This is not just a dream. Rico Love has produced many hits over the course of his career, like Just a Dream by Nelly and There Goes My Baby by Usher, but now he’s stepping out with his own album, Turn The Lights On.
“I enjoy recording my own music just because of the power — when I write for other people, I’m rendered powerless after the song is done…you have no say so,” he tells Us Weekly. “I know this album is a classic.”
Prior to the two years he spent on his record, his life was closest to a dream when he was writing and producing for Beyonce.
“The coolest story about ‘Sweet Dreams’ is that Beyonce was six hours late to the session because it was the worst storm of all time in Miami,” Love recalls, noting that he wrote the song as he waited for her.
“Beyonce shows up, in full Beyonce mode — hair done, makeup, shades, high heels — she’s like, ‘I’m so sorry guys! I cannot stay because Jay Z has a concert, but I didn’t want to not come, because I know you guys have been waiting all day.' She was super sweet. And I said, ‘I wrote this song for you, would you like to listen to it at least?’” Love explains, saying that Beyonce listened to the song and loved it so much that she insisted on recording it right then and there — doing all of her vocals in 15 minutes.
Love’s influence extended even farther: “If you listen really close that’s me doing all the backgrounds,” the 32-year-old explained.
And now he’s moving from background for Beyonce to having his own album!
The rapper and vocalist, who says he gets inspiration from “saying the most commonly said thing in a way it’s never been said before,” had no issue picking his favorite songs off the 12-song track list.
“’Days Go By’, ‘The Proposal’, ‘Somebody Else’ and ‘Run From Me’ [are my favorites]. ‘Run From Me’ is, like, crazy. It’s like, you break up with this incredible girl and you’re dating a new girl and you’re really telling the girl ‘this feels great, what we’re doing, I love hanging out with you, you love hanging out with me, but if my girl calls me back and says she wants to get with me, I’m going to get with her, so I think you should leave now because this is getting serious,’” the father of one says.
“Usher loved it,” Love tells Us of the “Scream” singer. “’Run From Me’ was his favorite song by far.”
Check out Rico’s album Turn the Lights On and listen to his single “Somebody Else.”
