Omarion Interview
Oct 24 03:56 PM
GF caught up with the 23-year-old R&B hottie just before he lands in Oz for the exciting Get Served Tour, and he filled us in on everything from what he looks for in a girl to the virtues of facial hair...
GF: Hello Omarion! So what are you up to?
O: Ah man, actually I just got off the stage right now. I'm in Memphis, Tennessee. It was crazy. I just played a show at a fair, and there was a pretty big turnout. I really enjoyed myself.
GF: Your last album, 21, was pretty hot in the States. Are you happy with how it's been received?
O: Well, I definitely put a lot of time and effort into it. When I started this album, all I was thinking was, "How can I create the music that my Mom grew up on? How can I incorporate that into my music?" And so I went to the greats; Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, Michael Jackson. So instead of trying to make a trendy album, I tried to create a classic album.
GF: "Ice Box" was such a great single!
O: Yeah, it was one of my biggest records ever. That's all Timbaland, man. He's a genius.
GF: Why has it taken so long for a new single to come out?
O: Well, that's kinda 'cause I've been juggling my music and movie career. I had to take a bit of time out to film my movie, "Feel The Noise", which just came out in the States, so the music's been put on the back burner for a while.
GF: We hear you're in the studio at the moment working with Bow Wow. How's that going?
O: Yeah see, I'm doing a million things! (laughs) But it's all good. We're working on a dream project called "Face Off". We've pretty much grown up together in the industry, and sometimes when you're as young as we were and you try to do something more mature, people just find it hard to accept, so that's why we're really thankful for this opportunity. And also why we're thankful for facial hair, 'cause when people see the mustaches, they know we've grown up! (laughs)
GF: Do you have any pre-gig rituals?
O: Yes! Well my dancers, I don't call them dancers, I call them "The Bang Squad." "Bang" representing how hard they hit. You know, like they pop! So before we go on stage, we usually listen to music backstage and we dance and we pray, and then after we pray, we do this little thing where we put our hands in the middle and say, "Bang Squad! Chk-chk-bang!" It sets up a nice level of energy for the show.
GF: What have you been listening to lately?
O: Ooh, I listen to a lot of old music, but one song that's out now that I've been listening to a lot is "Crank That" by Soulja Boy. That song reached number one on the charts here. It's been huge.
GF: So what first attracts you to a girl?
O: Her looks.
GF: That's it?
O: Well yeah, honestly, it's her looks.
GF: What do you do to show a girl that you're interested in her?
O: I just tell her! No need to waste time, you know? "Yo girl! I like you!"
GF: That's very direct! What turns you off a girl?
O: Bad hygiene.
GF: Do you come across that often?
O: No not really, but that's definitely something that could turn me off a girl. I like it when they smell nice!
GF: Are you excited to be coming to Australia for the tour?
O: Oh absolutely! I can't wait to get to Australia to perform for you guys and show you what I'm all about in person. It's going to be a lot of fun.
Omarion is touring with his good friends Marques Houston and Avant in the R&B-tastic, Get Served Tour, in early November. Check out www.getservedtour.com for full details.