About to Pop: Jason Derulo

By Adam Horne Posted Nov 12th 2009 05:00PM

Who: Jason Derulo
Album: 'The Whatcha Say EP'
Video: 'Whatcha Say'
Hails From: Miramar, Florida
For Fans Of: Ne-Yo, Chris Brown

Why He's About to Pop: With his debut single 'Whatcha Say' tearing up the charts, Jason Derulo's face may be new on the scene, but he's been a presence in the music world since he was twelve years old, writing songs for major artists like Diddy, Lil Wayne, Danity Kane and Sean Kingston (to name a few). Throughout those years, the multi-talented artist (he can sing, dance and act also) knew something was missing. "[Songwriting] wasn't my career path, that was not my choice. It kind of just fell in my lap and was lucrative so I went with the punches," he told PopEater during a recent office visit. "I wanted to express myself ... I didn't want to be the pen behind the voice."

This revelation was nothing new. Derulo had dreams of stardom by age five, when he started mimicking his hero, Michael Jackson. "[My mother] probably brushed it off a little bit like, 'Oh that's cute.' I would just be in front of the TV practicing every single dance move and singing all the songs for weeks at a time nonstop." Years of hard work and practice have paid off, as evident in the tracks Derulo let our staff preview during his office visit. Combining club-ready beats and clever samples with infectious melodies, Derulo is armed and ready to step out in the spotlight.

Watch Jason Derulo's 'Whatcha Say' and the Making of 'Whatcha Say'

Seven Questions With Jason Derulo:

What inspired your single 'Whatcha Say'?

The first single is actually inspired by my brother. He came to me one day, actually called me on the phone and was like, "I cheated on my girl and she left me, but I know if she gave me one more shot I could really be that man that she needs me to be." He really convinced me so I told him, "Go tell her that, tell her just like you told me." I thought that story was just so compelling and so real and people go through that every single day.

How did the sample come about?

I'm the kinda guy that goes into the record store and just picks up any random CD just cause I've never heard of it before. And Imogen Heap is one of those people that I just picked up. And it's crazy how it happened because she was saying "ooh what you say, that you only meant well, of course you did" so it was like she was being sarcastic almost, like to kinda answer back. It just worked perfectly.

How does it feel to finally be the one singing your own songs?

It's incredible. I can't hear myself enough on the radio. People are like "Are you tired of 'Whatcha Say' yet?" I'm like, "No ... I'm not."

How did you and Kara DioGuardi get involved?

Kara DioGuardi from 'American Idol' actually brought my deal in to Warner Bros. She's like one of the biggest songwriters of our time -- she sold her catalog for 27 million or something like that. And you know, her being a songwriter, it definitely solidifies her as being credible in A&R, she doesn't try to pry in on my project and try to force her opinions on me. Just the fact that she trusts me enough to let me write my own music and not try to make me do anything that I don't wanna do is pretty incredible.

Can you tell us about the MTV movie you're working on?

I just finished shooting it about a month ago in Canada. I'm playing myself. The movie's called 'Turn the Beat Around.' It's going to be featured on MTV, it's a dance movie. I'm a big dancer. Basically the lead characters in the movie are trying to audition for my music video. My presence is really big in the movie.

You're an actor, singer and dancer. Do you have a favorite?

Actually it would be very equal. Acting maybe ... Actually, I was offered a part in 'Rent' on Broadway and I had to turn it down because it was a year commitment so it was either that or following the impossible dream, and I chose the impossible dream. At that point I hadn't even been courted by any labels or anything.

Who would be your dream collaboration?

My dream collaboration is with Madonna. I grew up listening to some Madonna because my mom likes her so much and she really has the career that I want for myself. I think it's incredible for someone to be able to reinvent themselves over and over again, and I think that's the most important thing, to be able to last.