Bobby Valentino, hello! Look around you, the sun is shining and the birds are singing. Summer is finally here! On a scale of 1 to 10, how happy are you right now?
A 10! I’ve definitely bought some of the US sunshine with me today. The weather’s great, and I’ve been having a great time here, so I’m feeling brilliant. ‘Slow Down’ has just been number one in the US for eight weeks, and just starting on the second single over there now, so it’s all good.
Marvellous! With the weather so great, are there any particular songs that you like to sunbathe to?
I don’t really have a favourite summer song, but the Bobby Valentino album is a great summer album! I’d tell everybody to go and get that!
Tut tut, you’re just plugging your own material now, aren’t you?
Well, there are a lot of old songs that remind me of when I was young, but I can’t really remember what any of them are called. I’d recognise them if I heard them though.
Right. Has anyone ever looked at your small but perfectly formed frame, and called you ‘Bobby Valenteeny’?
No.
OK. Have you ever had a holiday romance?
Actually it’s funny how you call it a holiday – we call it a vacation! [Hilarious! – Ed]. Yeah, I’ve had holiday romances a few times. These things happen. It’s always the same though, you just lose touch after a while. You might only be there for a few days, then you just don’t see them again.
You heartbreaker! Any recent ones?
The last one was when I was in Miami. I don’t think it’s clean enough to give you details though!
Good, because, frankly, we don’t care to hear about it. On to more innocent matters: what was the last thing you bought from a newsagent's?
Skittles. I love Skittles.
Bless. Do you wash them down with oceans of booze?
Well no, I don’t really get drunk. I get tipsy sometimes, but never drunk.
Us neither! [Hic!] So getting back to the music, what on Earth makes you so different from the other R’n’B artists out there?
Real singing, and singing from the heart. Lots of people lip sync, but Bobby Valentino never lip syncs. It’s all about real music.
Indeed! Got any ‘beef’ with anyone?
Not really – I just do what I do. Everybody brings what they bring to the table, and I bring what I bring.
Right. So what exactly is it that you “bring to the table”?
A twist of old R’n’B, with new soul. A 2088 twist! [?! – Ed] I took stuff from all from my favourite artists and put a bit of Bobby Valentino in there. There are loads of influences on there – it’s not really R’n’B. People label it R’n’B ‘cause I’m a black man, but I feel like my music is international. My album has lots of different sounds, Asian twists, UK twists, whatever. I’m just trying to make great music that will travel internationally.
We didn’t really understand a word of that, but enjoy the sunshine anyway!
I’ll try!
You do that.
