This past summer, the country was blown away by a man who was putting all of the ladies to bed. R&B rookie J. Holiday currently has the number one R&B song in the country with his debut smash, “Bed”. His mild beats and soothing lyrics have taken fans by storm. His debut album, “Back of My Lac”, hit stores Oct. 2. The 22-year old Washington D.C. native has been busy promoting the album.
However, he did take out the time to discuss his debut album and give the fans a little more info about himself.
Before we get into the album, one does have to wonder how he got this far in the game. J. Holiday really got the name from his Uncle James who was a big inspiration in his life. “Holiday” comes from the fact that there are so many people in the music industry who have the name Holiday, and he felt he could fill their shoes efficiently. When it comes to his songs, Holiday says that he likes for his songs to tell real stories. The hit song, “Bed”, on the other hand, was just a little something to show ladies what they would be in store for on Oct. 2.
“I must say, I was definitely surprised by the reaction the ladies had for the song, it was really crazier than I expected,” said Holiday, laughing over the phone about the overwhelming success of the debut hit single.
As far as the album is concerned, he only has one collaboration on the debut album with rappers 8-Ball and MJG. Holiday said that on this album he wanted the fans to just hear him and learn more about his style of R&B-Soul. He does have production from Rodney Jerkins, Sean Garrett, and many others. The reason behind the name of his album “Back of My Lac” is mainly based on the title track. The song talks about his usual cool-out spot after being frustrated or just a regular night with that special someone.
In a world full of very popular male R&B superstars, it’s very hard for one to stand out. However, J. Holiday was able to stand out of that plethora of musicians with “Bed.” When asked who his biggest competition would be if their albums came out on the same day, he took a deep breath, sighed, and said it would have to be Ne-Yo.
Holiday said his favorite current R&B song is Musiq’s “Teach Me.” Holiday said it is a very moving song that hits him every time he hears it. Holiday checks up on his competition daily, and he said that two musicians that he would like to work with in the future would be the legendary Wyclef and the dominating diva Beyonce.
Holiday’s first album hit stores on Oct. 2, but many people might wonder why Holiday didn’t put his album out during the holiday season. Upon hearing the question, Holiday laughed for a minute and then proceeded to answer.
“The reason my album’s not coming out this holiday is because I want to get an early start with promoting myself. We planned for it to start selling right now and then when the second single comes out the album will still be selling high by the holiday season, so I’ll still be holding the top spot down.”