Recently, R&B recording artist Chico DeBarge sat down with Beige World editor in chief David Burnett to discuss his family, his career, and his upcoming album.
David Burnett, Beige World Editor In Chief:
On Friday, September 26th, I had a nice conversation with R&B recording artist Chico DeBarge. He was in town to perform at the grand opening of EXO, a new club/restaurant in St. Louis, MO.
The transcript of my interview with Chico is shown below.
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David: Well, for starters, Chico, welcome to St. Louis.
Chico: Thank you, man.
David: Now, have to come to St. Louis before? Have you performed in St. Louis?
Chico: Yeah, I’ve been here a couple of times. The last time I was here, I was here for a play with Tyler Perry, Why Did I Get Married? It was me and Kelly Price.
David: I bet you were at the Fox Theatre, weren’t you?
Chico: Yup.
David: That’s right up the street. Right next door to me.
Chico: Right, that what’s I was tryin’ to tell ‘em. I couldn’t think of it. [To a group of his people at a nearby table: “It was the Fox Theatre!”] That’s where it was. Yeah.
David: Yeah. Yeah. That’s a couple of blocks THAT way [pointing west of EXO Lounge].
Chico: I knew we were in the area. When I told him [pointing to someone at the adjacent table], when I seen you here, I said “We’re in the area next to the theatre where I was at.” Yeah. But, yeah, I like St. Louis. I like St. Louis.
David: OK. Well, welcome back. We’ve got perfect weather today.
Chico: It’s better in the summer time.
David: Yeah.
Chico: Winter time is different.
David: Well, St. Louis weather is kinda funky. One day, it’ll be nice, the next day, it’ll be like a foot of snow. But the last couple of weeks, the weather has been really good.
Chico: Yeah, I know.
David: Yeah. But, again, welcome to St. Louis.
Chico: Thank you, man.
David: OK. Well, in preparation for the interview, I happened to go your MySpace page, and I saw a link to your mom's Web site. [CORRECTION: The link to his mother's Web site isn't actually at his MySpace page. I found it separately during my research for this interview.] I went there...
Chico: Ahhh...
David: ...and I saw the page where she lists all of the children. Thirteen children, right?
Chico: Yeah, thirteen.
David: And you’re the tenth of thirteen?
Chico: Yeah, I’m the tenth. Yup. But she birthed ten for my father. My father has thirteen.
David: OK.
Chico: She has ten, and I am the eighth born...
David: OK.
Chico: ...of the ten that she had.
David: I knew you had a big family. I just didn’t realize it was THAT big.
Chico: Nah, it’s huge. Huge. VERY huge.
David: Amazing, amazing. How IS the family doing? Is everybody doing all right?
Chico: The family is good. The family is good. They’re between Detroit, Michigan, and California now. They’ve disbursed among Michigan and Los Angeles. They’re out there.
David: OK.
Chico: So, basically, most of ‘em live in that area now.
David: Michigan? Mostly Michigan?
Chico: Michigan and California.
David: Well, you’re originally from Michigan, right?
Chico: Right, right.
David: How about the kids? How are the kids doin’?
Chico: My kids? My kids are beautiful.
David: Now, you have five kids, right?
Chico: I got five kids.
David: OK. What are their names?
Chico: Dontae, Chicoco is my first born from my marriage, and then Emmanuelle, and then Cheyanne, which today is her birthday...
David: Oh. Happy Birthday!
Chico: ...and Abrielle. They’re fine.
David: What was the last one, again?
Chico: Abrielle.
David: OK. Good, good.
Chico: The baby. She’s the baby.
David: Excellent, excellent. I gotta ask. Where did the nickname “Chico” come from?
Chico: Funny, but my sisters and brothers, they named me that. They said that I looked like I was Spanish, little Chico, like a little Puerto Rican boy, or a little Mexican boy.
David: Yeah.
Chico: Yeah. So they call me Chico.
David: I can feel ya, cause, I mean, I get mistaken for Italian all the time.
Chico: Yeah.
David: In fact, I was in this one club, and this guy said I looked like Sly Stallone.
Chico: [Laughter]
David: I was like, “OK, whatever.”
Chico: Sly?
David: Sly Stallone.
Chico: Yeah, yeah, yeah. Sylvester Stallone.
David: Yup. Either that or Greek. One of the two.
Chico: Yeah, yeah.
David: OK. I just thought I’d ask that. Tell me about your introduction to music - how you got first exposed to it, and your first time performing.
Chico: Professionally?
David: Well, not even professionally - just your first exposure to music.
Chico: Awww, man, my first time being exposed to music, man, I remember feeling so good. We were in church, and I could hear the music. I remember just the rhythm, and everybody was just moving, dancing, and praising God. Just clapping, singing, and harmonies. Then I remember my sister dancing, how she used to dance to Rufus and Chaka Khan, Stevie Wonder, you know. This was in the 70’s, when I was a little boy, little baby. I was my sister’s baby. She was the oldest. She was like my mother, my nanny, you know. And I was with her all the time. She put me in the crib, and she would sing and, you know, dance to me, act like I was her audience and all that type of stuff.
David: OK.
Chico: Yeah. So my first musical experience was very energetic from my sister. I remember she would play it all the time. Music seemed like it filled the air every day in my life, growing up. Professionally, you know, I can remember my brothers in Switch, when they first came out.
David: Right, right.
Chico: They came out before DeBarge and them. They first performed, I’d see ‘em on stage, and I was like, “Wow, my brothers! They’re doin’ their thing! That’s my brother up there, singing and harmonizing!" And the audience was liking it, you know? It was beautiful. We grew up in Michigan, so you know the music scene then was real, real strong. Groups were big.
David: Supergroups.
Chico: Yeah. Exactly.
David: You know, probably a couple of months ago, I saw you on The Best of Soul Train.
Chico: Ahhh! Did you?
David: Probably ’86 or ’87, when you performed “Talk To Me.”
Chico: When I had all that hair. Yeah.
David: Yeah. It’s hard to believe it’s been that long, you know?
Chico: Yeah, it’s been a long time. I mean, I’ve been in this game for a while.
David: Yeah, yeah.
Chico: Yeah, I’ve been in this game for a long time. Yeah, they got ‘em on YouTube now, too...Solid Gold [the old TV music variety show]...
David: Right.
Chico: ...Solid Gold. I’ve seen that one, too.
David: Right. [Laughter]
Chico: I dig ‘em up, too. It’s fun to dig ‘em up, look ‘em up.
David: Oh, yeah. Watching The Best of Soul Train is just like a little trip down Memory Lane, you know?
Chico: Yup.
David: Especially the 80’s. That was a special time for music, you know?
Chico: Yeah, yeah.
David: Tell me about some of your musical influences, your mentors, and why they are your influences or mentors.
Chico: Oooh, Stevie [Wonder] would be one of them. My brothers, of course, would be my other ones, because they were there all the time, you know, from beginning to end. My brothers and sisters. Stevie Wonder, I remember him just being able to sing to my heart, just feeling him so strongly in the soul, he’s so soulful. Marvin Gaye, you know, just to name a few. Those were strong musical influences who showed me how to express myself, you know? Strong influences.
David: OK.
Chico: My mother as well.
David: And your mother?
Chico: Yeah.
David: Tell me about your current project. You’re working on an album right now?
Chico: I’m finishing my CD right now. It’s entitled Addicted.
David: Addicted?
Chico: Addicted.
David: OK.
Chico: And it’ll be out February 22nd.
David: February 22nd.
Chico: Yes. I’ll probably be touring for that, promotional touring for that, maybe December, Christmas time.
David: OK. Yeah, when I was lookin’ online to see information about it, I didn’t see a title there. So I guess you just came up with the new title?
Chico: Yeah.
David: Any particular artists or producers that you’re collaborating with on this?
Chico: Joe.
David: Joe.
Chico: Joe. And that’s it.
David: Now, as far as producing goes, is it strictly you?
Chico: Just me.
David: Just you.
Chico: Me and Joe.
David: Oh, co-producing?
Chico: Yeah.
David: OK. Does he do a track or two with you, like a duet?
Chico: Yeah, yeah. He does a song with me. He sings with me, and he plays with me.
David: OK. What’s the name of that one song?
Chico: The song “Oh No.”
David: “Oh No.”
Chico: Yeah, right.
David: OK. Sounds good. I saw Joe on 106 & Park the other day.
Chico: Oh, did you?
David: His project looks pretty good, too.
Chico: Yeah, he’s got a good one. We’re label mates now, as well.
David: Which label is that? Kedar Entertainment?
Chico: Kedar Entertainment.
David: Kedar. OK. How do you like it at Kedar?
Chico: I like it. I do. I like it very much. They give you the freedom to be you - artistically, where you need to be. They let you do that.
David: They don’t stand in the way. They just let you create.
Chico: No, not at all.
David: Do you see any possible future collaborations with any of your siblings?
Chico: Well, I’d love something with my whole family. I’d love to do a worship album.
David: OK.
Chico: And my mother, you know, I did one with her on The Game album. And I’d like to do another one with her. That’s probably all that I can see at this point in time.
David: How about a full-fledged DeBarge reunion concert?
Chico: Yeah, definitely.
David: Is that definitely gonna happen?
Chico: Full concert? Yeah. We’d love to do that, too. We’ve done that.
David: Oh, OK.
Chico: Recently, we met up in Chicago about a month ago, and did a real nice DeBarge reunion, get-together, Budweiser-fest type thing. I think a Taste of the City type thing was going on there. We had the whole family on stage. Real great. Chicago.
David: Good. I’m sure the fans are gonna look forward to that, as well as to your project.
Chico: Yeah.
David: I understand you have your own production company - Alove Entertainment?
Chico: Alove Entertainment.
David: How’s that comin’ along?
Chico: It’s good, it’s good. It’s just my label, my production company. I’m gonna be working with other artists, developing pretty soon. I just have to take my time, and hand pick them, and be involved in their development fully.
David: Are you looking at a particular genre of music, or do you just wanna split it up, or just toss it up a little bit?
Chico: Naw. I just feel someone out there, artistically - it might be in my family - that I could be involved in their life. And I’m just leaving that door opened for that, so that I can just artistically develop, help them to develop. That’s all.
David: OK. Sounds good. What’s on your iPod these days? What are you listening to?
Chico: Awww, man...Stevie...Innervisions. I’m listening to that. I listen to a lot of The Beatles. I’ve been in that Stevie/Beatle [mode]. Definitely James Taylor.
David: OK. He’s got a new cover album that he just came out with.
Chico: Yeah?
David: It’s called Covers. James Taylor.
Chico: Oh, he’s just coverin' a bunch of songs?
David: Yes. Well, his spin on them.
Chico: OK.
David: Some of your favorite old school artists? You mentioned Stevie.
Chico: Yeah, Stevie. Marvin Gaye, Michael Jackson, Switch, DeBarge. Rufus and Chaka Khan, of course. James Taylor, Heatwave, Bobby Caldwell.
David: Yeah, Bobby Caldwell. He’s a very underrated artist.
Chico: Yeah. I’m very well-balanced.
David: Yeah. That’s a nice collection of tunes to listen to.
Chico: Yeah. Diverse.
David: Right. Who are some of the current artists out there who you enjoy listening to?
Chico: Oh, wow. Some of the current artists I enjoy listening to? I enjoy listening to Beyonce...I love her. India.Arie...love her. Joe. Anthony Hamilton.
David: Anthony Hamilton is good. Yeah. He was in St. Louis on the Fourth of July.
Chico: Was he?
David: Yeah. We have this thing called Live on the Levee. It’s just a summer concert series, and he was here during Fourth of July weekend.
Chico: Wow. Yeah, he’s a good singer.
David: Who would you most like to work with on a duet? Assuming you haven’t already done that.
Chico: I’ve done it. Who would I like to do a duet with? I’m not really a duet singer. I don’t know. I don’t know. I don’t really visualize myself singing with anybody when I do sing. It’s usually who can bring it home, you know? Or who the song asks for, you know? Yeah, that’s usually how it goes.
David: One of the things I didn’t realize is that you did a duet with Tatyana Ali, from The Fresh Prince of Bel Air, on her album, Kiss The Sky - a song called “Yesterday.”
Chico: Yup, I did. I love Tatyana Ali. The girl can sing.
David: I’ve heard her sing. She’s very good. Very good. There are some actors who can actually...
Chico: Blow.
David: Yeah, actually sing. Any funny stories from the road, touring?
Chico: Uhhh...stories? [Laughter]
David: Let’s keep it clean. If possible. [Laughter]
Chico: Man, I don’t know no clean ones. I don’t know no clean ones. [Laughter]
David: None that can be posted at a Web site, right?
Chico: Naw, naw. [Laughter]
David: OK. Well, we’ll just keep it at that. That’s fine.
Chico: Yeah. How do you say? What goes on in Vegas, stays in Vegas.
David: Now, you mentioned earlier that you worked in a variety of gospel stage plays, one of which was here in St. Louis.
Chico: Yeah.
David: Is acting something that you’d like to continue to pursue with music?
Chico: Yeah, I like to do that. I like to do the stage plays. Primarily that.
David: Not movies or television?
Chico: Maybe, but it’s nothing I’m jumping into. More so, stage plays, because you get to express yourself vocally and artistically. Musically as well. And I like that.
David: That’s right. I know. That’s a big component of those gospel plays.
Chico: Yeah.
David: They have these musical segments...
Chico: Right.
David: ...interludes, if you will.
Chico: Yup.
David: You mentioned being in the game for quite a long time. What words of advice could you impart on an aspiring artist who’s looking to get into the music business?
Chico: Don’t measure yourself. Don’t define yourself by anyone else’s definitions, standards, or measurements. Don’t age yourself. Don’t limit yourself to anybody else’s measurements. People will try to tell you that you’re too old for this, or you’re too young for this. Don’t believe it. Music is one thing that has no age, no limits, no borders, no boundaries.
David: That’s right. Very good. At this point, is there anything else you’d like to tell your fans, or to the readers of Beige World, in closing?
Chico: Just God bless them and keep them in this trying time and age that we’re going through. I look forward, with this new CD that’s coming out, visiting, seeing them again on the road, coming back out on the road, shaking hands with people I haven’t seen in a long time. So I’ll see ‘em out there.
David: OK. So we’ll look forward to seeing Addicted next February.
Chico: Thank you, my brother.
David: OK. Thank you very much, Chico.
Chico: All right, then. Thank you, man.
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Later that evening, Chico put on a GREAT show before an enthusiastic crowd at EXO. (By the way, all the pictures in this post were taken at the show.)
He performed his own string of hits ("No Guarantee", "Iggin' Me", "Give You What You Want"), threw in a DeBarge classic ("I Like It"), and then closed with the Marvin Gaye classic "Inner City Blues."
This was my first time seeing Chico perform live, and I was VERY impressed.
All in all, it was a perfect evening, and everyone had a great time.
By the way, keep an eye out for the Beige World review of Chico's upcoming CD, Addicted.
Official Chico DeBarge MySpace page: http://www.myspace.com/chicodebarge1
Mama DeBarge's Web site: http://www.mamadebarge.com/
Official Kedar Entertainment Web site: http://www.kedar.com/
Official Kedar Entertainment MySpace page: http://www.myspace.com/kedarentertainmentgroup
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UPDATE:
Since my interview with Chico, the release date for his album - now titled Addiction - has been moved to June 30, 2009.
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One other thing - EXO is FANTASTIC!
EXO occupies a recently renovated two-story building. The interior - with its hardwood floors, flat screens, and comfy couches and chairs - is simply beautiful, with fully stocked bars on both the main level and the 2nd floor. There's also an adjacent patio, which is where Chico performed for the evening.
What I like most about EXO is that it makes excellent use of its interior space. From the outside, you wouldn't think it was that big. But once you step inside and walk around, you'll instantly notice how roomy it is. There are also several intimate spots throughout the club where you can get away from the action. In my opinion, EXO exudes style and class.
If you're in St. Louis, and you're looking for a nice place to chill, DEFINITELY check out EXO.
And if you were at EXO that night, post a comment, and let me know what you thought of the event.
It's good to hear Chico's still around and coming out with a new cd soon. I've been a fan of the brother for a while now and was glad you mentioned his first hit, "Talk to Me". I wish you could've gotten him to talk about his relationship with Janet Jackson, though, as well as the stabbing incident in Philly a few years ago. I have three of his cd's: 1-Long Time No See, 2-The Game & 3- Free (his best cd, in my opinion!) And will definitely be looking forward to his next one...
Posted by: Will | October 06, 2008 at 08:03 AM
Actually, it was his brother James who was married to Janet Jackson.
Also, I wanted to keep the interview positive, and just focus on music, instead of just digging up a bunch of dirt.
Thanks for checking out the interview. Incidentally, I'm currently trying to line up another celebrity interview (I'm not naming names yet, but you'll definitely like this one), so stay tuned, and keep your fingers crossed.
Posted by: David Burnett | October 06, 2008 at 05:25 PM
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Posted by: Caroline22Schroeder | June 23, 2010 at 06:44 AM
Actually, it was his brother James who was married to Janet Jackson.
Also, I wanted to keep the interview positive, and just focus on music, instead of just digging up a bunch of dirt.
Thanks for checking out the interview. Incidentally, I'm cu
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It's good to hear Chico's still around and coming out with a new cd soon. I've been a fan of the brother for a while now and was glad you mentioned his first hit, "Talk to Me". I wish you could've gotten him to talk about his relationship with Janet Jackson, though, as well as the stabbing incident in Philly a few years ago. I have three of his cd's: 1-Long Time No See, 2-The Game & 3- Free (his best cd, i
n my opinion!) And will definitely be looking forward to his next one...
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