Soultrain.com backstage interview with Jimmy Cozier taped 10/27/01...

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SOULTRAIN.COM: So I understand that you were discovered by Wyclef Jean. How did that happen?

JIMMY COZIER: Well, I was introduced first to Mr. Wyclef Jean by my management team, Upgrade Entertainment. Wyclef heard some of my music, knew me as a songwriter, and I would demo the materials that I would write for different artists, and he felt that it was time to basically take me to that next level and make sure that I exploded as a solo artist, which, thanks to Wyclef and Mr. Clive Davis, I'm doing right now.

ST: So you had written for other artists before you became a solo artist. Who are -- are they people we would know?

JIMMY: I've written songs for BLACKstreet, Janet Jackson, Sinead O'Connor, Hootie -- Darius [Rucker] of Hootie & the Blowfish. I wrote a duet for -- well, co-wrote with Alicia Keys for both her album and my album. Right now I'm currently working on a few things, which I'm not gonna disclose until they come out. But I'm writing like a madman right now.

JIMMY: Totally, totally.

ST: And what made you want to get out there and do something on your own?

JIMMY: Well, I thought it was because I was equipping other artists with materials that were taking them to a great point in their career, and I felt that I could do the same thing for myself.

ST: Your self-titled debut came out earlier this year.

JIMMY: That's right, it did. 'Jimmy Cozier.'

ST: And you wrote three tracks with Wyclef.

JIMMY: That's right.

ST: What was that experience like?

JIMMY: Amazing. 'Clef has been a mentor, he's the most fun cat to work with. You know, you figure you're working with a cat who's sold 10 million units worldwide, and he's still able to remain so humble and down to earth and keep everything intact. So 'Clef, I thank God for you all day long.

ST: And the debut single was, 'She's All I Got' --

JIMMY: Yes.

ST: -- which Mike City wrote, correct?

JIMMY: Yes, written and produced by Mike City.

ST: So what's the next single that's gonna drop?

JIMMY: The current single right now is 'So Much To Lose,' written and produced by myself and my partner, Junod [Etienne] at Yes Entertainment. And it's another relationship joint, another real situation for the ladies and the guys, so, support it, it's tight, definitely.

ST: OK, and you come from a musical background. Why don't you tell us about growing up and what kind of music you listened to.

JIMMY: Well, I come from a musical background. That's definitely true. My dad's a jazz saxophonist. And all day long he made my brother and I play the piano and forced us to tap dance and do everything we didn't want to do. Thank God he did that 'cause now it's paying off. And my mom, who's from Jamaica, you know, all of her brothers and cousins would come over and play all the reggae joints and all the little, you know, the Latin music that my dad would play and the jazz -- it was just a great influence stemming from like music from the U.K. to American music and it's just balled up into one person called Jimmy Cozier. And you can get that in any stores right now, self-titled 'Jimmy Cozier.' Tight -- it's a new music, a new sound.

ST: OK, and are you going to be touring or are you touring?

JIMMY: Yes, right now I am in the process of doing a little Jimmy Cozier dates all across the U.S. right now, and I'm wrapping that up so that I can make my decision which tour I'm going on in the beginning of the year. I have a few options, and I'm just trying to take my time to select the right one.

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For more information about Jimmy Cozier, visit JimmCozier.com,
and check his latest CD release, "Jimmy Cozier " at CDNow.

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show #994

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