So Plush on Rodney Jerkins, Darkchild Records, and the Making of Their Debut Album (2001 Interview)
Rodney Jerkins has been tearing through the R&B charts across the turn of the century. The first act on Darkchild, the label he established under Epic, is this four-member female group, So Plush.
Translator’s Note: Written by Hozumi Kaneko for bmr (Black Music Review) in a March 2001 magazine issue number 271. Originally written in Japanese; translated into English for publication. All rights reserved.
Now set to release their debut album as the first artist on Darkchild Records, the label established by Rodney Jerkins, now one of the very top top producers, is So Plush. The members are Rhonda Russell, TJ Lottie, Raquel Campbell, and Donielle Carter, four beautiful 19-year-olds. The album is filled with Rodney’s soul, and its success seems half-guaranteed already. First, I asked about the group’s history.
Rhonda (hereafter Rh): “TJ, Raquel, and Donielle were together at Hamilton High School. And Donielle and I lived in the same neighborhood. That’s what led to us knowing each other.”
Raquel (hereafter Ra): “So that was when we were around 13 or 14.”
TJ: “We formed the group when we were in high school. Or rather, what happened was, Raquel’s mom suggested that maybe we should form a group together, so we formed the group, and we’ve been doing it together ever since.”
Ra: “About three years now.”
Before high school, what kind of relationship had they had with music?
Rh: “In my case, I had been singing for a long time. Since I was little, I sang in church choirs and things like the International Children’s Choir. Also, everyone in my family plays instruments, and there was always music playing in the house when I was a kid, so the first influence on me came from my family. So that’s where the starting point of my music career comes from. The artists who influenced me musically are mainly Mariah Carey, Stevie Wonder, and Whitney Houston. I like jazz too, all different kinds. And I also like Erykah Badu and Lauryn Hill.”
TJ: “I sang in church choirs too, and sang along while listening to the radio, but at first, as a job, I was thinking about being an actress and a model. My house too always had all kinds of music playing when I was little, so I’ve been influenced by all kinds of things I listened to back then. Then singing became fun too, and that’s how I came to join this group.
The people who influenced me were Mariah Carey, Whit... uh, Whitney Houston, Stevie Wonder, and who else was there...?” (The Raquel next to her prompts, “Lionel Richie, right?”) “That’s right, Lionel Richie! (laughs) I guess that’s about it. Ah, and I like Mary J. Blige too.”
Ra: “When I was a kid too, I sang in church choirs, but other than that I’d never sung in public or professionally. If anything, I was just singing along while listening to the radio or something. It was after I got into high school that I started seriously thinking I wanted to sing as a job.”
Donielle (hereafter Do): “I think when you’re a kid everyone strongly wants to be a superstar or become famous. The first thing I got interested in was dancing. I watched Diana Ross and did Talent Shows and sang ‘Stop! In the Name of Love,’ but back then I was only doing it as one of my hobbies. I wasn’t seriously thinking of building it into a career. At that time my value system was just this vague wish to become a star. After that I wanted to be an actress.
But right before graduation, when we all talked about standing together and doing a singing group, I decided to really devote myself to singing. I realized I had that talent, but also that I still needed training. But I enjoy singing.”
As artists who influenced them, Raquel and Donielle name Aaliyah, Whitney, Mary J., Stevie, and Michael Jackson. The point where Donielle differs from the others may be that she also names Sade and Anita Baker. By the way, they say all of them are currently listening a lot to the albums by R. Kelly and Tamia. Since they had been close to singing from long ago, sang themselves, and were influenced by the same artists, it was probably easy for them to form a group as well. While all that was going on, they met Rodney and got the chance to debut, but what did they sing at that time?
Rh (with the other three saying the same kind of thing at the same time): “In front of Rodney, each of us sang different songs individually, a cappella.”
TJ: “As a group, we sang Destiny’s Child. It was ‘No, No, No.’”
It was Desty’s Child. For girls their age, that was only natural. It would seem like it might become “aim for Destiny’s Child,” but I got the sense that one difference from Destiny’s Child was a greater approachability, a greater sense of familiarity. I thought the secret might be in the chorus work...
Rh: “I take it as a compliment when people say we sound like Destiny’s Child. But I think we can let people hear a sound that’s different from theirs. We worked with first-rate producers, and Rodney gives us something different from the others, a new sound, and the most important thing is that he’s able to really hear each member’s vocals. Like, what kind of sound Donielle has, what Raquel has, what TJ has, and then me too. As for the chorus work, Rashaan handled the vocal arrangements, so maybe his ability had a lot to do with it. Of course, we really worked hard too to make it something wonderful.
So I’m happy when people say that. He let us try the things we wanted to do and add ad-libs too, but in the end the vocal arrangement was decided by his judgment. We don’t understand the technical side of recording, but I think Rashaan and Rodney and the others beautifully shaped that side of it. Chorus and everything else too, but we put feeling first. Attitude.”
It seems the vocals owe a lot to LaShawn Daniels. Also, on songs beginning with “Yes,” the voices are altered quite a bit, so when I asked what they would do about that in live performances, they said they are currently developing ways to handle it with a cappella and effective singing methods. As for the division of singing roles, it seems Rhonda and Donielle handle the lead, while TJ and Raquel take care of the background, hooks, and bridges. Even outside of singing, they commented amicably that Rhonda is the mother, Donielle is dance, and Raquel is fashion, so there are role assignments. If that is the case, then their relationship with Rodney becomes another issue. Rodney has said that they are a “team,” so I asked about that, including the concept of the album.
“I take it as a compliment when people say we sound like Destiny’s Child. But I think we can let people hear a sound that’s different from theirs.” — Rhonda
Ra: “Rodney had the idea from the beginning that he wanted to make it a party album. After the album recording was finished, he asked for our opinions, like, ‘What do you think about this song?’ and ‘Which one do you like best?’ and ‘Which song do you think would be good for the first single?’”
TJ: “He had decided there would only be one or two ballads on the album. Since we’re new artists, he didn’t want to bore people with nothing but slow songs. So the album has lots of up- to mid-tempo songs on it.”
Do: “And about the ‘team’ thing. Including Rodney and everybody else, it felt like family, and we were always able to relax in the studio. We were able to do it in a good atmosphere. Even during recording, everybody sincerely listened to our requests and opinions.”
It seems Keith Sweat and Da Brat appearing as guests was also Rodney’s idea, but the members are very happy they were able to work with them, and TJ names the Da Brat song as her favorite song. They also seem to like hip-hop very much, things like JAY-Z, DMX, and Redman. As for the trendy South too:
Rh: “I love it.”
TJ: “I get totally into it. In the club my body just starts moving on its own... I just can’t keep standing still.”
Rh: “My parents are in the South, and I was there even back when it still wasn’t accepted on the West Coast. It’s body-shaking type music. When you hear it in the club, your body just moves on its own.”
Do: “I think it’s annoying... really.” (Everyone bursts out laughing.) “I’m kidding, I love it too. I love Cash Money.”
So they seem like the type who can accept just about anything. Since from this debut work they are already actively writing lyrics themselves, it may be getting ahead of things, but when I asked about their ideas for a second album, Do said, “Anyway, we want to write more songs ourselves,” and Ra answered, “On the 2nd album I want it to be a little more mature, and I want to include ballads too. I like slow songs, so I’d be happy if we could put in five or six ballads.” That answer alone makes them seem quite dependable. They also say they want to work with producers like Timbaland and Shakespeare, and though I had thought they were only passively receiving things from Rodney, it seems likely that as they gain experience from here on, they will grow a great deal as artists too. They also say they have an interest in Japan, so I would definitely like them to come to Japan.