Jason Derulo said on “The Ralphie Radio Show” that he is never discouraged when an artist doesn’t want him to use a sample or portion of their original song for a track he’s working on. His attitude is relatively laidback on the issue, and a piece of body art on his back may explain his disposition.
“The tattoo is a feather pen, and it goes in to birds,” he described. “The meaning behind it is basically, I write all these songs, and after I’m finished writing the song, it just goes out and does its own thing. Whether that bird goes all the way to Japan or whether that bird just does a little flap and then drops on the floor, it doesn’t matter, because there’s more birds.”
He continued that his outlook on songs is similar to my outlook on women. Not true, but point made.
“If I go to you and I’m like, ‘Here’s this joint, let me know if you like it, let me know if you’re in love with it,’” Derulo said of how he goes about asking for and receiving artists’ blessings to use their work. “And if you’re not, then that’s totally fine, then I’ll do my own thing.”
Derulo’s debut LP linked him to both the approval and denial of sample usage. His first hit, “Whatcha Say,” used Imogen Heap’s “Hide and Seek.” His third hit, “Ridin’ Solo,” initially used a sample of The Verve’s “Bittersweet Symphony,” which itself is borrowed from The Rolling Stones. It wasn’t until after the song leaked on to the Internet that the sample did not clear. Derulo went back to the lab with producer J.R. Rotem, switched out the sample and released the record. The song cracked the Top 10 in five countries and sold about 5 million copies worldwide.
On Derulo’s latest album, “Future History,” the beat on Robyn’s “Show Me Love” was reworked for the lead single, “Don’t Wanna Go Home.” In “Fight For You,” which Derulo recently released a video for, portions of Toto’s “Africa” are borrowed.
“There’s different markets around the world that move faster than America does,” explained Derulo of why there are already four videos for songs from his last LP despite only two singles hitting radio here in the States. “Right now, ‘Breathing’ is Top 5 in Australia. In different areas, there are different singles, so it is kind of confusing.”
A representative for Warner Brothers Records said “Breathing” would probably be the next single for radio off of “Future History.” Derulo wrapped up his year with more radio commitments, before he returned home to his family in Miami for the holidays.
SELENA REIGNS SUPREME
Looking back on web hits, retweets and YouTube views, it seems that perhaps the most popular story I produced in 2011 stemmed from my one-on-one interview with Selena Gomez. It was an eventful year to say the least for Gomez, who spent a majority of time in the headlines due to her romance with Justin Bieber. But Gomez kept busy herself with her TV show, Disney’s “Wizards of Waverly Place,” and her music project, Selena Gomez and the Scene.
During our chat, the 19 year old talked about missing a party for her friend, Demi Lovato.
“She’s having a big birthday party, and unfortunately I have a show, so I can’t go,” Gomez said. “But she’s going to have the best time and she’s going to go with one of her other really good friends. It’s going to be a good birthday.”
Listen to “The Ralphie Radio Show” weeknights from 7 p.m.-midnight on 97 BHT.
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