What keeps Boyz II Men going for 20 years

“We started with a pure love for music, so to be here 20 years later still doing what we love has been a pure blessing.” — Wanya Morris

*   *   *

“From Day One our fans have been amazing. They’ve seen us grow so we owe all our success to their continued support.” — Shawn Stockman

*   *   *

“We are excited to be in the studio again with the guys who have been a part of some of our biggest hits to date. It’s really a good feeling.” — Nathan Morris

The three members of Boyz II Men, one of the biggest boy bands of all time that has sold over 60 million albums, are gushing over the release of their album Twenty, so called because it marks their 20th-anniversary as a group.

The double-CD, released locally by MCA Music Inc., contains 12 brand-new songs and eight newly-recorded and updated versions of Boyz II Men classics such as End Of The Road, I’ll Make Love To You and On Bended Knee. They worked with hit producers such as Babyface (for Beyoncé), Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis (Janet Jackson), Teddy Riley (Blackstreet, Michael Jackson), Rob Knox (Justin Timberlake) Julian Bunetta (Leona Lewis, Natasha Bedingfield) and Tim/Bob (Jamie Foxx, Jennifer Lopez).

MCA Music Inc. claimed that the group has influenced some of today’s successful artists including Beyoncé, Usher and Justin Bieber. Noted as the only group in the company of Elvis Presley, The Beatles and Mariah Carey to have stayed so long on top of the music charts (named by Billboard as the most successful group of the ‘90s), Boys II Men is record-holder for No. 1 (One Sweet Day featuring Carey), No. 3 (I’ll Make Love To You) and No. 4 (End Of The Road) spots for most consecutive weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Funfare recently did an exclusive phone interview with Shawn Stockman. Excerpts: 

Aside from the fact that it’s to commemorate your 20th year as a group, how different is your album Twenty from the previous ones?

“It represents a new mentality, a new idea and a new way of thinking about music and our place in it. It shows people the way Boyz II Men is developing and evolving in hopefully the next 20 years.”

How would you sum up the past 20 years?

“Very fruitful, very amazing! What happened to us these past 20 years is beyond our wildest dream. We hope that we add on to what we see as an already incredible career.”

In the past 20 years, several groups have come up but soon broken up. What keeps the Boyz II Men intact?

“Respect for one another and respect for what each member brings to the table creatively. We have pretty much grown up with each other, so we know each other, we know who we are and we also understand that we experienced these 20 years together and that we couldn’t have it any better with anyone else. So it’s important for us to keep it together and to keep it the way that it is.”

Especially the music…

“Absolutely! Especially the music. That’s the most important thing. But you know, what’s equally important is the friendship outside of the music.”

How did you manage to stay the same after 20 years?

“Uhm, I guess you can say just being around with good people, making sure that we keep certain things prioritized and that you treat people good, you treat people right… and that you don’t let yourselves get caught up in the hype and craziness that go on in life, especially in the music business.”

I suppose something in the three of you must have changed during these past years. What could it be?

“I think that, personally, the biggest change in me is that I’ve become more patient, I learned not to be too hasty in making decisions… you know, just being more relaxed and not going too crazy about things and falling apart in the process. Think about what’s going on and create a solution for any crisis, something which you can’t do if everyone is panicking. The biggest thing that I’ve learned is, that’s it, don’t panic.”

How did your outlook in life change, if it did?

“As far as music is concerned, it has changed in the sense that there are new breed of artists doing different, exciting and innovative things. Just learning how to figure out how we can incorporate new things with what we’ve already done. Also, as far as life in general is concerned, it has changed in the way we understand things a lot more; I think we now see things clearly for what they are. We just try to go with the flow of life. I think that’s pretty much the goal of everybody, a life based not on fantasy but on reality...being able to find happiness in the midst of what is considered a hurricane.”

And how are you as family men?

“Yes, we are all family men now; we all have kids. We are all devoted to our respective families. We make sure that we give our families as much attention as we give our music. It’s hard. We are not perfect family men but we have a good base in our family and in our friends.”

Do you sing to your children?

“You know, years ago we did a Motown remake and my one son loves it. He sings tracks of My Tears; he is very into like the old-school music as well as the new stuff. He really enjoys singing the Jackson Five and all that stuff. He really knows and understands music at such a young age and I love it. His name is Ty, eight years old. He has a twin. I have a daughter, so I have three kids altogether.”

Oh, he seems to be following in your footsteps.

“Exactly.”

The field is very competitive. What pieces of advice do you give your son?

“I just try to let him be himself and to express himself. The biggest advice I give him is, if this is what he wants to do he has to take it seriously, he has to give his dedication to it and understands that it can be fun but he really has to work hard to make himself better. I always push him to do that.”

(E-mail reactions at [email protected]. You may also send your questions to [email protected]. For more updates, photos and videos visit www.philstar.com/funfare or follow me on www.twitter/therealrickylo.)