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— by SuChin Pak
By now, we know that Omarion, formerly of B2K, has the #1 album in the country, even beating out the late Ray Charles. No one is more surprised by the album's success than Omarion himself. The day after O came out, he invited me to tag along as he made what was probably his first mall appearance since his early B2K days.
My office is some 30 stories above Times Square, and I could always tell when B2K were making a "TRL" appearance from the screaming, which I heard all the way up here. There was a frenzy about B2K that was like no other boy band — I mean a hysterical, rip-your-clothes-off, crying, fainting frenzy. So, I had to wonder: Two years since their breakup, Omarion is going back to singing in malls, and essentially starting all over again. I think he's humbled by this experience and cautiously optimistic, showing less swagger and more focus. This time, he has something to prove: to everyone who's dismissed his solo career, to himself, and yes, even to his ex-bandmates.
But to the hundreds of girls — still screaming, still swooning — who showed up to see Omarion sing and dance his heart out at a mall in Queens, New York, there was nothing more he had to prove.
SuChin Pak: It's been, what, two years since you were last onstage with B2K?
Omarion: Yes. Dang! I didn't even think about it like that. It's a long time — I gotta prove myself now!
Pak: Did you ever think this is where you would be — alone, at the top of your game, doing so many different things?
Omarion: No, especially when it came to the book. I was saying, "A book? Wow, that'd be nice," and I love to write. But you can never see the future, and I would never in a million years think it would be like this — me and you hollering, me telling you about the album, everything.
Pak: Ever since I first interviewed you with B2K, one of the things that I love is ... you're just not jaded, and you've been doing this for awhile. You've had your downs and your ups, but every day is still sort of like the first day.
Omarion: That's hot. That's how it has to be, and if it's not, it's time to quit, you know what I mean? Everything is positive — you have to look at it like that and keep that energy going.
Pak: You have so much coming up. What are you most excited about in the coming year?
Omarion: Honestly, it's hard to say. I want to go on tour and I want people to come out and I want to give a show. [B2K] never had a live band, but since I'm by myself now, I think I got that in the budget; I want to do the band thing and the pyro. I miss the stage. I really want to bring that entertainment back and have a good show.
Pak: When you first step on that stage, what's the first thought that comes into your mind?
Omarion: The adrenalin is pumping ... seriously, it's hard to say. Sometimes when I perform, it's like a blur because I'm so into it that after I get off the stage, it feels like life slows down for just a second. When I'm performing, I'm amped, I'm fired up, I'm like, "Yo! I'm ready to hit the stage!"
Pak: No stage fright, ever?
Omarion: Yeah, all the time.
Pak: Really?
Omarion: All the time. It's kind of like a reassurance, though: If I don't have it, I probably won't do [as good a] performance as when I have the butterflies.
Pak: Did this album come very easily?
Omarion: No. This album didn't come easy. I mean, I took a lot of time and I really wanted to pour my heart out into my music.
Pak: Let's talk about "Growing Pains," because I think a lot of people, obviously, are focusing on that track.
Omarion: Well, I think it's important to be honest with your fans and always tell your side of the story or your perspective. With the B2K thing, there were so many stories that were thrown out there, I just felt that it was important for my fans to know that I still got love in my heart. I forgave but I won't forget, you know what I mean?
Pak: And you say something in there to the effect of, "If you knew what happened ..."
Omarion: Yeah, if y'all knew what went down you'd be like, "What the bleep!" I mean, you gotta look at it like this: When you're in a group, there's four different opinions, four people you gotta answer to. On top of that, there are four different personalities, and a lot of people didn't get to see the time we spent on making our personal relationships work.
Pak: When's the last time you talked to any of the guys?
Omarion: I spoke to Raz about two weeks ago. On Sunday, he invited me to church, where he did a little testimony speech. It was a good speech, and he showed me love and said, "Congratulations on everything," and started singing "O."
Pak: That must feel good.
Omarion: Yeah. When you're in a group and you have your boys, you bond like that. I think it's always important, especially with the situation we come from, to get everybody's blessings. Because we once shared one goal, shared one dream, so I'm glad I got his blessings on the project.
Pak: That's a really interesting point, that you guys started off in a friendship first, and then the music came and the business came, and so once that bridge is crossed, then maybe you can consider [getting back together]...
Omarion: Yeah, and that's not even a thought right now because there's so much that needs to be patched up, as far as that goes.
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Photo: MTV News
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