I don't think I've ever had more fun doing anything in my life than trading verses with Daryl Hall on 'Private Eyes.' That's as fun as it gets. Mayer Hawthorne More Quotes by Mayer Hawthorne More Quotes From Mayer Hawthorne I make soul music for hip-hop heads. It's music I'd want to sample if I were a rapper. Mayer Hawthorne rapperhip-hopsoul Drums, bass, guitar, keys, I play a little of each of those. Mayer Hawthorne guitarkeysplay I was really fortunate growing up to have a broad musical education. My parents listened to all kinds of music, rock, soul, Motown, jazz, Frank Sinatra, everything. Mayer Hawthorne rocksgrowing-upparent Gary Numan had a huge influence on both my music and my style. He had his own unique fashion sense - that futuristic space style. It was out there. Mayer Hawthorne fashionspaceunique I consider myself to have a decent sense of humor. What's life without a sense of humor? Mayer Hawthorne decentsense-of-humor I don't want kids listening to my music thinking it's for their parents. I want them to feel it's theirs. Mayer Hawthorne parentkidsthinking I grew up in Ann Arbor, about 25 miles west of Detroit. And when you grow up in that area, you get a healthy dose of Motown automatically. Mayer Hawthorne growing-uphealthywest I was a hip-hop head. When I really found my own lane in music, it was hip-hop. I wanted to make hip-hop music. And I did, I made a lot of hip-hop music. Mayer Hawthorne laneshipship-hop I just want to have fun and party with everyone around the world. That's the only rule, to have fun. Mayer Hawthorne partyfunworld I love doing things that people don't expect. Mayer Hawthorne people Breakfast is the most important meal of the day and I definitely have a hearty breakfast before I do anything. Mayer Hawthorne mealsimportantbreakfast A lot of people think I live in a soul bubble. Mayer Hawthorne soulpeoplethinking I really love rap music. I grew up in the '80s and '90s with Public Enemy, N.W.A., LL Cool J - I'm a hip-hop encyclopedia. But I got kind of frustrated with the chauvinistic side of rap music, the one that makes it hard to write songs about love and relationships. Mayer Hawthorne rapwritingsong I grew up in the '80s and '90s listening to Public Enemy and Mobb Deep and the Smashing Pumpkins. I don't even know what it was like in the '60s - I wasn't alive then - so the Mayer Hawthorne sound is taking what I can learn from the classics, and blending it with my hip-hop DJ and producer background and punk-rock bands that I played in as a kid. Mayer Hawthorne 80s-and-90srockskids My intentions with any of my music is to keep it futuristic and updated and be experimental and try new things. Mayer Hawthorne intentionmusic-istrying My dad calls me 'Mac' a lot, from 'Mike Tyson's Punch Out' - Little Mac is the main character. I was obsessed. I can still beat Mike Tyson on 'Punch Out.' Mayer Hawthorne dadlittlescharacter James Brown is the perfect example of flashy but classy. Classy doesn't have to mean boring. His gear was flamboyant but without being so over the top. The cape was probably the biggest part of his persona. He looked like Superman. Mayer Hawthorne exampleperfectmean Barry White, Smokey Robinson and Curtis Mayfield are big influences for me. But I'm also a metal head. I was in a bunch of punk rock bands. The Bee Gees, hip-hop and the Beach Boys are just as much of an influence on me as Smokey. Mayer Hawthorne beemewhitebeach I'm a serious student of music, a perfectionist in the studio, and I take the arrangement and production of it very seriously, down to the mixing and mastering even. But at the same time I'm having so much fun with it. I try not to take myself so seriously. Mayer Hawthorne myselfmusicserioustime When you're a soul singer, I'm singing a lot of songs about love and relationships that I think a lot of girls really relate to. For whatever reason, that seems to get 'em excited. The DJ, everyone always says the DJ gets all the chicks, but that's never been my experience. Mayer Hawthorne youexperiencesoullove
