With 20 years of industry experience under his belt, R&B star Eric Bellinger has been through it all. He stepped into the music business fresh out of high school after turning down a football scholarship at the University of Southern California.
Prior to this decision though, he was raised in a tight-knit church community where he honed his natural singing ability as a member of a choir. However, when he made the decision to make R&B music full-time, he faced backlash from members of his church.
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Fast forward to now and Eric Bellinger is an accomplished singer-songwriter with multiple Grammy nominations — and a win in 2011 as part of the writing team on Chris Brown‘s F.A.M.E. album. He’s also the CEO of his own label, Allwins Ent., and has an impressive catalog of music that embodies the essence of classic R&B with a modern twist.
HipHopDX caught up with the singer to learn more about his new album, The Rebirth 3: The Party & The Bedroom, while also discussing the way in which faith impacts his music and how his experiences working at Chuck E. Cheese and playing football helped him with running a record label.
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HipHopDX: You grew up in the church and that’s really how you first began singing, but when you first decided to make R&B, a lot of people in the church shunned you. What were the positive and negative impacts growing up in the church had on you?
Eric Bellinger: “Growing up in church taught me faith — to believe in the unseen, to imagine and think that it could be real. I think I carry that in my daily life and it translated for me just being an innovator. On the positive, I definitely gained that and morals, values, you know? I’ve been married now going on 10 years. I think having the example of what’s really right, all those things were instilled in me. As they say, ‘Train up a child when he’s young and when he grows up, he shall not depart those ways.’
“But on the on the flip side, it was tough following a dream that I felt God gave me [but] was frowned upon by the people that I love so much, and the people that raised me. I felt like everybody had their own story though, and my version would just look a little different. Now, here I am, and people are telling me at meet and greets and things like that, just how much I’ve been able to impact their lives spiritually. So I just think it looks different to everyone, and the traditional church way wasn’t to become an R&B singer, but I had to just make my own little way.”
You had an aunt who threw away your secret CD collection when she found it. What were some of the artists that young Eric was listening to at that time?
“I had everything in that one! I think it was Chronic 2001 by Dr. Dre, she brought that in and I knew it was trouble from the get-go. But man, I had everything in there. Joe “I Wanna Know,” I had Blackstreet in there [begins to harmonize the group’s 1997 hit “Don’t Leave Me”]. That kind of stuff is what taught me how to sing and taught me how to do music. Luckily I listened to it enough so it was already embedded in my head and now we got streaming so it’s all good.”
Regardless of the backlash, you had the support of your family, in particular your grandfather, Bobby Day, who was also an OG in the music business. Can you talk about having that musical pedigree in your DNA?
“Growing up with Bobby Day as my grandfather was just the ultimate sign that I could do it. When I would go to the house, he would always be downstairs in his studio. ‘Where’s grandpa? He’s downstairs recording. He’s downstairs recording,’ and I would just go down there and sit and listen. I was able to see how to do it from such an early age.
“Studio in your crib, make your own music, he had his own label, and I really just followed those same footsteps. Whether it was songs that he did for himself or other artists, like the Jackson 5 recorded him as well. So to be the singer-songwriter that I am today is no coincidence considering I had that example so early.”
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Your new album, The Rebirth 3: The Party & The Bedroom, is the third installment in your Rebirth series. What’s the meaning behind the title of this new one?
“This one is really about my life as a whole. I think the purity of the white in the water and the waterfall on the album cover is just, you know, it’s just real stripped down. It comes to me saying, ‘God, I’m just a vessel at this point.’ Everything before this point was my desire for myself, and now, what [God] has for me is all I want.
“A lot of songs I was able to just pour my heart out and not be ashamed if I’m doing different projects with different people. For example, a collab album, I’m making sure it’s street and making sure it’s cool. But with this, I’m giving you love. I’m giving you me, I’m giving you what I think is necessary in the world.”
You’ve got some really great collaborations on the album. How do you choose who to work with?
“It’s all family on this album, especially since Rebirth 3 has a special place in my heart. … When it came to features, Ne-Yo that’s my real brother. Sevyn [Streeter], that’s my real sister. K-Camp is a repeat offender, you know, we already did “Moist” and now we’re coming back to do another one. This ain’t a long shot to where it’s like it’s gonna be a struggle just to get a video post. It’s just genuine family and I think that makes a big difference in the authenticity. I think fans can see through the difference of the paid-for budget and the natural organic vibe.”
This project has been 10 years in the making. What was the process like recording those songs for this specific project?
“Definitely saving songs intentionally. I go to the studio, I write records and sometimes I know like, ‘Okay, this one I gotta put to the side.’ I need a proper rollout. And I think every single song has its own intention. I couldn’t take the song off this album. Nothing else could fit in between, it’s all a story. It’s all in order. The first half is the party. The second half is the bedroom. It’s laid out for people.”
Before music, you played football and worked at Chuck E. Cheese. Is there anything you learned from those experiences that you’ve applied to your music career?
“Definitely. I learned a lot from football. I was the quarterback when I was younger and the captain when I was in high school varsity. So, it’s the leadership I think I carried with me from the football field to now with music because I’m the leader of the label. Like, the same way I would do the chants when we was younger, putting football pads on to now I write these songs that we all live our lives to. It was predestined.
“I didn’t even realize that all these things would connect like that. Chuck E. Cheese would call me out to the parties; I would turn up the situation. At Best Buy, I was a cashier; so my job was to upsell the product replacement plan and that helps with my marketing. It all applies and I wouldn’t change anything in the journey. I’m just glad that I’m able to see the value in each step in my life. Trust the process.”
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What can people expect from you in 2024?
“Man, just be on the lookout for greatness. I can claim it to be greatness because I put the time in and I know what greatness is. I’m not doing the word around. I put the time in to weed out the imperfections, and to highlight the specific imperfections that were necessary. I’ve learned a lot of different ways that can work, but the new shit is all about, ‘I don’t know if this will work.’ And that’s what makes me excited.”
Eric Bellinger’s TheRebirth 3: The Party & The Bedroom is out now via All Wins Ent./Compound Interest — check it out below.
