NEW YORK 鈥� A tabloid-heavy divorce and monstrous lawsuit about his biggest hit was hard enough, but then life hit Robin Thicke beyond the gossip column.
His father, 鈥淕rowing Pains鈥� actor Alan Thicke, died. The following year, his popular manager Jordan Feldstein 鈥� actor Jonah Hill's brother who also oversaw Maroon 5鈥檚 career 鈥� died at just 40.
Thicke鈥檚 Malibu home burned down a year later because of the Woolsey fire. And last year his champion and mentor Andre Harrell, the record executive who launched the careers of Sean 鈥淒iddy鈥� Combs and Mary J. Blige, died.
鈥淚鈥檝e always been a pretty positive person and obviously this five, six years I just went through challenged all of my preconceived notions of faith and positivity,鈥� Thicke said.
While trying to live life and find the light, Thicke also grew distant from music 鈥� a hard realization for the Grammy-nominated performer who typically takes one to two-year breaks in between albums.
Then he wrote a song about his father. And another about Harrell.
鈥淚 just kind of woke up out of the fog, the creative fog I was in and personal fog I was in. Just started seeing the world a little differently, finally,鈥� he said.
鈥淥n Earth, and in Heaven,鈥� Thicke鈥檚 eighth album, will be released Friday and the 11-track set is a breezy, acoustic R&B journey about his hard and heavy times, though hope is at the
鈥淭hat鈥檚 What Love Can Do,鈥� which closes the album, was written after his father passed; 鈥淟ook Easy,鈥� the new single, is dedicated to 鈥渢he front line workers and our moms and our teachers鈥�; 鈥淥ut of My Mind鈥� touches on depression and anxiety as well as finding peace; and 鈥淏eautiful鈥� is about finding the light in a sea of darkness.
In an interview with The Associated Press, edited for clarity and brevity, Thicke talks about writing about his loved ones, getting rid of his ego, fatherhood and what he learned from the gift and curse that was 鈥淏lurred Lines.鈥�
AP: You鈥檝e been through a lot in the last few years, but the album is positive. Is that the message you wanted to send?
Thicke: That鈥檚 what the album really is: when everything hits the wall. And some of these things I could not control 鈥� my father, Andre, my manager Jordan Feldstein, my house burning down. But there were other things that happened like getting a divorce, getting sued, getting bad public press. There were things that I did and that I could have done much better, that I could have handled much better that made all of these problems come into play at one time. My vanity. My ego. My arrogance. All the things that needed to be met all were met over this period of time. They all shook hands and they fought it out. Right now, the good angel is winning and is enjoying music and his family. ...I鈥檓 really just going through a gratitude period for everything I have. I鈥檓 happier because of it.
AP: What helped you get out of that dark place?
Thicke: I think we all reach our breaking point in some way. The world is telling you, 鈥淵ou need to make some changes.鈥� The people that love you, the people that don鈥檛, somehow you鈥檙e getting a recurring message that change needs to happen. For me I had to strip down my selfishness, my vanity, my self-importance. My sensitivities of being made fun of or being called names.
I think that is one of the great superpowers, to be able to laugh at yourself, to not take yourself too seriously and to enjoy the room, even when they鈥檙e teasing you. I didn鈥檛 have that before. I held on to my music and my art too tight. I held on to everything I had worked so hard for too tight. Then I couldn鈥檛 take any negativity 鈥� any apples, oranges and tomatoes being thrown at me. At this point in my life, luckily, I鈥檝e learned to embrace all parts of the culture of fame and entertainment.
AP: Was is difficult writing about your father on this album?
Thicke: It鈥檚 cathartic for me. It鈥檚 therapeutic. It helps me get through my tough times. It definitely helped me. If it helps me, then maybe it鈥檒l help somebody else. Maybe it鈥檒l comfort them.
AP: Did writing about your father and Andre open the floodgates so you could write the rest of the album?
Thicke: Yeah. I spoke with Andre about a week before he passed. We went over my album and he wasn鈥檛 very impressed, to say the least. He was like, 鈥淲here鈥檚 all the horns and the strings and the vocal production and the background you do? All the bass lines and stuff?鈥� Then he passed away, so I went to work. I realized that he鈥檇 already given me so much life and fuel to my fire. He supported me and believed in me and had some new place to take my talents. I wanted to
AP: What do you remember most about Andre?
Thicke: He was just nonstop positive, fun, generous with his energy, patient with people and inspiring. He really could look around the room and see where everybody was at and give them some little tidbit, some little piece, some little nugget that鈥檒l help push them forward. He was almost like an angel in disguise that way. He even taught me that, he said, 鈥淵ou never know if that guy on the street that just handed you his mixtape is the next Jay-Z.鈥� He saw magic come from the most unlikeliest of places. He went to the projects and signed Mary J. Blige and told her mother right after she sang, 鈥淵our daughter is going to sing for kings and queens someday.鈥� She did. He did that for me. He believed in me more than anybody else did.
AP: Andre鈥檚 son, Gianni Credle-Harrell, is listed as a co-writer on 鈥淏eautiful.鈥� What was it like working with his him?
Thicke: That was actually just a fun evening. I had crafted the song, but I didn鈥檛 have the lyrics finished and I didn鈥檛 have some of the message finished. I had the chorus, the base of it and the musical structure, but I hadn鈥檛 connected to what made that song stand apart. Gianni came and he gave me some ideas for some melody flows (and) I ended up keeping a little part.
It wasn鈥檛 until George Floyd happened that I brought the song back. It was actually sitting still for four years. When George Floyd happened, I went back to the song and I rewrote it because there鈥檚 a line that says, 鈥淚 look in your eyes, your smile reminds me what love鈥檚 about.鈥� That famous picture of George Floyd, where he鈥檚 smiling, the lyric came back to my head when I saw him smiling in the midst of the situation. I wanted to write a song about tearing down the existing system and rebuilding something that鈥檚 beautiful, something better.
AP: What鈥檚 it like being a father of four?
Thicke: We are all in a situation where we are being dealt the hand and whatever hand we鈥檙e given we have got to make the most of those playing cards. My house burned down and I saw that as an opportunity to show my son the value of family and laughter and music and dance and movies over material items. OK, we lost our stuff. Our house burned down but we have each other and we have every day an opportunity to make the most of our days and have a great time together. Laugh and sing and dance and play. It gave me an opportunity to show him how to walk through those things. And with losing the people you love, we all have to learn how to walk through those things on our own. It鈥檚 nice to know that you鈥檙e not alone and that somebody out there, or your family friends, can help you walk through it.
AP: Years later, how do you look at what happened with 鈥淏lurred Lines鈥�?
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 had finally come with it. Some bad routines, some bad habits caught up with me. Then I made some bad decisions. People got hurt. It was time to go away for a little while. Get my perspective. Get my head back on straight. Focus on my son. Focus on what was most important in my life. Then out of that, I started to build back my soul. Started to build back my faith and my confidence very slowly by doing the right thing. I just try to wake up every day and give to my family, give to my friendships and give to my music and do the right thing. I built back some strength inside of me.
Mesfin Fekadu, The Associated Press
