aK Conversations: Aaron Camper
aK Conversations engages artists in intimate dialogue about their craft from early inspiration to future aspirations.
Meet Aaron Camper. Hailing from Salisbury, Maryland this Grammy nominated singer/songwriter is poised to make a huge splash as he transitions from working behind the scenes to standing in his own spotlight.
Raised in the church, Aaron’s early musical influences include everyone from The Winans and The Clark Sisters to Marvin Gaye and Al Green. He’s gone on to write, sing, and tour with a myriad of artists including Mike Posner, David Guetta, Rob Thomas, Jill Scott, and Chris Brown. In 2008, Aaron received his first Grammy nomination for his work on Marvin Sapp’s album Thirsty.
We made it our personal mission to seek out this rising star and we caught up with him in New York City a few weeks ago where he was a featured artist for BET’s Music Matters Showcase.
aK: You’re based in Maryland. How has the area influenced your sound?
AC: It was pretty much my household in Maryland. My house was just a vault full of music. If I was kicking it with my dad, he’d have on Marvin Gaye, Al Green, and the Winans. And if I’m kicking it with my mom, she’s got her Roberta Flack on. It wasn’t a day that I couldn’t go in the living room and my sister wouldn’t be watching Video Soul with Donnie Simpson.
aK: What would you be doing if you weren’t doing music?
AC: You didn’t want to be the guy with the light eyes, singing, in my neighborhood, growing up. So you had to play sports. That was the only other resolve in my neighborhood. We played basketball. We played AAU, we played in school, we played all year round. College was definitely the next step to play ball, but it just didn’t work out. If I wasn’t singing, I’d like to say I’d be playing ball somewhere.
aK: You’ve gotten to work with some cool artists so far. What was it like meeting Stevie Wonder and Patti Labelle?
AC: Aww man. Stevie Wonder is one of the most down to earth guys that you’ll ever want to meet. He’s one of our last living legends. And Patti Labelle as well. They just have so much wisdom and they give so much inspiration that needs to be shared now while they’re still around.
aK: Was there something that Stevie said to you, or a special moment that you remember, when you met him?
AC: There was nothing that he said. It was when he sat down at the piano and he played [John Coltrane's] “Giant Steps,” which is a very difficult piece to play on piano. Just to hear his interpretation on the grand piano was all-time for me. Like, I lost it. To hear him play that song is like hearing R. Kelly sing one of your favorite gospel songs. That was deep for me.
aK: Speaking of R. Kelly, on “Sing A Song” you mention yodeling in the chorus. How are you inspired by his sound?
AC: R. Kelly is a legend. We all grew up on 12 Play, and just everything he did, with working with Guy, Aaron Hall, Teddy Riley, and even with the Winans. So I guess you could say I was paying homage to R. Kelly with the yodeling thing. No matter what’s happened, he’s still one of the most phenomenal songwriters of my generation. R. Kelly is one of the greats. It all starts from him.
aK: So speaking of another legend that we grew up with– Diddy. How did the Diddy Dirty Money track “No Ordinary Love” come about?
AC: I was supposed to be a part of the Diddy Dirty Money Tour because at the time I was singing background for them. It didn’t work out due to my own scheduling conflicts. Puff was like, “Come to the studio at the house, and lay your background parts. Give me some of that, give me some of that Winans. Give me some of that gospel for the tour.” So I was cutting background stuff every night in ProTools. And from there, we just kept doing songs. He’s like, “Alright, alright, alright playboy. Give me one more song. Do this song, do this song.” And with “No Ordinary Love,” Puff was like, “Yo, imma release this. Imma put this on the mixtape. It’s hot.” And they put it out, and that helped my career tremendously. Puff’s my man.
aK: Where can fans see you next?
AC: We just finished the Jill Scott Block Party Tour. And next is the Chris Brown Fame Tour. I’ve been doing shows of my own. There’s a lot of good energy from people who just love the mixtape. I’m just blessed to be in a place where I can be touring with these major artists and they let me spread my wings and grow on their clock. So the next couple of months I’ll be with my man Chris, and wherever ya’ll want me to be I will be there. It’s whatever the people say.
aK: That’s a good thing. That means you’re loved.
Bonus Feature: aK asks a few unconventional questions and Aaron sings a classic…….
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As Told to Jada G
aK Handpicked
Aaron Camper – Julia
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Diddy-Dirty Money w/ Aaron Camper – No Ordinary Love
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Aaron Camper – Sing a Song
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For more music and info about Aaron Camper, visit http://aaroncampermusic.com/
Follow Aaron Camper on Twitter
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