For more than a decade, Eric Bellinger has been a major force on the hip-hop, pop and R&B scene as a writer, producer and singer, and he’s got a Grammy to prove it. He’s released multiple albums and mixtapes and is nominated this year for his first Grammy as an artist, for his 2021 album, New Light. Now, he’s popping up on some of your favorite talk shows, getting ready to hit the road on tour with Sammie and serving as the voice of a new movement song, “Speak Up.”
Bellinger joined Blavity Live for a discussion about his current projects and even a little dishing about his love life and the backstory of his flourishing career.
It's about using our voices.
Releasing his new song “Speak Up” as part of Hip Hop Caucus’ Respect My Vote! 2022 midterm campaign, Bellinger has officially joined the ranks of musicians who lead through movement songs. The song is being used by the campaign to mobilize voters through Election Day.
"[I was inspired by] the ability to use my platform in a positive way," Bellinger told Blavity. "If I can be a ripple in the sea, I can start a movement and get people to pay attention to the things that matter."
The song's chorus encourages people to vote by comparing votes to the amplification of voices.
Make sure you say it louder
'Cause your voice matters (Matters)
Don't be afraid to show it
Go ahead and stand up (Stand up)
Don't hold back, you're not alone
Take this chance before it's gone
For everything you believe in
You just gotta speak up, speak up (Speak up)
"You were given a specific set of gifts and it's up to you to be proactive to use that to make a difference," he said. "For me, to write songs and to write music, it's like, 'man, there is no real investment other than time and emotion.' It's about using our voices."
Some would say God is a woman.
Bellinger told Blavity he recognizes the need for Black women’s voices to be amplified because of the impact women have on the movement.
"Some would say God is a woman," he said. "Women just have a specific ability to pay attention to detail and articulate things in a way that's advanced. I think they try to suppress women because they know how powerful they are; they know the influence that they have. They know the queenship that can really start a wave that some men may not have been able to start."
His wife La'Myia is his muse.
Having recently celebrated his seventh wedding anniversary with his wife, La'Myia, Bellinger remarked on how much in love he is with the actress and how their relationship changed the aesthetic of his music.
"She the GOAT," he said. "A lot of my music before her was like all songs about dating, songs about being with different ones, and then when we got together, I released Cuffing Season. I did a three-part trilogy of love songs in a way that was to me, progressive and cool enough for people to listen to considering that there weren't too many love songs."
Bellinger said he and his wife will likely spend Valentine's Day taking a trip without their two young children, so they can spend some time alone together.
He went from taking hits to making hits.
Bellinger's music career was kickstarted when he decided to give up a football scholarship to USC to pursue music. While it could have gone either way for him, he said music felt like a guarantee.
"That was tough," he said of the decision. "The music just seemed like a sure shot. I had a good offer on the table and to me, I was like, 'I like this and I don't gotta get hit no more.'"
He went on to sign with Epic Records and began writing pop hits for artists like Selena Gomez. Later, he worked with The Game and signed two major publishing deals.
"I went from getting hit to making hits," Bellinger said.
He's celebrating his first Grammy nod as an artist.
He’s already got a Grammy for the work he’s done on Chris Brown’s F.A.M.E., but for the first time, Bellinger is nominated for a Grammy as an artist. While he may not know what he’ll be wearing (he’s got a stylist for that), Bellinger is incredibly grateful to be recognized for his own work and believes it was all worth the wait.
"This one feels good. I already feel like I won. I already feel like everything I have done has led me to this point," he said. "Of course, I would have loved it five years ago, but God's timing, it just shows me, because now I'm so equipped. I'm so ready. I was so patient and now I'm to the point where I'm boiling when it comes to being ready to perform; when it comes to being ready to interview, do a photo shoot; ready to hit a red carpet, to do a fitting all night… Everything I've done up until now has equipped me to not only get here but stay here."
The smooth crooner is set to hit the road with R&B singer Sammie for the 27-stop Vibes on Vibe Tour starting this March. He hasn't been on the road since the COVID-19
pandemic shutdowns put a halt to live music and other performances.
"If you like sangin', pull up, because my vocals is all the right — they've been resting for two and a half years," he said. "I'm coming back with more hits and I'm coming back with a band. I'm coming back to give y'all some more intimate vibes."
