Ginuwine: Introducing Elgin

Check out my interview with Ginuwine that will be featured in this month's issue of Shop Talk Magazine!

Ginuwine: Introducing Elgin
By Janaya Black

Heartthrob crooner Ginuwine is back with his seventh studio album simply titled Elgin. From pony riding on his first album The Bachelor to A Man's Thoughts and everything else in between, Ginuwine has proven that he is much more than a pretty face and this time he's got his serious "grown man" on.

With two new singles climbing the charts, he is still grinding hard, putting in work to show the wannabes how it's supposed to be done.

Shop Talk got a chance to catch up with him in the midst of his busy promo tour schedule to talk about the new album and how he balances life, love, family and music.

Shop Talk: First I want to talk about your new album "Elgin". What are your thoughts about that and how excited are you about it?


Ginuwine: The new CD, it's my number seven CD and it's called Elgin, and it's Bryan-Michael Cox on it, we have another producer who's a newcomer out of St. Louis, [and] we have Diane Warren who I actually had the opportunity of working with on my second CD. She did a song called Superhuman. Bryan-Michael Cox is the executive producer, like I said, he pushed it out and St. Nick who actually did the first single, What Could Have Been. So yeah, it's out Feb 15.

ST: So you didn't get to team up with Missy or Timbaland for any of this album?

Ginuwine: No, I didn't get to team up with them this time. We actually... our schedules didn't really allow us to do that, and they was doing a lot of other things and then, you know, it just didn't work out. So hopefully next time I'll be able to work with them, but I talk to Missy a lot. 

ST: From Ginuwine the "Bachelor" to now with your album "Elgin", the husband, the father, describe how your music has made that transition?


Ginuwine: Music has made the transition by just me growing, you know, being the way that I was. I still get urged from some dudes to do songs like the old sounds and everything, but for the most part I stick with my strengths which has been love ballads. And that's pretty much what I stick with and [on] this CD there's no shortage of that.

ST: How do you balance being a family man with being perceived as a sort of sex symbol?


Ginuwine: You know what, I always just do my job. I don't really think about all the sex symbol stuff. I mean, I'll take it if that's what it is. You know what I'm saying? But I don't really focus on that. You know, when I'm home, I'm home. When I'm on the road, I do my job and that strengthens my balance, really. It's just me taking care of my home first because that's what's most important to me is my house, and that's my wife and my kids.


ST: You were just here in Detroit for the Church Girl play, what other projects do you have in the works?


Ginuwine: Actually, we're doing another show of Church Girl...and then we have the CD coming, and I'm working on a book called My Ride, basically my life in the business, and that's pretty much it. I'm trying to start writing movies and stuff like that because the music business is, you know...I'm getting a little older and everybody can't stick around. So I'm trying to make it to ten CDs and then I'm going to go ahead and move on and manage people or try to get into something else.

ST: You mentioned that you're about to do a book about your life in the business, knowing what you know now what would you tell your daughters if they told you they wanted to be in the business and how would that differ from what you would tell your sons?

Ginuwine: I would tell them both, the girls and the boys, the same thing. Just to have integrity when you go out here and make sure of that because the things that you do will follow you for the rest of your life. We live in an information age now, and I mean that any and everything that you do anybody can find out. So you have to know that the things you do now they're going to follow you, so make the right decisions, and have the right people around you to help you make the right decisions. And what is your vision? I wouldn't want them to go into this just saying I want some money and I want to party, or whatever, you've got to say what's your vision because it's not promised to everybody.

ST: I know that you're a philanthropist and that you and your wife have a foundation. Can you tell us a little bit about that?


Ginuwine: Yes, S.P.R.U.C.E is an acronym for Special People Requiring Unique Care Equally and we help to house mentally disabled people and help them to live the life that they deserve to live. A lot of things that we help them do they wouldn't normally do, like go out bowling, go to shows, go to baseball games, and stuff like that. So we're just trying to make their lives a little more easier because a lot of people think that they don't know and they do know, and they do realize things. So it's up to us as individuals to at least try to help and do our part, and I chose to work with the mentally disabled and try to help them make their lives a little better.

Elgin will be in stores everywhere on February 15. For more on Ginuwine and his upcoming concerts and appearances you can find him at Facebook: Elgin Ginuwine or follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/ginuwine09.

Janaya Black is a Detroit-based freelance writer. For more information or to contact visit www.black-smithenterprises.com or follow on Twitter at twitter.com/janayablack.