D’Angelo surprised the entire world when he dropped his first album in almost fifteen years at the tail end of 2014, before suddenly disappearing out of the public eye again with the exception of some highly anticipated live shows. Outside of his performances we haven’t seen a whole lot of D’Angelo, and that’s partly because he doesn’t give a lot of interviews. In fact, he hasn’t given a TV interview in over ten years.
That of course changed this week, though, with his appearance on The Tavis Smiley Show. His first TV interview in a very, very long time, his two-part appearance on the show touched upon a number of topics, including his musical idols (Prince in particular), his upbringing and how it affected his music, as well as the long break between his albums. It’s immensely interesting stuff, especially considering how long it’s been since he sat down to talk on camera.
An early highlight of the interview comes early on when he’s asked what about his higher register, saying “There’s something to be said about a man who can be very masculine but still display that sensitive side.” Considering the pedigree of himself, Prince, Curtis Mayfield, and countless others, it’s hard to disagree with that sentiment.
Watch the first part of the interview above, and watch the second part below.
