"54" Singer Eric Redd Talks Andrew Lloyd Webber, Don Cornelius and Kelsey B.
One of the greatest pleasures I’ve had lately was sitting down with multifaceted singer-songwriter Eric Redd. Redd has just released his latest single with Carrillo Music, “54,” the title track from his new CD. “54” is a soulful journey traversing through clubland with exciting beats and storytelling. Like the new single, Eric Redd captivated us with a retelling of his amazing career story. His path to fame is truly what many dreams are made of.
Eric, you are a busy guy! What’s going on today?
It’s been kind of nuts lately. I am involved in three projects right now. A rock band called California Transit Authority, with members from the group Chicago and we have a CD out. I also sing with The Hudson Project, which has kind of a Black Eyed Peas pop sound. And, I have my Carrillo Music dance solo project that we’re promoting called “54.”
When did you first start singing?
Quite a while ago, actually. In my first career, I was a ballet dancer in England. Andrew Lloydd Webber saw me perform one night and insisted I do his musical “Starlight Express.” I had never sung professionally at that point. After I auditioned for his show, they gave me the lead understudy role. They provided me with all the vocal training while I was in the show. I was always enamored with music, so I went along with it. I had joined a rock band on the side. That first year I was in “Starlight Express,” I got a major record deal on my first tryout. I got a deal on Jive, back when it was a budding label. They were only in England and were working on branching out to the states. I was doing pop music back then, when rap and hip-hop went crazy. So I got lost in the shuffle.
What did your family do to encourage you?
They really wanted me to be a doctor. They hated me doing this career. The reason that I left ballet and took the Webber show was only because my parents had actually heard of “Starlight Express” and Andrew Lloyd Webber. He was so famous. They were like “Wow! You must be good!” So I called Andrew back and took the job. For my first performance I got to perform in front of Prince Edward and he came backstage to meet me because he really liked the show. That was the beginning of a career.
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