PJ Morton is prepping for the greatest week of his life: He’ s set to perform at following month’ s Super Bowl halftime show as a member of Maroon 5 , plus seven days later, he’ ll go to the Grammy Awards, where he’ s nominated for four respects — including three for their work as a R& B vocalist.
“ You knuckle down and you hope for the best. But nothing of this is promised or guaranteed, and so i just celebrate every victory, ” he said. “ I’ mirielle just super-grateful. ”
The happiest time of their life has one dark impair hanging above it: Controversy offers surrounded the halftime show considering that NFL player Colin Kaepernick mentioned he would not stand for the nationwide anthem in protest of ethnic discrimination against blacks in the United States.
Morton, 37, admits he’s mixed feelings about performing on the halftime show on Feb. several in Atlanta. JAY-Z and Rihanna reportedly said no to carrying out this year in protest.
“ This is definitely a questionable year, but it’ s some thing I’ ve wanted to do the whole life. As musician it’ ersus the biggest stage you could ever enjoy, ” he said.
“ Our job as music artists is to provide a service and create people feel good, and I think that’ s i9000 going to be our mission — just to have a good time and do what we perform, ” he added. “ I’ m excited to play on that will stage, man. I watched halftime shows my whole life. I want to end up being there. ”
The particular Adam Levine-led Maroon 5 is going to be joined at the Super Bowl simply by Travis Scott and Big Boi of Outkast.
Morton joined Maroon 5 as a traveling member in 2010 and became the official member — the band’ s i9000 keyboardist — in 2012. The group’ s No . 1 hit, “ Girls Like You” with Cardi B, is nominated for best appear duo/group performance at the Grammys. Morton picked up three more nominations: greatest R& B album ( Gumbo Unplugged Live ), best R& B performance (“ First Began” ) and greatest traditional R& B performance (“ How Deep Is Your Love” ).
“ I had 2 (nominations) last year and expected much less this year if I’ m becoming totally honest, ” he stated. “ To get three went previous my expectations and made me personally feel like I was in the right place plus doing what I’ m said to be doing musically. ”
In an interview with The Associated Push on Wednesday (Jan. 16), Morton talked about the halftime show as well as the Grammys, which airs Feb. ten.
Is the debate around the halftime show spoiling exactly what most would consider a big profession moment for you?
It definitely did at first. This spoiled it for me because you would like to be happy and excited to perform and some of the negativity definitely caused it to be not as fun initially. But I believe now that we’ ve taken a while and figured out who we were on this and where we stand within this, now I’ m starting to obtain excited about it. But yeah, it will be was a little spoiling in the beginning.
Did part of happened want to agree to perform?
There was conflict for sure. There is conflict just because of all the rhetoric and everything that I’ ve seen close to it. I guess I had to come towards the conclusion that you can be employed by a company and still support the things that are being conducted. I can clearly say I am towards police brutality against black plus brown people at a higher price, and I am for peacefully protesting. I stand for those things strongly, yet I also think there are people who are utilized by the NFL, who play soccer every week and support what Kap stands for and those two things too. I think we can perform for the NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE and the players can play for your NFL and we can support Kap simultaneously.
If PJ Morton, the solo singer, has been offered to perform at the Super Dish, would you be performing?
I’ m not sure. I’ m not sure. I thought that it was therefore clear and black and white, until I simply went through this with the band, plus saw all the layers, and noticed all the things that are at play at once. So , it’ s not just monochrome like that. Like everything, I would handle it case by case. All of us didn’ t take it lightly also dealing with this.
Have you began rehearsing?
We’ re putting issues together. Its only two weeks aside. We’ re in there.
Are you exciting about getting ways to collaborate with Travis Scott and Big Boi onstage?
I think one of the reasons precisely why I’ m happy to be actively playing the game is people don’ to know that we can really play plus know we can put on a show, the folks who aren’ t fans currently. So , I’ m happy to display people that we’ re real music artists and going to put on an amazing display. I think it’ s going to end up being fun.
Your own album, Gumbo , was nominated last year, which year its live version is within contention. Why do you think this cd has had so many legs?
It means a lot to me, greater than any other project that I’ ve done before. It took me causing California, moving back home to Brand new Orleans to kind of quit songs and take a break from music due to the fact I was burnt out and didn’ t see a way forward within music anymore for me as far as our solo stuff is concerned. So , to go back home and really fall back in enjoy with music and decide, ‘ You know what? I’ m going to make another record and I’ m simply going to make this one for myself. I’ m not going to be strategic regarding if it sells or make stuff that fit the radio, I’ m simply going to do this for myself. ’
And for me becoming as transparent as I’ ve ever been musically, for that to be the report that’ s had the greatest life and has been the most thoughtful to my career, it’ s only the ultimate (yes) for me. It’ ersus just the ultimate pat on our back for remaining who We are.
Why do you feel burnt out?
When I initially moved to T. A. after joining Maroon five and everything, I kind of quieted down on my solo stuff to find out what I was doing in this brand new huge group that I was in. It had been just a big undertaking initially. However after it settled down and am was still living in L. The., I started to get back to myself plus trying to figure out who I was. And really getting all those hits with Maroon plus playing these huge places plus doing all these things started making myself more strategic. I signed to (Lil Wayne’ s) Young Money in those days, I got more strategic and attempted to figure out, ‘ All right, how was I going to be as big as achievable and what do I have to do strategically (and) musically to make people feel myself and to make me fit on the radio stations? ’
And consuming those meetings at the labels and individuals giving their options, it simply got very cloudy for me and am started to lose sight of who seem to I was, and I didn’ t understand who I was anymore. And I has been just like, ‘ I’ ll maintain Maroon 5 and chill by myself stuff. ’… That wasn’ to as easy to do as I thought plus thank God it wasn’ big t easy because I went back to the music like I always perform, and this where Gumbo came from.
You only released one cd on Young Money?
I just did the one recording. They call me a legend on Young Money. I signed, create an album, and got away from my deal (laughs).
Do you think you’ ll remain in Maroon 5 long-term?
Oh yeah, I’ m generally there for the long-haul. Like I mentioned, almost nine years in. We’ re going to ride it out there.
