Though he was more interested in rap at the time, his mother and friends pushed him to sing in local talent shows 20 altogether all of which he won. Songz grew up in Petersburg with his mother and a pious grandmother, who dragged him to church on Sundays to listen to her sing in the gospel choir. The singer wisely feels he needs to build his career to a comparable level first. "He might outshine what Trey is doing," Songz says with a gentle laugh. The infamous crooner is a holy hero to Songz, so much so that he cites Kelly as both his most influential performer and the one he would refuse to work with, at least at this point in his career. Kelly because he's one of our brightest performers." Songz has also written and worked on music for other artists as diverse as Patti LaBelle, Juvenile and Snoop Dogg. Usually you find the R&B artist singing songs written by 35-year-old men." I find so little R&B is written by the artist. Here was this eighteen-year-old kid writing intelligently about his life through his own eyes. "He gave me twenty-something songs right off the bat," Caren recalls. When the two met, before Songz was signed in 2003, Caren was surprised to find that he had not only a good prospective vocalist before him, but also one who wrote his own songs. "Trey is a workaholic," says Caren, who at 27 (perhaps showing the business is a young person's game) is already a nine-year Atlantic veteran with seven gold and platinum acts under his belt. But what says R&B star? The work speaks for itself, says Mike Caren, senior vice president of A&R at Atlantic. If the CD cover appears, like most in the urban genre these days, as a simple portrait of the artist, potential fans will find a rather sly-looking, handsome young man. The lead single, "Gotta Make It," features the famous rapper and fellow Atlantic artist Twista. Kelly and Pharrell, it could be called hip-hop soul. Songz' debut album, "I Gotta Make It," a journal of endless dreams and loves, is due to drop July 26.
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