On Second Thought
Maxwell Remembers the Onslaught of Fame: “So Much Was Coming at Me”
Shirt by Louis Vuitton Men’s. Pants by Willy Chavarria. Sunglasses by Alexander McQueen. Jewelry Maxwell’s Own.
In the early months of 1997, the neo-soul singer Maxwell got a phone call. It was Ingrid Sischy, Interview’s editor-in-chief at the time, telling the then 23-year-old, whose debut album Maxwell’s Urban Hang Suite had made him a recent star, that he had been selected as the cover of the music issue. “I was blown out of my mind,” says Maxwell today. “When Ingrid did that, it was almost like New York opened up.” Now, as he gets set to release his latest record, blacksummers’NIGHT, the 48-year-old Brooklyn native looks back on that story.
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“The idea that I was singled out was unique and special to me, but terrifying as well. I’d never been touring on that level. I never had to be here and there, there and here, apart from a part-time job. But this was my career. It was different. I was learning the ropes. I had good people around me who would say, ‘You might want to try this before the show.’ Now I know everything you need to do to get ready, and I’m still trembling in my boots before every show. For some reason that hasn’t stopped yet.”
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“At the time, I struggled with why it was happening to me. Obviously, I credit the music as an amazing elixir. It creates all kinds of things in people’s minds and hearts. But yeah, I still struggle a lot. I wonder why certain things are happening. I hope it has to do with contributing to my community, and then hopefully my personality to a degree, but it’s hard to know for sure what makes people appreciate what you do.”
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“My inspirations have become more global. I’m trying to be someone that leaves a lasting impact. I’m not necessarily chasing the charts or the awards. I made a pact with god that I’m here to serve. I’m here to represent this moment, and take full advantage of this time that you’ve given me. I still struggle with whether I’m worthy of it.”
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Necklace by Bernard James. Shirt by Helmut Lang. Pants by Zegna. Boots by Sunni Sunni. Watch, Bracelet, Earrings, and Rings Maxwell’s Own.
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“It was lonely because I was very private. I didn’t really go out much. I was very focused on making a mark. It’s lonely sometimes because there’s no time to kick it with people”
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“So much was coming at me, that at times I was pinching myself. I had pinch marks everywhere. What started as an idea at 16 years old was in full motion by the time I was 22.”
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Coat and Sneakers by Louis Vuitton Men’s. Tank Top by Calvin Klein. Pants by Willy Chavarria.
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“I feel like I’ve done a pretty good job of keeping it together, and it’s very hard to keep it together, because the world isn’t interested in mystery anymore. People show you themselves waking up. I get it. It’s a different time. The number one job is being a YouTuber—fame for fame’s sake, which I always warn people about. You see people who are looking for fame without any weight behind it. Make sure that you turn your passion and your hobby into something that’s going to keep you alive and thriving.”
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“It’s still what it is. It’s an unfortunate issue that continues to erode us as humans. We could be so much further. We could be talking to aliens. We could be figuring out global warming. We could be figuring out different types of ways to get energy. But the world is the world, and it takes its damn time to understand lessons that it’s repeatedly experienced.”
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Coat by Alexander McQueen. Tank Top by Calvin Klein. Pants by Willy Chavarria. Boots by Sunni Sunni.
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“I still don’t see it in terms of the magnitude of what he represents to me, but if there’s any parallel between Marvin and myself, I would say that it’s not just sitting on this platform and making it be something that was only going to be self-serving to my vanity or my ego. Taking the platform and giving people opportunities through it is something that I didn’t know could come with making music. Aside from the shows, and the laughs, and the panties being thrown, it’s being able to say, ‘That kid is in college because I had something to do with it.”
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“We have new tools now, but that first feeling is the thing that moves me. At a certain point, I decided to not make music my entire life, and that I needed to cultivate assets of my personality, because I was becoming socially awkward. Everything was becoming about, ‘When’s the next song? When’s the next album?’ I felt like a machine for music. Everything was associated with my work more than it was about who I was as a person. That probably explains a lot of my disappearing acts throughout the years.”
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“It was this thing that was growing under my cap for a while. No one knew about it at the label. I remember having a board meeting and they were like, ‘Can you show us your hair?’ I think I pulled out a little strand of it. They were like, ‘Okay.’ What I probably struggled with most when it came to all of that was, am I Black enough for people? Because that was always a thing I would hear, how I wasn’t really Black enough.”
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Grooming by Vernon Scott using Shea Moisture
Production by Perris Cavalier at The Morrison Group
