After taking some time to focus on producing music and other ventures, Atlanta-bred R&B singer Jacquees is back on tour to reignite his reign as the self-proclaimed “King of R&B.”
In his first tour in three years, the singer kicked off his 21-date Sincerely for You Tour in New Orleans on Sept. 29 and is hitting other hotspots such as Atlanta, Chicago, Detroit and Houston. Replete with his soul-infused signature vocals and dazzling choreography, Jacquees plans on cultivating a passionate performance every night.
Supporting his third studio album, Sincerely for You, which dropped in December, the 29-year-old R&B crooner performs a medley from the project: “The Mud,” “When You Bad Like That” and “Tell Me It’s Over,” alongside some of his biggest tracks to date: “B.E.D.,” “Your Peace” and “At the Club.”
“I feel really good about the album. I’m on the road right now,” Jacquees told Blavity in a recent interview. They always say, if you can drop a third album then you know you’re here to stay. The fans love the record. There’s so many records from the album they love.”
Executive produced by fellow Atlanta native and Grammy Award-winning rapper Future, Sincerely for You is a modern-day R&B collage of sultry, passion-driven tracks filled with verve and enthusiasm.
“When he told me he wanted to produce my album, I was like ‘Oh s**t, Future wants to produce my album.’ That’s like my big brother. We’re like family forreal. We from the same side of town in Atlanta. I’ve got a real relationship with bruh.”
Whether it’s back-to-back shows, late-night club appearances or the show itself, the standard touring regiment can be grueling and rigorous. Instead of complaining and being pessimistic, Jacquees has opted to find the silver lining.
“Tour life is crazy,” he explained. “I just woke up [at 2:30 p.m.]. It’s wild, I mean a good wild. It’s adventurous. There’s just something that you have to get through every day on tour. You might have a little mishap, but you’ve just gotta know how to stay on point.”
Aside from the non-stop action of touring and the release of his latest project, there are so many things beyond music that Jacquees is striving to achieve.
“A goal I’m tryna achieve right now, I’m tryna get me some awards,” he said. “I wanna do that and continue to put my foot down. There’s different ways to be successful in this industry as an artist. It’s like someone getting a Grammy. That could be your version of success. You got brothers like me that haven’t won anything but are still successful. It’s different levels to this s**t. I can tour for the rest of my life. I’m thankful for that. As long as I can feed my family and take care my mama, I’m cooling.”
In addition to his quest for more accolades, the “King of R&B” wants to try many new things and show off a hidden talent: his penchant for acting.
“I’ve got my own wine bar in Atlanta called The Wine and Tapas Bar. My artists. I’ve got my label: FYB (Forever Your Brother) Records. I got a lot of s**t going on. I’m tryna get into this acting world. I want people to get a chance to see everything I can do. I have a background in acting. I used to do theater with Chloe Bailey and Halle Bailey and all those people when we were kids,” Jacquees shared.
He recently teamed up with two bonafide legends thoroughly seasoned in the R&B game: Jermaine Dupri and Diddy. They created “Pick It Up” and “Pick Up” featuring Fabolous. Being from Atlanta and working with Dupri was a full-circle moment for the young star.
“I love JD,” Jacquees said. “I used to chase that n***a cars, tryna get on, you feel me? I remember I was chasing that n***a car in East Atlanta at Little Five Points. Just to be here, just shows you just how good God is and how hard work and dedication can put you where you wanna be. I’m honored because I’ve always wanted to work with him.”
With a third of the Sincerely for You Tour shows completed, Jacquees is ready to take things up a notch. Based on everything he’s achieved already, the sky is the limit.