Jeremih on His New Album: "I Believe This Is My Best Project Yet"

You probably woke up this morning to your girlfriend nagging you for two things: tickets to see Jeremih and PARTYNEXTDOOR at the Fillmore tomorrow night and a text back. You should comply with both of her demands if you don't want to sleep on the couch for the next week — not to mention this concert is guaranteed to be a thousand times sexier than sitting at home and watching clip after clip of Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton calling each other names.

The "OUI" singer will join the OVO songbird for his Summer's Over tour, the perfect transition from the season of love to the icy winter of sad love songs, which Jeremih and PARTYNEXTDOOR are both experts in producing.

The two recently teamed up on "Like Dat" (featuring Lil Wayne) and have a few tricks up their designer sleeves for this tour in addition to Jeremih's upcoming album release at the end of this year. We caught up with the R&B singer to get the details on his new project, how he's going to distribute it, and what to expect tomorrow night other than horny young teens throwing panties like Cam Newton.

New Times: Your last album, Late Nights, was the perfect mix of club bangers and R&B bedroom hits. How did you go about striking that balance?
Jeremih: A lot of people like to classify me as an R&B singer, but I was a producer at first using a lot of a hip-hop samples. I created the perfect blend of hip-hop and R&B, and it wasn’t anything intentional — plus I don’t think I can sing as well as people say I do. There’s me and there are gospel singers — they can really sang.

Do you think this makes you stand out from the other artists in your genre?
I feel like I can drive in any lane. From R&B to adult contemporary to hip-hop, I feel there’s nothing I feel like I can’t do. I add the element of hip-hop to my music, allowing people to take my music from the bedroom to the club. My records are usually one of the last songs DJs play before they end the night, and not every artist today can bring that aspect to the table.

What can we expect from the new album, Later That Night? How will it differ from Late Nights?
Later That Night will be part three of the trilogy that includes Late Nights and Late Nights: Europe and will essentially be something you can vibe to until the sun comes up. I believe this is my best project yet. I spent a lot of time on this and honestly put everyone on the album that I wanted to, including Chris Brown, Ty Dolla $ign, Young Thug, PARTYNEXTDOOR, and Kehlani.

Late Nights didn’t have the best album roll out, and you blamed Def Jam, your label. What are you doing this time around to make sure your album is distributed to the masses?
A lot of people don’t know that I’ve been dealing with a lot of problems with life, so I’m putting it all into this project. This is going to be one of the last projects with this label, so I had to make sure it’s my best work. It’s all on me, and I have to go out and really promote it myself and do the groundwork. This project means the most to me, and you’ll hear what I mean when it comes out. Life is about timing, and this December is the perfect time.

What advice do you have to upcoming independent artists in regard to roll-out plans and distribution?
We’re in the age of the internet. It’s so easy to post something on here and instantly become viral. There are people that have been working on music for years and haven’t yet received recognition, but it comes so easily to this generation on the internet. At the end of the day, this is the year of independency. Get stuff done yourself, and take advantage of the internet.

What can we expect from you at your first stop on the Summer’s Over tour? Are you dropping any new music from Later That Night?
Every city is going to be a different show. I’m actually heading to rehearsal now, and my set is going to be dope. I’m working on an entire new track list for this tour, so it will be a little different than any other performance in the past. I really have something special for my fans, and honestly, you never know who’s going to pop up at these shows. I’m definitely going to drop a new single on tour with Chris Brown and Big Sean, and I know everyone’s going to love it.

PARTYNEXTDOOR & Jeremih: Summer's Over Tour. 7 p.m. Tuesday, November 8, at the Fillmore Miami Beach, 1700 Washington Ave., Miami Beach; 305-673-7300; fillmoremb.com; Tickets cost $44.00 to $64.00 via livenation.com.