Avant Returns With A Fresh Sound On His Album, Director

Avant

Cleveland, OH-based singer/writer Avant has been one of the top-selling R&B/pop artists for the past six years, starting with his platinum My Thoughts album in 2000. He’s had two other gold albums since then, and he is now releasing his fourth album, Director, on Geffen Records. The album maintains Avant’s soulful, romantic style, but it also marks a fresh, new musical approach. Avant recruited several top writer/producers to create a more cutting-edge, modern R&B sound for this album.

Director could become Avant’s most successful album to date, with two singles becoming hits even prior to the album’s release: “You Know What” (featuring Lil’ Wayne) and “4 Minutes.” In addition, Avant is also enjoying chart success via his guest appearances other artists’ hit singles. For instance, he sings a duet with the Pussycat Dolls on the remix of their hit “Stickwitu,” and he appears on the Ying Yang Twins’ “Bedroom Boom” and Lloyd Banks’ “Karma.”

In a new interview, Avant talked about his new album, and how he decided to take more creative control of his songs and production (which is why he titled the album Director). Avant recalled how he co-wrote 30 songs for the album, before whittling it down to the final song lineup on the CD. In addition, he spoke about his new collaborations with hit writer/producers Jermaine Dupri, Rodney Jerkins, and the Underdogs (Harvey Mason Jr. & Damon Thomas), as well as co-writing new songs with his longtime, writer/producer collaborator, Steve Huff.

“I had done three albums with my man Steve Huff, which I’m very proud of,” explained Avant. “Steve and I did do two songs for the new album. But I also wanted to spread things out a bit, and get different sounds from different producers. I teamed up with some legendary people for the new album. It was easy to approach them – these guys had respect for me. They heard my albums, and said they’d love to work on my new album.”

Avant described how he collaborates on the songwriting. “Usually how it works is, the guys (the writer/producers) do the tracks and I write the lyrics. With the Underdogs, they did the hook and track, then I wrote the verses. It was a beautiful marriage. One of the songs we did was ‘4 Minutes’ (the current single). We wrote this song as if it was a movie story, with the clock ticking down for four minutes – it was a new idea for a song.”

“For ‘You Know What,’ I got together with Jermaine Dupri,” he added. “I was in Atlanta, and Jermaine played me this new track. We took awhile to get a personal connection and vibe, but it turned out great. He came up with the beats. We also did a second song, called “Ghetto Public Service Announcement,” which is the last song on the album. I really like this song – it has a message, and it gives me a chance to express myself on other subjects, such as world issues.”

In addition, Avant collaborated with hit writer/producer Rodney Jerkins on two songs. “We worked together for the first time,” said Avant. “We did two songs, and one of the songs we wrote is called ‘Grown Ass Man.’ It’s a beautiful record.”

For Director, Avant decided to utilize more hip-hop tracks for his songs, and he also invited rappers to perform on certain cuts. “I love hip-hop. (Rapper) Lloyd Banks worked on the album. I also worked with Lil’ Wayne on ‘You Know What.’ The joint was hot, and he’s a hot new rapper. I love doing hip-hop, although I’m an R&B singer first. My fan base would like me to visit the world of hip-hop, but not stay in it.”

Overall, the new album not only displays fresh sounds and tracks, but shows lyrical growth, taking on more ambitious and mature themes. “Things have changed since my last album two years ago,” said Avant. “I have a two-year-old son now, which has given my life a whole new perspective. I also changed management and focused more on the business end. I’ve definitely matured, and the new album is basically about growing, about taking it to the next level.”