that skill at that specific time?
TL: I mean, what got me was listening to The Police, I wanna have a good voice like Bob Marley, I wanna sound like Usher or these babyface n*****, you know? So I needed singing lessons to make my voice sound like that, because I smoke a lot, I curse a lot, I lose my voice a lot. I had to take singing lessons to learn how to use my voice as an instrument, so I can belt songs like “Why Even Try”, “I Stand Alone”, and “All Around The Worlds” no problem.
PIMB: And you’re working on the Timez Are Weird These Days Remix project?
TL: Yeah, with Microsoft, Bing is puttin their cash into that shit, it’s gunna be called Timez Are Weird These Nights. Shout out to Bing, so amazing to work with, it’s like career changing for me. But we been working with brands, so that’s not new to us. We’re just excited a brand like Bing, so forward in technology, to fuck with us. We like that shit. We fuck with technology hard around here.
TL: They fall into our laps, we don’t choose nothin’. The right people call us, and we answer. That’s all I can say about that.
PIMB: As a young artist, how were you able to best utilize these partnerships in pushing your art to a wider audience?
TL: We nice people, we wanna progress in life, we like meetin’ other people who can help us progress, and we like workin’ with creators. That’s all I can really say about that.
PIMB: You’ve toured internationally, have you seen a big difference in touring the US and touring abroad? With the crowd and the show?
TL: Touring in America and touring internationally, America’s got better food. I can eat every night. But Paris and touring internationally, it’s just got a better vibe. Those kids came ready to finish their life that night. If they would have passed out after the show was over, they would have lived up to their shit. They go hard or go home out there, there’s no bullshit out there.
PIMB: What is your favorite city to play?TL: Everywhere man. I don’t got no favorite city. Everywhere, we got love, we got respected, we never got treated wrong. They love us everywhere, and we just excited about that, so we don’t got no favorite city. I live in New York, so New York only, but other than that, I got love for every city in the world.PIMB: You’re kind of tagged as the fashion guy, but what are your hobbies/interests outside of music?TL: Nothin but music. I design, and music, that’s it!
PIMB: What song is stuck in your head right now?
TL: This shit called “Let Me See Your Titties” has been stuck in my head like a motherfucker. It’s my new shit, by me and ASAP Ferg. I’m playin that shit tonight!
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