In the midst of a bustling Amsterdam Dance Event (ADE), Eric Redd shares insights into his hectic yet fulfilling schedule. Reflecting on the positive mindset required to navigate the busy week, he emphasizes the importance of staying busy and appreciating the opportunities he once wished for. For those unfamiliar with ADE, Eric highlights its dual appeal as a vibrant party destination for music enthusiasts and an essential gathering for DJs. Outside the event, he humorously describes his favorite Amsterdam activities, blending cultural experiences with indulgence. As an ever-evolving artist, Eric discusses the necessity of adapting to remain relevant in the dynamic music industry. Notably, he explores his mission to diversify his musical portfolio, delving into soulful and tech house genres, challenging stereotypes and showcasing the breadth of his talent. The conversation turns to his Grammy consideration, where he expresses pride and excitement while navigating the delicate balance of anticipation. Eric‘s multifaceted career journey, from Soul Train to ballet dancing, musical theater, and achieving a record deal, unfolds in a captivating narrative. As he closes the chapter on 25 years of a vibrant career, Eric looks forward to his new chapter in Barcelona, committing to bridging the gap between European dance music and the American audience.
Thanks for speaking with us, it’s a really busy week, how is your ADE going?
I’m glad to be busy. I’m really glad to be busy because there’s just a lot of artists here and there’s a lot of stuff going on. I came here wanting to be busy, like some three, four years ago and now when I arrived, I got off the plane and there was somebody waiting for me at the hotel to take me to an interview. And then I had a show last night, I got to the show and I thought, you know, you were begging for this. And I have a record that’s out and it’s under Grammy consider so there’s a lot of things that you beg for and then you get them and you to remember to have a positive mindset. Yeah, soI wanted it
For someone who has never been to ADE, can you tell them what they’re missing?
I think if you’re a guy that wants to just party and see all the greatest people in house music, you can’t miss it. But if you are a DJ, it’s a must too.
Away from ADE, what is your favorite thing to do in Amsterdam?
Like, if I were gonna tell you what my favorite thing to do is to go to a bar and smoke some pot and drink a Belgian beer and then go and sit in the corner of a French fries place and eat French fries with mayonnaise and when that doesn’t work, I just go shopping.
As an ever evolving artist, how important is it for you to keep changing as the world does?
It’s essential to stay in this business. If you stay who you are, you’ll be pushed out because eventually the audience will get used to what you do. I think you owe it to your audience and you owe it to yourself to evolve who you are. And one of the things I’m doing now, it’s interesting, I’m doing more soulful house, but I’m also doing tech house because I’ve learned that you don’t see as many black vocalist doing tech house. The soulful house is full of it and when I started I was doing poppy songs. And so it is my mission to do, like my latest album, a diversity of things that you wouldn’t expect a black singer to do.
Moving onto your Grammy considerations, how does that process feel?
Yeah, it’s amazing. It’s weird because you’re really proud and you’re really excited and then you have to try to figure out how to push it away. Because the first part of the Grammy thing is just the like, a big voting card. And so I’m on the ballot with like, 50 other artists. Now, 50 albums between all the albums is quite a compliment, it’s amazing but it goes down to five and you got to get your head out of those what if thoughts.
You’ve been doing a ton of stuff in your career, can you open up more about those?
I was on a TV show as a kid called Soul Train. And then I became a ballet dancer. And then I did musical theater, and then I got a record deal. And then I did a tour and just like that it’s been 25 years and then it’s a career. And I tell you, the funniest thing is, when you’ve been doing it for a long time and you go, oh, I can’t do anything else. You can’t go back to school, you know?
For the rest of the year, do you have any plans or goals you want to work towards?1
So I just moved to Barcelona. I decided to commit myself to really opening a vessel as an American artist that was going to be able to bring European dance music to American but to do that, I had to leave. You can’t jump back and forth. So that’s what the end of the year is to kind of push the door on that chapter closed.
