I am ParisParis is going back to the beginning with her friend and music superstar Jason Derulo! She hears the story of how he wrote his first song at only 8 years old, and why he loves to collaborate with different artists.
Paris uncovers it all to learn about the Jason before Tik Tok and before the Platinum records on an interview you can only hear on I Am Paris.
Wow, I embarrassed.
Hi everyone, Welcome back to I Am Paris. My guest today is a multiple award winning, multi talented singer and songwriter who has generated tens of billions of streams and has achieved over two hundred and fifty million global single sales with dozens of multi platinum and platinum certifications. He's also a good friend of mine. Please welcome Jason Derulel. Y'all, So today we're going to be talking about the past. So let's go down memory lane and talk about major moments in your past that made you the icon that you are today. Hmm.
So I call these like I pinch yourself moments, and these moments are moments where I feel like my life kind of took a massive turn. One being when I got signed j Rhodam was, you know, this big producer.
And he I know, I did my first album with him.
That's right, he did do Yeah, I love him. Well, what year was that, I like two thousand and six.
Around that time, yeah, yeah, yeah.
So he flew me out to Los Angeles. I was eighteen at the time. I was two thousand and eight and I had to move my whole life to Los Angeles. He gave me forty thousand dollars and I had to figure out what I was gonna do with this forty thousand dollars. I had to move my life to Los Angeles. So I take the first twenty obviously buy a car. Worst idea of all time. I took half of my money and I bought this, uh this car. It was an SC four thirty Lexus convertible. I was moving to Los Angeles. Palm trees, great weather. As soon as I get to Los Angeles, weather sucks. There's no sun, it's just cold as hell all the time. I actually had to get a place to live. So it was me and my cousin moving down. My cousin, Henry, and I find this place on Sunset and Vine. It's a beautiful, beautiful condominium and way too expensive for me.
And my mom was like, what are you doing?
You only have twenty five thousand dollars left, Like, how are you going to afford this? It was like five six thousand dollars at a time, and I was like, Mom, I know I can't afford it. She was like, so what are you doing? I was like, that's the reason why I got it, because I can't afford it, and she's like, what are you talking about. I was like, if I can't afford it, then I had to figure out a way to afford it.
And I'm going to do that now.
I wouldn't recommend anybody to do this because I think that was the dumbest shit that I've ever done. But honestly, I made it happen, you know, And that was like the one of the big turning points in my life. When I got here to Los Angeles, I created a routine for myself and then I, you know, made all of these songs. And what You Say was a song that I actually worked on for Sean Kingston as well as a song called Replay, which ended up going to another artist, but Seaun Kingston turned down What You Say and we were kind of like, damn, well, this could probably be my first single. So two thousand and nine, that's when my life changed. Released that song came the number one song in the world. Another moment like that was when I broke my neck in twenty and thirteen.
I believe it was and so scary. It's crazy, how did that happen?
So I was I was getting ready for my world tour, and I was working with this trainer and he was like, today we're gonna work on endurance, so I need you to do.
These back tucks back to back to back.
He had me doing like fifty back tucks back to back, which is another one of the worst ideas somebody's ever had. So I slipped during one of the back tucks and I landed on my head, breaking my c two vertebrae.
Oh my goodness.
And I went from having all the reins in my life and being in control of my life too, not having any kind of control at all, not being able to tie my shoes, not being able to take a shower of myself. And that was the first time in my life where I felt like I just had no control again. I created a routine for myself where I woke up in the morning, I went to the gym and walked. I walked for about forty five minutes today. And then I spent hours and hours within the studio, but same time, same places, every single day. And that's when I wrote my most successful album, I Talked Dirty album, which I had talked the other side Marry Me Wiggle like all kinds of hits off that album and it's because I created a routine. So it's like a common thing in my life when I'm able to like really follow a routine. Amazing things happened.
How long were you recovering?
Seven months?
Seven months?
Yeah, I love that album, but thank you.
That's crazy.
Yeah, it was a wild, wild time of my life for sure.
For sure in that moment that it happened. Did you just what were you thinking? Like everything?
Yeah, as soon as it happen, I heard a big crack and I was just like, holy shit, like.
Is this it? Like is this how it all ends?
And all the thoughts that you could imagine are going through my head at the time, And.
I remember thinking.
To myself, oh shit, my mom is in the car waiting for me outside, and I didn't not I did not want to scare her. I didn't want to alarm her. So after five minutes of laying on the ground, I got myself together and walked to the car like holding my neck just like this. And then I'm like, Mom, I think I hurt myself a little bit in the car, like like we're that kind of.
Like bright voice.
I think I heard my I think I hurt myself a little bit inside we should probably.
Go to the hospital just to check it out.
Now, every single bump feels like hell on earth, Like I'm just dying in that passenger seat, but I don't want to let her know that. Get to the hospital and the you know, they take all these X rays and whatnot, and then the doctor was like, well, I have some good news and some bad news. The good news is that you have a hangman's break, which is the same break that you know happens when you get hung and you're still alive. You know, like this could have ended up way crazier, you know, paralyzed or worse. And he said, that's the good news. You're still here with us and you can move all your limbs. The bad news is you're going to be out for seven months. So I had this tour set up. It was the biggest tour of my life at that point, and instantly heartbroken. I had to let all these people down. You know, I know how how much this means to people. People save their money, you know, their hard earned money, and they want to be a part of this experience, and all of a sudden, all of that shit was down the drain.
I can't imagine how scary that would have been.
Yeah, crazy, you wrote your first song when you're eight years old. Can you remember the very first song that you wrote and what was it about?
Yeah?
So I wrote my song crush on You when I was eight, and I wrote it because it was this girl, Amy that sat right in front of me, and Amy Amy had my heart, you know, Amy, Amy was the one, and I didn't have any money, I didn't have anything to give her. So I was like, let me write a song for and you know, maybe she'll give me the time of day and go in, you know, to the intoto my lab so to speak, was the kitchen, and I start writing this song down and uh get really excited.
You know.
The next day I have this song written down for it and go to like sing it for and I was like, ah, I tried to getting the marrow out. I'm two nervous, two nervous, go again.
The next day. Didn't do it.
Never sing it a damn song, But it ended up being the beginning of my journey of songwriting.
Did she ever know that you wrote it about her?
No, Amy, if you're out there, maybe you would the one you would the one that got away. When I was eight, you know everybody got a soul made. That would be a damn shame if Amy was the one Dann God you wanted me to meet.
At Maybe she's listening to this.
With nine kids.
With songwriting, do you start with lyrics or melody or a concept when you're writing?
I do like a.
Freestyle, So I start with a concept. So I think of a concept. I got a bunch of concepts written in my phone already, so when I'm on the elevator or something, I think of a concept, or wherever I am, I think of concepts.
I drop them down to my phone. So I'll start with a concept and.
Then I'll freestyle on the mic with that concept in mind, and I'll do like twelve different takes, and then I'll choose like the best verse, I'll choose the best pre hook. I'll choose the best hook, and then I go back and I decode everything.
What's one of your favorite songs you've ever written?
I think take You Dance, and it is one of my favorite songs that I've ever done, as well as.
Want to Want Me.
I love that song.
That's one of my favorite thank you.
So I have so many sick remixes of it as well.
For really people love it. Come on, shit shit a weal, yeah, I'll send it to you.
El their sick. I love them.
So.
Over the years, you've collaborated with many incredible artists Snoop Dogg, Nicki Minaj, Jamie Levada, Mike Bouplay, Lil Wayne, our dear friend Megan Trainer. What do you enjoy most about collaborations?
You know, I like, I like having different energy in the room.
You know, I kind of put it in the same category as playing sports, you know, with people that you like or admire. You know, it's like it's like having a good time with somebody else that you respect. They bring a different energy, and to be honest, it's just a lot of fun.
You know.
So even in the songwriting process, I like, I like collaborating with people.
I like, I like collaborating people that don't.
Necessarily have a lot of act kalaides, people that are learning. I like all kinds of collaborations, So I really mix it up. So from artists to different producers to different songwriters. The collaboration process is really fun to me, and the creation process is really special to me. So you know, it's kind of like sometimes like it gets as deep as like I'll invite my brother and like, yo.
Let's let's just have some fun.
Yeah, because it really is a thing that I really enjoy doing, you know what I'm saying. So like when somebody else would invite their family members to come and have a drink, I might invite my family members to come have a drink in the studio and it's just vibe.
But I know how to.
Take the rains, so to speak, and still make an amazing song with all the different ideas in the room, because you'll be surprised, like some people will have some like really really interesting ideas, especially coming from a consumer's perspective, because a lot of times creatives can get in their head a little too much and shit becomes just way too creative and it just loses the consumer. So I like to have regular energy sometimes out.
Yeah, yeah, who is one of your favorite people?
You ever worked with?
Different people for different reasons, So I think Snoop. Yeah, just just like a just the coolest motherfucker you ever met, just really down to earth, very very chill, very fun, you know, person that's just constantly telling jokes and just you know, really down to earth. So I like Snoop from that perspective, I think Nicki from a different perspective. I think she's just really a hard worker. She has gotten everything in her life because she's the hardest worker.
In the room, you know.
And sometimes you'll do a collaboration with somebody and they don't know what to do after the collaboration, they don't know how to push the song for their next And Nikki is somebody that has just gonna roll up her sleeves and like joined.
The fight with you, you know.
As opposed to it just being my song, it became our song, you know what I'm saying the same thing with With Michael Buble, I feel like he, uh, Spicy Margarita is just like, you know, just totally was like, yo, like let's go for Gusto.
This is our song. Let's get it to everybody, you know.
And he just really rolled up his sleeves and and and made it about uh, made it about us, made it about the record.
And I also just have the best time in the world.
I think Michael probably became one of one of my best friends from an artist perspective that that I've ever experienced.
Yeah, they're all so amazing, so talented. I love Snoopy's so much fun, even for many years.
Yeah, and I mean Meghan. Meghan has become close to me and also my family. My son goes to her house three times a week for daycare, has like a little thing going on, yeah, her house. So my family is really close to her and I am as well.
I love her so much, it's the sweetest.
She's so much fun. I can't wait for her LA show.
Yeah, for sure, she's hot killing it.
Are there any artists that you haven't worked with yet but you would love to collaborate with in the future.
M You know, I look at collaborations like like an extension of the creative right. So I think every song is different, And sometimes I'll finish the song and I'll be like, damn, I feel like it needs something, like it's missing something. And a lot of times that's how a collaboration will happen. So it's not necessarily that I have anybody in mind that I'm like, you know, gotta do a collaboration with this person. I think every song has its place for a different artists. Nice, Yeah, but I think I definitely think we need to do something.
Yeah.
I love that. Let's do it for sure.
So I want to wrap up with one final question. You've had so many amazing career highlights. What is the one thing that you're especially proud of.
I'd say the thing that I'm most proud of is that I've been able to stand the test of time. I think there's a lot of artists that come and go no, and I think it will be the saddest thing in the world to have get to live my dream and then all of a sudden it goes away. So the fact that I get to go into the studio and make new material that people will actually still listen to, I think it's the greatest part of what I accomplished. The fact that I was able to do it for this amount of time, being in the industry for fifteen years, that honestly, it doesn't even sound like it's a reality. Being in the industry for so long and getting to do the thing that I love to do most, I think is really really special. And when I go out on tour, every show is bigger than the last show. There's more people at every tour as I get older, you know, and I think that's really really special. So I would I would say that the longevity aspect. And I'm doing this Vegas residency now, which is also another crazy thing because I've always dreamed about having my own residency in Las Vegas and that being like, you know, just my own space. The fact that I get to go up there and put on a show, so it's really.
Special to me.
I can't wait to come see it.
Yeah, ya gotta come through.
Yeah, let's talk about that on the next episode. We're going to catch up what's happening now, So stay tuned for the next episode of I in Paris.
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