UB Interview: Steven Russell Harts Talks The return of TROOP, TVOne’s Unsung, “The Wedding Singer” & More
It’s the official return of the platinum selling quartet, TROOP, they’ve released their long awaited single, “Not In A Million Years.”
This follows the incredibly warm reception to their performance on the 2014 BET Awards which have a reported viewing of 7.9 million.
Already established as artist before their time, Troop members Steven Russell Harts, Jon Jon Harreld, Reggie Warren and Rodney Bedford propels music to the next level with state-of-the-art sound that stems from an unteachable talent that each member innately possess.
“Not In A Million Years” is the perfect return song for the group to remind all of their unmatched talent.
“Not In A Million Years” was produced by Grammy award winning producers, The Underdogs and Steven Russell Harts. The team has once again produced a guaranteed hit. Known for delivering remarkable hits for artists such as Lionel Richie, Tyrese, Joe, Chris Brown, Mary J. Blige, Jennifer Hudson, Ruben Studdard and a host of others, The Underdogs and Steven have officially raised the bar with their unmatched production on this project. “Not In A Million Years” was written by Steven Russell Harts, Harvey Mason Jr. and James Fauntleroy, a dynamic trio that has a notable track record for writing award winning lyrics.
“Not In A Million Years” is the first nationally released single Troop has released in 15 years. Their ability to remain musically essential comes from the non- stop melodic work behind the scenes by group members. Steven Russell Harts and Jon Jon Harreld both have successfully ventured out on solo careers. Steven has written and produced countless hits such as “No Air” for Jordin Sparks and Chris Brown which earned him an ASCAP Pop Music Award as well as a Grammy nomination. Steven also wrote the ASCAP Music Award winning and Grammy nominated single “Take You Down” for Chris Brown, and he won a Grammy for writing Jennifer Hudson’s “Invisible,” just to name a few of his accomplishments. Reggie and Rodney have shared their unfaltering vocals on background music. Although we have all been fortunate to enjoy some of the behind the scenes work that has been shared with us, it is time for Troop to return to the forefront and show the world energetic, heartfelt performances still exist.
Troop can be seen TONIGHT on TVOne‘s episode of “UnSung.” Viewers will have an opportunity to learn more about the group that so many fans continue to adore and why admirers remain loyal to this group.
Steven Russell Harts spoke to Aries of UrbanBridgez.com recently about The return of TROOP, his new album “The Wedding Singer,” TVOne’s Unsung, How him and Brandy ended up with the same song on their albums, The record industry in 2014 and much more!
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UrbanBridgez.com: First off I have to say that I am beyond excited about TROOP’s Unsung! Congrats, it’s very well deserved!
Steven Russell Harts: Thank you. Woo Hoo (laughs).
UrbanBridgez.com: How did it come about that you guys would be featured on Unsung?
Steven Russell Harts: A friend of mine who was a producer put in a good word for us. A lot of people were beating them up about doing one on TROOP, but in the end it was an inside friend of mine. My buddy Mike, he introduced us to all of the bosses over there and stuff and that’s how it went down.
UrbanBridgez.com: Without telling too much, what are TROOP fans like myself going to get out of this Unsung?
Steven Russell Harts: Nobody knows anything about TROOP. Besides the hits that we had and the videos. This is actually going to be the first ever look inside of such a dynamic situation, that came and went so fast. You’re going to get to hear everybody’s perception of what went on. It’s going to be really good, I’m excited.
UrbanBridgez.com: The first album came out in 1988, how did you guys first get signed to Atlantic?
Steven Russell Harts: We’re all from Pasadena, California and once we put the group together we went on a show called Puttin’ On The Hitz. We performed New Edition and that’s how the group got discovered. So once we put all of the members together, we signed with a production company that introduced us to Atlantic and that’s how we auditioned for them and got signed in 1986.
UrbanBridgez.com: You guys just dropped “Not In A Million Years” from the upcoming project. You guys haven’t lost a beat, what can we expect from this new project as far as the direction of TROOP 2014?
Steven Russell Harts: We just want to come fresh. We’re going to come with the great love songs, the great traditional R&B good sounding records, but we’re also going to be on that…in the club bangin. We dance anyway, so we will have those tracks as well. We’re going to do what we do and remain who we are and still be fresh. It’s a new TROOP, we’re not bringing the past back, know what I mean. It’s going to be pretty good. We got Hit-Boy producing, Chuckii Booker, PK the guy who did Fine China and more hot producers.
UrbanBridgez.com: That’s going to be dope. Specially with Chuckii giving you one of your biggest hits.
Steven Russell Harts: Two of them, Spread My Wings and All I Do Is Think of You.
UrbanBridgez.com: That’s right he did, I’m beyond excited. TROOP can never go wrong with the ballads, I mean never!
Steven Russell Harts: Thank you man, appreciate that so much.
UrbanBridgez.com: You guys were originators for real. It’s like I always think of you guys when I hear Jodeci’s Stay and DeVante is like “don’t talk, just listen.” I always wonder does everybody know that came from TROOP and Young Girl from the first album (both laugh).
Steven Russell Harts: Yup!
UrbanBridgez.com: They gonna learn today!
Steven Russell Harts: I know that’s right (laughs).
UrbanBridgez.com: I have to ask you this being such a huge TROOP fan being I have so many, off the top of your head, what are your top 3 favorite TROOP songs you’ve recorded?
Steven Russell Harts: One of my top 3 is I Will Always Love You.
UrbanBridgez.com: Mines as well, that should have been a single!
Steven Russell Harts: You’re right, you’re definitely right. And Spread My Wings and All I Do Is Think of You. We have a song on the Mayday album called The Audacity that I like a lot.
UrbanBridgez.com: I love that song too! (both laugh)
Steven Russell Harts: That’s right!
UrbanBridgez.com: You dropped your solo album “The Wedding Singer” this Summer, which is a great R&B body of work.
Steven Russell Harts: Thank you!
UrbanBridgez.com: One thing I noticed instantly is the music to “For The Rest of My Life” is the same production on Brandy’s “Truthfully.” I absolutely love that. How did that come about?
Steven Russell Harts: My song was actually done first. My song was written to that music before Brandy’s or before that even came about. So I just decided to stay true to what it was when I had it & just release it how it is. The music was written by one of my best-friends, so there was no big deal with that.
UrbanBridgez.com: What separate’s a Steven Russell Harts album from a TROOP album?
Steven Russell Harts: The content I think, a lot of the content is more personal with the Steven Russell Hart’s album. More of my intimate feelings , my dreams of how I would be in a perfect state as a man. The TROOP albums is more of what we want to say as a group & what we want people to feel from us as a group.
UrbanBridgez.com: We did an interview back in 09 and one thing you said you would change about the industry today is the record company system as far as who’s signing artists. In 2014, would that be the same or would you change something else now about the industry?
Steven Russell Harts: Well today the record industry has changed to the extreme. The best thing record companies can do is sign decent talent and invest in that artist. But now days, it’s all about how many likes you got and how many followers. It’s a total different game now, so I really don’t know what to say I would change. There’s a certain part of music that still hangs on, of course that’s pop. But with black music, it’s up in the air. Nobody is buying it, but everybody is dancing to it and everybody has it. It’s the weirdest thing man. Those are the main two differences, the similarities are more than the differences as far as content. It’s all about having great songs.
UrbanBridgez.com: You and the Underdogs have written hits for everybody, literally. Who’s on your wish list to work with in the lab?
Steven Russell Harts: I would love to work with Drake, Nicki Minaj, J. Cole. I would also love to work with Keke Wyatt again. I want to work with Ledisi more than anything right now, she’s my favorite. I just absolutely love her.
UrbanBridgez.com: That would be a great collaboration! I have to ask you, what are three albums you think every R&B music head should own?
Steven Russell Harts: They have to have Michael Jackson’s Off The Wall and Thriller, I’ll count that as one. They have to have that education sonically on how music is supposed to sound. That’s the best sonically mixed album to this day and some of Dr. Dre’s stuff is mixed like that as well. You got to have Songs in The Key of Life (Stevie Wonder), you have to have The Isley Brothers because these are all lessons where you get the schooling from. You have to have The Gap Bad, Parliament, Earth Wind and Fire…you notice I can’t stop.
UrbanBridgez.com: I’m just happy I have everybody you’ve named in my collection (laughs).
Steven Russell Harts: Yeah you have to have those people. You have to have your basic education and your foundation of R&B music that was put here for us. You really have to have that education to know where we’re headed. Or where we should be headed.
UrbanBridgez.com: What’s next for yourself and TROOP?
Steven Russell Harts: We’re gearing up for our tour right now. So the next thing, is to get on the road. We’re going to promote my album and the new TROOP single and Return album all together. Also, just get into more television and film on the production side. I’m getting more into teaching, I’ve been studying our history of biblical historian. I’ve just been doing a lot of studying and I’m really interested in teaching after 15 years I’m really ready to start giving back, even as I still learn. Specially to our youth, so we can stop passing on the same things, that’s been passed on for so many years. Somebody has to fix it, somebody has to stop the mindset…or at least try.
UrbanBridgez.com: Very true! Good luck with that! Anything else you want to leave with your fans?
Steven Russell Harts: I just want to say thank you for the support. Thank you for the continued support, we love our fans and all of our supporters. You can follow TROOP: Twitter.com/TROOPRnB and Facebook.com/TROOPReturn & You can follow me Twitter.com/StevenRusel and Facebook.com/StevenRussellHarts . I just want to say thank you for having me and I hope you enjoy the new music.
“Listen to Steven Russell Harts “Shelter”
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TROOP is an internationally recognized R&B sensation that got their start in the late 80’s. Hailing from Pasadena, CA, Troop was signed to Atlantic Records and released their debut single “Mamacita”. After reaching #1 on the Billboard R&B Charts they were quickly established as a group that music fans would take notice of. After the success of the debut album, Troop’s follow up, “Attitude” was an album that would become known as a classic for hit songs like “Spread My Wings” and “All I Do Is Think Of You” which both climbed to #1 on the Billboard R&B charts and simultaneously remained in the top 10 on the charts for weeks. It was certified platinum in 1990.
Troop released their third album, “Deepa” in 1992 which saw their single “Sweet November” go straight to #1 on Billboard R&B charts as well. They followed “Deepa” with five more projects “A Lil Sumpin Sumpin” (1994), “Mayday” (1998), “Troop The B-Sides” (2014), “Troop The Slow Songs” (2014) and “Troop Deepa Revisited” (2014). Troop has headlined a number of shows and also shared the stage with artists they toured with in the past such as Boyz II Men, Brian McKnight, Keith Sweat, Silk, Mario and Jon B.
“Not In A Million Years” is available now on iTunes
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