Being an artist and songwriter/producer is not the easiest job; in most cases, people like to choose one side to focus on. Rico Love is putting his flag down with today’s release, Turn the Lights On, as one of the best to do it wearing all of those hats.
Love has had a lot of success on the production and songwriting side, with the plaques on his studio walls to prove it. Under his belt are joints like “Daddy’s Home” by Usher, “Sweet Dreams” by Beyonce, and “Motivation” by Kelly Rowland and Lil Wayne, to name a few. He also has a Grammy for his work on Usher’s 2004 record Confessions, but now Love’s solo work is being acclaimed with his newest project having a lot of buzz behind it, with lead singles “Somebody Else” and “Days Go By”. He says he literally put his heart and soul into this record.
“I broke up with a woman I loved dearly when making this record, so there is a lot of insight on here while going through that time. My views on relationships and monogamy have changed; I have changed,” Rico explained to The FLVR. “Turn the Lights On represents success. The lights represent success.”
In 2013 his EP, Discrete Luxury, only had six tracks on it, but it opened up the mainstream door for Rico as an artist. Behind the single “They Don’t Know”, it became a sort of player’s anthem that broke ground coast to coast. People were aware of his studio work for nearly a decade, but the EP showcased his singing and rapping ability alike. The popularity of his solo work gave him a boost and helped get him on the road doing shows across the states, including a big tour with Future last summer.
With this current album, a whole new chapter is starting for Rico as an artist. He once stopped making his own music around 2007 to focus strictly on production, but those tables have turned and he says he is ready for the new challenges. His goals align with the fact that he doesn’t want to be known as a one trick pony, but as an all-around artist instead.
“I’m not just interested in doing one off songs anymore; I want to do entire projects. I gave a lot of me on this record, and I think it will get me a lot more respect as an artist,” explained Rico. “I would love to do big numbers the first week of this release, but what’s more important to me is to make music that still gets played in 30 years; I want to make music for people that will last forever.”
To purchase Turn the Lights On visit: https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/turn-the-lights-on/id989951035
