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NEW YORK (AP) – A tabloid-heavy divorce and a monstrous lawsuit over his biggest hit have been tough enough, but life has hit Robin Thicke beyond the gossip column.
His father, “Growing Pains” actor Alan Thicke, deceased. The following year, his popular manager Jordan Feldstein – the brother of actor Jonah Hill who also oversaw the career of Maroon 5 – has died at just 40.
Thicke’s house in Malibu was burnt down a year later because of the Woolsey Fire. And last year, his champion and mentor Andre Harrell, the director of the record that launched the careers of Sean “Diddy” Combs and Mary J. Blige, has passed away.
“I’ve always been a pretty positive person and obviously these five, six years that I’ve just been through have challenged all of my preconceived notions of faith and positivity,” Thicke said.
While trying to live life and find the light, Thicke also moved away from music – a difficult achievement for the Grammy-nominated performer who typically takes one to two year breaks between albums.
Then he wrote a song about his father. And another on Harrell.
“I just kind of woke up out of the fog, the creative fog I was in and the personal fog I was in. I just started to see the world a little differently, finally, ”he says.
“On Earth and in Heaven”, Thicke’s eighth album will be released on Friday and the 11-track set is an acoustic, light R&B journey through its tough, heavy times, even if hope is at the center of it.
“This is what love can do”, which closes the album, was written after the death of his father; “Look Easy”, the new single, is dedicated to “front line workers, our mothers and our teachers”; “Out of My Mind” addresses depression and anxiety as well as the search for peace; and “Beautiful” is about finding light in a sea of darkness.
In an interview with The Associated Press, edited for clarity and brevity, Thicke talks about writing about loved ones, letting go of his ego, his fatherhood, and what he learned about the gift and the curse that were “Blurry lines”.
AP: You’ve been through a lot in recent years, but the album is positive. Is this the message you wanted to send?
Thicke: That’s what the album really is: when it all hits the wall. And some of those things I couldn’t control – my dad, Andre, my manager Jordan Feldstein, my house on fire. But there were other things that happened like getting a divorce, being sued, getting bad publicity. There were things that I did that I could have done a lot better, that I could have handled a lot better, and that brought all of these issues into play at the same time. My vanity. My ego. My arrogance. All the things that needed to be fulfilled were all fulfilled during this period. They all shook hands and they fought. Right now the good angel wins and enjoys music and his family. … I am going through a period of gratitude for everything I have. I’m happier because of it.
AP: What helped you get out of this dark place?
Thicke: I think we all hit our breaking point in one way or another. The world tells you, “You have to make changes.” The people who love you, the people who don’t like you, you kind of get a recurring message that change needs to happen. For me, I had to strip away my selfishness, my vanity, my personal importance. My sensitivity to mocking or being nicknamed.
I think that’s one of the great superpowers, being able to laugh at yourself, not take yourself too seriously, and enjoy the room, even when they’re teasing you. I didn’t have this before. I clung too much to my music and my art. I clung to everything I had worked so hard for. Then I couldn’t accept any negativity – apples, oranges, and tomatoes were throwing at me. Fortunately, at this point in my life I have learned to embrace all parts of the celebrity and entertainment culture.
AP: Was it hard to write about your dad on this album?
Thicke: It’s cathartic for me. It’s therapeutic. It helps me get through my tough times. It really helped me. If it helps me then maybe it will help someone else. Maybe it will comfort them.
AP: Did the writing on your father and André open the floodgates so that you could write the rest of the album?
Thicke: Yeah. I spoke with André about a week before he passed away. We reviewed my album and he was not very impressed, to say the least. He said to me, “Where’s all the horns and strings, the vocal production and the background that you do? All the basslines and everything? Then he passed away, so I went to work. I realized that he had already given me so much life and fuel to my fire. He supported me and believed in me and had a new place to take my talents. I wanted to honor it and also honor my father, of course, by finishing it.
AP: What do you remember the most from André?
Thicke: He was just positive, fun, generous with his energy, patient with people, and inspiring. He could really look around the room and see where everyone was at and give them a little treat, a little coin, a little nugget that will help them move forward. He was almost like an angel disguised that way. He even taught me that, he said, “You never know if that guy down the street who just handed you his mixtape is the next Jay-Z.” He saw magic come from the most incredible places. He went to projects and signed Mary J. Blige and told her mother right after she sang, “Your daughter is going to sing for kings and queens someday. She did it. He did this for me. He believed in me more than anyone.
AP: Andre’s son, Gianni Credle-Harrell, is listed as a co-author of “Beautiful”. What was it like working with him?
Thicke: It was actually just a fun night. I had designed the song, but I had not finished the lyrics and I had not completed part of the message. I had the chorus, the basis of it and the musical structure, but I hadn’t connected to what made this song stand out. Gianni came over and he gave me some ideas for some melodic streams (and) I ended up keeping a small part.
It wasn’t until George Floyd arrived that I brought the song back. He actually stood still for four years. When George Floyd arrived, I went back to the song and rewrote it because there is a line that says, “I look you in the eye, your smile reminds me of what love is.” That famous photo of George Floyd, where he is smiling, the words came to my mind when I saw him smile in the middle of the situation. I wanted to write a song about destroying the existing system and rebuilding something beautiful, better.
AP: How does it feel to be a father of four?
Thicke: We’re all in a situation where we get the hand and whatever hand is given to us, we have to make the most of these playing cards. My house burned down and I saw it as an opportunity to show my son the value of family and laughter, music, dancing, and movies over material objects. OK, we’ve lost our things. Our house burned down, but we got there and every day we have the opportunity to make the most of our days and have a good time together. Laugh and sing, dance and play. It gave me the opportunity to show him how to go through these things. And by losing the people you love, we all have to learn to go through these things on our own. It’s great to know that you are not alone and that someone, or your family friends, can help you get through it.
AP: Years later, how do you see what happened with “Blurred Lines”?
Thicke: It was a necessary part of my personal growth. I was partying too much that year. I was celebrating 20 years of hard work and the success that ultimately came with it. Some bad routines, some bad habits caught up with me. Then I made some bad decisions. People were injured. It was time to move away a bit. Get my point of view. Move my head back. Focus on my son. Focus on what was most important in my life. Then from that I started to rebuild my soul. I started to rebuild my faith and confidence very slowly by doing the right thing. I just try to wake up everyday and give my family, give my friendships and give my music and do the right thing. I regained the strength in me.
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