Bobby V To Be Highlighted This Sunday, May 2nd On TV One’s Award Winning Show Unsung

All-new episodes of TV One’s original, docu-series Unsung continues this Sunday, May 2. UNSUNG leads the night highlighting Bobby V at 9 p.m. ET/8C. Bobby V formally known as Bobby Valentino made his musical debut in the mid-’90s, as ¼ of the R&B teen-group Mista. Bobby shares his journey to success and his continued fight to keep going through the many ups and downs of a 20 plus year career.

The seven-time NAACP Image Award-winning series UNSUNG, one of the network’s longest-running series, highlights the careers and explores the personal lives of some of the most talented, versatile, and influential black vocal artists.  UNSUNG is narrated by actor Gary Anthony Williams and is Executive Produced by Arthur Smith and Frank Sinton of A. Smith & Co. Productions. Mark Rowland also serves as Executive Producer. For TV One, Jason Ryan is Executive in Charge of Production; Donyell Kennedy-McCullough is Senior Director of Talent & Casting, and Robyn Arrington Greene is Head of Original Programming and Production.

We Empower Magazine got an exclusive interview with Bobby V.

Bobby V (Photo Provided by TV One

 

Tammy Reese: Congratulations on your upcoming TV One Unsung episode. What would you like the viewers to take from watching?

Bobby V: I think a lot of people don’t know my history and background so I really just want them to know more than just a song or two that they may already have known. I want people to know that I’m a real person that lives a real-life, and that I’m very family-oriented. My family means so much to me.

Tammy Reese: Speaking of family, you’re a father, How do you balance being a music artist and fatherhood as well?

Bobby V: I balance it by having an awesome baby mother. The mother of my child does a good job and we co-parent very well. It’s an awesome situation. The great job she does being a mother helps a lot.

Tammy Reese: You’re no stranger to breaking records being that you’ve had three number-one albums on the charts. How did that time of your life make an impact on you?

Bobby V: It really set my life up to become a touring artist, to be able to live in the music, and make a career out of music is definitely a blessing. A lot of artists have one song and then it’s over with.

This industry is not really designed for successful long-term, success is designed for quick success. So those songs and those albums definitely set my life on a nice path, which is truly a blessing and I’m very thankful for that.

Tammy Reese: What are some other memorable moments in your career that you are so extremely proud of?

Bobby V: I shot my own movie and I executive produced it. It was on BET, it’s called Hollywood Hearts. That was something that I’ve always wanted to do and acting. Acting in and executive producing my own movie was a very proud moment for me.

A lot of people will talk about it, but they won’t actually make it happen. I really made it happen and that definitely was one proud moment that I can think of off the top of my head.

Tammy Reese: Do you have any aspirations to make some more movies and what else are you currently working on?

Bobby V: Oh, definitely. I want to do more movies. I definitely want to do more acting and getting more into the film side of things. I have an artist name Santos Silva I’m actually out in LA right now producing his album and putting it together. I’m very excited about that because he’s an R&B kind of pop artist and I think that the sky’s the limit for him.

Tammy Reese: Getting back to the music side of things, there’s a plethora of young R&B talent out today. How do you feel about the current state of R&B? Do you think there’s anything missing? What do you want the future of R&B music to be?

Bobby V: I think R&B has changed a lot from when I first came out in the group, till now it’s almost like a different genre of music. It’s very different but there are a lot of artists that are keeping the torch going. I love R&B music, I eat, sleep, and breathe R&B so I’m very critical of R&B music and musicians.

I would like to just see it continue to thrive and to really come back to the forefront because at one point R&B was like one of the top genres of music. Now I think that it has really take taken a nosedive. I want R&B to continue to grow and to get bigger.

Tammy Reese: What was the last R& B song that you listened to at max volume?

Bobby V: A Eric Bellinger song. I was out on my boat and I turned one of his songs up, it was real dope. I can’t think of the name of it, but when it came on I turned it all the way up.

Tammy Reese: You recently dropped a new song how did it come about?

Bobby V: Yes, it’s called “Reply”. I dropped it on Valentine’s Day. It’s a real feel-good kind of record with my style of music. I wanted to stick to the script. Basically, the song is about me just wanting a reply. I holla’d at a young lady, and I told her to give me a reply. The video is out as well.

Tammy Reese: When all is said and done, what do you want your legacy to look like

Bobby V: I just want to be one of those guys that really contributed to R&B music. I want to be one of those guys for those who want to do R&B. They can look up to me and say, Man, I love the way he did it. I love all of his music.

Tammy Reese: What is some advice you would have for the aspiring artists during these crazy times we live in. They may not have any connections or resources and don’t know what to do. What would you tell them to give them a bit of encouragement?

Bobby V: I would say to just never give up. If it’s something that you want to do or something that you love to do, just don’t give up, keep going. Don’t stop believing in yourself. There are going to be a lot of doubters, and a lot of haters and people that tell you that you can’t do it, but you got to do it anyway. If you love it, and if you love music, music will love you back.

Bobby V (Photo Provided by TV One)

For more information on UNSUNG, visit TV One’s Youtube Channel and check out exclusive, behind-the-scenes content on www.tvone.tv. Viewers can also join the conversation by connecting via social media on TV One’s Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook (@tvonetv) Be sure to follow UNSUNG on Facebook and Instagram using the hashtag #UNSUNG.

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