Boyz II Men plays in Dunedin tonight. On the eve of the concert, Shane Gilchrist spoke to Wanya Morris, one third of the chart-topping, award-winning, record-breaking American R 'n' B act.
Wanya: Hi, how are you doing?
ODT: I'm fine. How are you?
Wanya: I'm fine, just hanging out. I'm in Sydney right now. We just got to Sydney two days ago. We have an Australian tour ...we are trying to get to New Zealand right now. We had a little visa issue, just trying to get a stamp. We're trying to get to Wellington tonight.
ODT: Given your latest album, Motown: A Journey Through Hitsville USA, celebrates some vocal classics, will the concerts have a similarly upbeat vibe?
Wanya: Yes. We actually tried to make sure we put a lot of the up-tempo material in. People are going to love that section of the show. When we put a show together, we try to do it in sections; we try to put genres and years together. We might start off in 1999 or 2000, then go back to 1991, then in the middle of the show we'll try to let people know exactly where we get the style of music and understanding we have.
ODT: So it is a window into your world?
Wanya: Exactly. I tell you, when people come to this show, they have no chance of not enjoying it. No chance.
ODT: Is the tour entourage large? Do you have a big band on tour?
Wanya: No, it's not a big band. We have a small crew. The theatrics and the production of the show is what grabs the people. As far as the band and the music is concerned, we recorded the band live in the studio. You will have the live feel, yet there will be no band. It will be just us rocking the house.
ODT: Your new album features material originally performed by the Temptations (Just My Imagination, Marvin Gaye (Mercy, Mercy Me) and the Commodores (Easy). Are they artists who have provided inspiration for you?
Wanya: Absolutely. Let me tell you something: without artists like that, there would be no Boyz II Men. They definitely paved the way with their style of music, their lyrical content, just the spirit of those songs actually gave you another vibe...we have no choice when you do these songs to dive back into that spirit to the best of your ability - you know what I mean? Those artists became the soundtrack to our lives.
ODT: Therefore when you strike success, such as you did with Cooleyhighharmony, the 1991 Grammy-award winning debut album, is there a chance some of the tracks on that (and subsequent albums) have become soundtracks to others' lives?
Wanya: Absolutely, absolutely.
ODT: There seems to be a full circle process in your career. You straddle the past and are inspired by great vocalists, but you're also creating your own style. I'm interested to get your perspective on your musical approach.
Wanya: That's the reason why we do this . . . we want to make a difference in people's lives as far as what we have to offer. Music is love. If listening to our songs gives people insight and helps them pass certain thing in their lives... that's the reason why we were put on this Earth-to entertain. Entertainment is what stopped people going crazy when war was really bad; when the worst catastrophes happened, when people were cleaning up the rubble, they were playing music. We have a big responsibility to keep that same type of vibration going. I'm very happy to say we've been blessed with songs that people can sing, that people can just remember where they were when they first heard it.
ODT: You are hinting at a gospel ethos, that some people go to church and just "holler"; and in doing so their exorcise their demons or celebrate life?
Wanya: When you think about music, you have to think about the spirit behind it. Someone has to create those songs... we try our best when we write songs that people can relate to them; they can understand them. In this day and age it's not about lyrical content anymore, so what we wanted to do with this album was to remind people of where real music came from.
ODT: Given you've had a career spanning 20-odd years, there must have been a lot of hard work along the way in honing your vocal abilities. Have you had any mentors along the way?
Wanya: There were. We like to listen to everything. In order to call ourselves well-rounded musicians ...we try to take bits and pieces of everything we hear and place them into our vocals ... we try to be chameleons to some extent. Even if the lyrics don't tell the story, we hope our voices will. For the most part, we use all of those people, all of those greats, all of those Stevie Wonders, Michael Jacksons, even Quincy Jones; from classical music, from Brahms ...
The music is what drives Boyz II Men. Boyz II Men were put together by Boyz II Men. There was nobody standing off to the side saying "I want to put together a group". Music put us together-that is our mother. Music is our mother.
ODT: You're touching on aspects of spirituality there. Is that an underlying theme in your music?
Wanya: Absolutely. When something has the ability to touch millions and millions of people with its lyrics or its music, then it has to be driven by a god, especially if there is an emotional vibration that you get from it. That means it's touching your insides; it's pulling on your heartstrings. For the most part, the spirit you get from it comes from God...you can't think of the things we think of without having some sort of wisdom.
ODT: Given your singing gifts, do you think you've been blessed, i.e. you don't take your ability for granted?
Wanya: Absolutely. Absolutely. You ever watched a basketball game or a football game and the announcer might say, "Look at that guy; he has pure talent; it's inside him. You can't coach that". That's the point. We had the talent inside of us from birth. It was a gift from God. We could only be doing it in this capacity of God was behind us. When you look at it like that, you recognise that this was something given to you to give to the rest of the world.
ODT: Does your name, Boyz II Men, have greater resonance now? Actually, how old are you?
Wanya: I'm 34. I started when I was 15.
ODT: How has that experience in the music business - take, for example, overseas travel - helped shaped you?
Wanya: It actually helps let you know exactly what's going on in the business. We've been through a lot of things financially, a few labels. There have been a couple of bouncy passes - you understand what I'm saying? - but at the end of the day, we learned from every situation.
ODT: You started as a five-piece, but have comprised a quartet for much of your career - until 2003 when Michael McCary retired because of back problems. Can you explain the ramifications of trimming down to a trio of yourself, brother Nathan and Shawn Stockman? Does it make it easier or tougher in regards musical arrangements? Has there been a revising of roles?
Wanya: Actually, there has been a revising of the roles. Nathan pulls double duties. Nathan was the bass-line behind what Michael did; he was the foundation of the sound ... so Nate does the bass on the album and when we do a capella, we do them as triads. We move around to give it the feel of more than three parts. It was a hindrance for a minute. When we were signed to Arista records, it came to a head. We were like a three-legged dog in a race.
ODT: How busy are you guys? Is there room in your lives for families, kids?
Wanya: We have families. A couple of us have kids; a couple of us are married. But for the most part, we try to maintain our personal lives as our personal lives.
ODT: Where are you going after the New Zealand tour?
Wanya: We come back to Australia for a couple of dates. We've been moving for a long time. We just came back from a six-week tour in Europe. We did about eight dates in Japan, sold out shows, so it's very exciting. It just goes to show we are recognised.
ODT: Are you suggesting that you enjoy leaving the United States? Does touring off-shore, being away from some aspects of the music business, give you a better perspective on your career?
Wanya: For sure. Let me tell you something. I'm not going to say I hate the US, but I am going to say there is no place like being away from home. There is a fast pace in the US. Everything is expeditious. They grab hold of it, they hold it, they spit it out and they grab another piece. It's the chewing-gum effect. Over here (Australia and New Zealand), we believe they chew gum a little longer. Even if the flavour is all out of it, they are still chewing it because they love it feels in the mouth. In the US, they just wait until the sugar is out; once the sugar is out, they spit it out.
ODT: Where do you call home?
Wanya: My home is Philadelphia, New Jersey. That's my area; that's where I dwell.
ODT: Have you visited Dunedin before?
Wanya: I've never been to Dunedin. But I tell you what: when we get there and people see the show, they ain't never going to forget it. They are going to want us to come back-you better believe that.
