By 2019, it was clear to Maxwell that the music industry had undergone lots of changes since the release of his major label debut album, “Maxwell’s Urban Hang Suite,” in 1996. The platinum-certified R&B singer/songwriter synonymous with wearing a spiky Afro and ‘70s attire started paying more attention to his business after seeing record retailers slowly morph into digital streaming platforms. Then, when the world went into quarantine because of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020, the neo-soul artist adopted a mantra to use his success to help create opportunities for Black and brown communities.
“As you get older, the real things come into focus,” Maxwell, 48, said. “It becomes a responsibility after a certain amount of time.”
Credit: Cliff Watts
Credit: Cliff Watts
Two years after having an epiphany during the shutdown, Maxwell is back in his element onstage. The three-time Grammy winner is headlining The Night Tour on March 19 at State Farm Arena. He’s supported on the 25-city tour by opening acts Joe and Anthony Hamilton, anticipating sharing the stage with two dynamic vocalists with extensive catalogs.
“Atlanta was one of the first cities to christen me,” Maxwell said. “It’s a Motown vibe with so much great music, and it’s one of the greatest audiences you could ever be in front of. It’s gonna be some R&B out here that night, and I’m excited that we can go out and bring joy to the world.”
The Night Tour is the first major partnership for the Black Promoters Collective (BPC), an ensemble of independent, veteran Black concert promoters and live event producers founded in 2020. BPC is designed to create equity for Black personnel in concert tours and live productions who are often overlooked once massively successful Black performers pivot from small venues and into stadiums and arenas that are sponsored by major touring companies.
“It’s about being able to work with people that look like you and creating jobs for those who will put that profit back into the communities that they’re involved in and part of,” Maxwell said.
Maxwell is closing out his “blacksummers’night” album trilogy he started in 2009 with the release of “blacksummers’NIGHT” later this spring. Its lead single, “Off,” was written and produced with his longtime collaborator Hod David.
Credit: Charles Sykes/Invision/AP
Credit: Charles Sykes/Invision/AP
Still frequently collaborating with Sade member and songwriter Stuart Matthewman as well, “blacksummers’NIGHT” continues the Brooklyn, New York, native’s recurring themes of love and romance in his discography. It’s also Maxwell’s first full-length project since 2016′s “blackSUMMERS’night.”
The entertainer born Gerald Maxwell Rivera takes pride in patiently spacing out his albums for multiple years. The wait is his personal barometer for quality assurance.
“Some of the songs you end up hearing are like five or six years old,” Maxwell said. “The only reason why I take so long is because I want to make sure I still want to listen to something years after I wrote it. It’s a pretty good chance that the listener may want to, too.”
“blacksummers’NIGHT” is the first project released under Maxwell’s own imprint, Musze, in partnership with BMG. The chart-topping balladeer that can effortlessly switch between a breathy falsetto and silky tenor has no regrets about signing with Columbia Records in 1994, but knew it was time to take his business into his own hands.
“I was signed during the time the Fugees and Mariah were there,” Maxwell said. “Destiny’s Child had just gotten signed, so you couldn’t have been in better company.”
Credit: Charles Sykes/Invision/AP
Credit: Charles Sykes/Invision/AP
“BMG really respects the artists and what the music means,” he adds. “There’s no animosity at all with Columbia, but the music industry is taking a long time to realize that things have changed for artists with streaming and the way business has flipped. It’s a little late for me, but better late than never.”
The downtime during the pandemic fueled Maxwell to pour his energy into unveiling his limited edition collection of sunglasses with STATE Optical Company in 2021. Co-designed by Nico Roseillier, a portion of the proceeds from the collection goes to The Vision Council’s Opening Your Eyes (O-Yes) Scholarship for high school seniors aspiring to become opticians.
The program funds tuition for two years and extends internships and mentorships. “I want them to become leaders and pioneers in that field,” he said.
“The Black mind is much more varied than entertainment. Art comes in so many different forms, so somebody who makes lenses or prescribes for your vision are artists, too.”
It makes Maxwell proud to have built a core cross-generational fanbase from a career that now spans over two decades. Admitting that he once “felt like a scrub before ‘Maxwell’s Urban Hang Suite’ came out,” he’s fully committed to using his longevity moving forward to empower people to pursue their passion and turn their dreams into reality.
“The pandemic gave me a lot of time to figure it all out,” Maxwell said. “I’m on the right track. I just want to leave something that can do stuff for others, and I want everybody who comes near whatever I do creatively to have a chance to see that they can do anything that they want to.”
CONCERT PREVIEW
Maxwell with Anthony Hamilton and Joe
8 p.m. March 19. $74-$154. State Farm Arena, 1 State Farm Drive, Atlanta. statefarmarena.com.
About the Author
