MMIM had the opportunity to chat briefly with Ryan Leslie last week while he was in D.C for the Lexus Listening Lounge event. Check out our interview below with the talented singer, songwriter, and producer has he discusses his upcoming album, in addition to how it felt to be recognized as BET Rising Icon.
MMIM: You have a new album coming out entitled Transition. Can you tell the readers at My Mood is Music what we can expect on this album? Will it be a different sound from your first album?
Ryan Leslie: Well I try to be consistent with my music. I don’t really like to be a hype man. For example there have been so many times. I was at lunch today and someone told me about a drink they had and that it was the most incredible drink in the world. They always sets you up for disappoint. In this case I would like to say that I poured my heart out on these records and as a human being its my hope that people will relate to some of the topics that I cover. Just really the experiences of a summer that I had in the throws of a secret love.
MMIM: You are very internet savvy from You Tube and a phenomenal website. Can you telll us why you feel that its important for artists to have a presence on the web in regards to interacting with their fans?
Ryan Leslie: I think that the internet provides a distribution channel that you can control . If you have content that you can’t get on television, local cable, or even radio you can get it on You Tube and it doesn’t cost you anything. If you are someone that has an art that you want to distribute I encourage you to use You Tube as a distribution channel to share your art with the world.
MMIM: You were recently honored by BET and given the title of a Rising Icon. Can you tell us how it felt to be recognized and what’s next for Ryan Leslie?
Ryan Leslie: When given a title there comes a lot of responsibility. When someone refers to you as a rising icon I. Quickly think of the musicians that I consider icons such as. Stevie Wonder, The Beatles, Jimi. Hendrix, Michael Jackson. The list can go on and on. For me to live up to the contribution artistically that those artists have made is a huge responsibility. I am very appreciative and grateful to BET for recognizing what I’m contributing and I am going to do everything that I can to live up to the title of an icon.
