Eric Bellinger is surely one of California's creative sons, and his perspective and character have been polished by a myriad of textured experiences. Lessons drawn from his suburban classrooms and his urban environments have rewarded Eric with an unyielding spirit that's determined to make it. As this VladTV exclusive opens up, Mr. "I Don't Want Her" speaks on how his kaleidoscope of colorful experiences has served to erect his path to success within the music industry.
Recalling growing up in tough areas, Eric was always mindful of the sometimes dangerous situations that often plagued his neighborhood, and the Grammy-award winning singer and songwriter shares a vivid recollection of running to safety as a drive-by threatened his life. Be that as it may, although his community birthed many Bloods gang members, overall he was enveloped with the support and respect of his neighbors who worked to ensure the Eric would actualize his dreams and make it out of the 'hood.
After Eric realized that his gridiron aspirations were not meant to be, he decided to invest his energy into singing. Tapping into his talent that was cultivated since he was a child, Eric explained that "I would sing in church, for sure. That was something that I grew up [doing], since I was a baby, my mom would have videotapes of me singing when I was like three years old. But it was nothing that I really wanted, I didn't necessarily want to make it a career."
Following his high school graduation, Eric joined a five-man singing group entitled AKNU (A Kind Never Understood), which was signed to Epic, and after touring and three successful years on the label, the group would eventually disband. Soon Akon would take an interest in Eric's second group, ONE, and sign the four-man collective to his imprint which was backed by Interscope. Being in a group was "cool for a minute" but Eric insists that "The group thing is tough."
As the convo continues, Eric enlightens the audience about how his cousin who wrote "Damaged" for Danity Kane was his initial inspiration to start penning songs for other artists. He says, "So, when I got out of the group I just started writing. The writing thing was kinda all I could do, because I was still under contract with the group, and the writing thing just kinda took off."
That it did, as to date Eric's resume boasts writing hits for Usher including "Lemme See," and working in-depth alongside Chris Brown on his previous three albums. Eric's pen game is partly responsible for Brown's tracks "Fine China" and "New Flame," as well as an assortment of others.
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