Interview with R&B Star Lloyd on Lessons in Love

Lloyd has a fantasy. He'll be sharing that to the world on August 5th. After taking a brief intermission since his last album Street Love, the R&B star is back with his new release entitled Lessons In Love. The first single is an homage to "Girls Around The World." The explosive single featuring Lil' Wayne has been infiltrating the charts and the Hype Williams-directed video has become a fixture on MTV and B.E.T. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1rDaLugULcg

Although some may have gotten their first glimpse of the handsome heartthrob on the single-"Southside" featuring Ashanti, many girls had already been in love with Lloyd since he was the lead singer of the cute boy-band N-Toon. The group was formed by former Klymaxx vocalist and producer Joyce Irby. Irby helped catapult Atlanta to the music capital it is now with her A&R skills. Along with writing hits and signing talents such as Lloyd and Sammie, it is Irby who discovered and signed producer Dallas Austin. Austin who is Lloyd's mentor went on to produce for TLC, Madonna, Janet Jackson, Gwen Stefani and which ever acts could afford his Midas touch. In 2004, Lloyd re-emerged as the first male R&B singer signed to Irv Gotti's Inc Records. Although he will always be Young Lloyd to me, the talented songwriter and producer has since evolved.

Immediately addressing my fears about the maturity of his album in relation to his fan base, Lloyd assures me that his music and content is merely a mirror of his development. "I'm 22 years old now and my fans have grown with me since N-Toon. If I wasn't in music I'd be in college right now. A lot of my friends are in college so we're going through different experiences with love and relationships. My music reflects that. I think my fans and peers are eager to have someone who can represent their experiences." Lloyd further admits that it has always been his fantasy to be a professor teaching. His fantasy came to life through Lessons in Love. After personal experiences; including research and observations with his fans and friends- Lloyd is now ready to share his curriculum and library of thoughts to the world.

The last album centered on you falling in love and the song "You" was about the anticipation of that connection. You were reaching out for that special girl and saying "Can I be for real, this is how I feel. I'm in need of love..." Now the concept has changed to Lesson in Love. What did you learn about love since then?

I learned that a lot of people take love as a joke. They think it's like a big game, a sport...like going out and having sex with a bunch of different people. What they don't realize is it really has a tremendous affect on people's lives, especially the ones involved. When you have sex you share yourself with that woman. When you leave that woman you take a piece of her with you and vice-versa. When you've got pieces of you everywhere, you're spreading yourself thin and there's nothing really solid there...nothing to hold on to. You have nothing left to give to that one person that could really be for you. I go out and I tour and travel... I'm kind of on temptation island too but I try to find a balance in whats right or wrong.

Love can be more mathematical then artistic. You conducted a lot of surveys with your fans and friends. What was the conclusion of your proposed theories on relationships?

I learned that relationships take time to develop. It takes time to know someone and begin to trust in them. You have to build history and dedicate time in order to maintain a healthy relationship. Love evolves around timing and communication. For me, I dedicated my time to strengthening my relationship with my fans. I felt like I really connected with them on Street Love and left them craving for more. I didn't want to waste any time.

The hit "You" melted and dissolved the hearts of girls everywhere and it earned you two Teen Choice noms. The remix was hot & it featured Nas and Outkast's Andre "3000" acting shy in Whole foods next to the Tofu. The original featured your friend Lil' Wayne. "Girls Around The World" which you produced also features Lil' Wayne. Wayne does a lot of features but there is always something magical when the two of you collaborate. What is it about "the long hair don't care duo" that always translates to hit songs. Geography maybe?

Well, although I was raised in ATL and I rep ATL I was born in New Orleans. My family history derives from New Orleans. I'm very connected and still in-tuned with what goes on their. A lot of people don't know just how impoverished New Orleans is and how many issues kids down their face everyday- in and outside of school. It takes a lot to be a cool kid and in the process people lose their way. Sometimes they don't even make it out. My father didn't make it out. Lil' Wayne's father didn't make it out...so when you have a friend like Wayne who comes out of that (type of situation) and achieves global success it makes everyone in that city or whose connected to that city feel like they're a part of that success. It gives hope. For me just being part of Lil' Wayne-mania is incredible. When we perform live, the energy is indescribable.

In addition to the issues that affected residents of New Orleans, when Hurricane Katrina hit I dissected that as being a life-support patient in I.C.U and then getting assaulted while in the unit with no doctors or security to save you. Personally I'm not sure if people are unaware of the poverty in New Orleans because Barbara Bush seemed to be familiar with the social studies of the city when she visited the Astrodome that was filled with Katrina evacuees. Cramped together in an unsafe environment with no running water, lights or toilets, the former First Lady said that "many of the people in the arena here, you know, were underprivileged anyway, so this, this is working very well for them."

From Social Sciences to Music. The second single is the "Year of the lover." Interpret this concept?

It means that this is the year that love will be restored. I feel like my music will help bring faith back in to love. People are ready to be loved and to love somebody. Once you had so many years of fighting you gotta finally have love to balance it out. We've been in that war for too long. We're all changing and we're in an election year where the slope has changed too. The theme of change isn't just in politics and entertainment, its in life. Everyone is trying to move into a place of love. Its all about being around people with good energy and reaching out towards positive things. That war has ended. I want people to know that that hope they had is something that is really real.

Please continue to Session 2: Strength, Light and Art-201