R&B sensation Marques Houston has been making chart-topping music for over 15 years. The musical heartthrob has taken some time to focus on his acting and a career behind the scenes. He is starring in a new movie called Will To Love along with Keisha Knight-Pulliam and Draya Michele. The movie, directed by long time collaborator Chris Stokes is available on DVD and on streaming networks now. Marques sat down with Parlé Magazine to discuss the movie and his musical career.
Parlé Magazine: It may be a while since some folks have seen or heard from you. First off, let us know what you been up to the last couple of years.
Marques Houston: I just finished a new album, and you should be hearing some new music very, very soon. So everybody can look out for that. I’m excited about it. It is a very special project to my heart. I got to do things my way without any opinions or anything. I was able to go into the studio and just kind of lock everybody in the world out and just do what I wanted. So that’s what is happening as far as music. Of course, there is my television and film side. I’ve been working behind the scenes writing and producing and just doing my thing on that front. I have Will To Love that’s set to come out on DVD. It stars myself, Keisha and Draya, a very fun set, and a fun time. I really enjoyed myself making this movie because it gave me an opportunity to work with people I enjoy working with. It was also like the first time me getting involved with the behind the scenes and having my hands tied in the mix of things as far as the casting, the script and the structure of everything. I have another film I produced, and I’m starring in with Karrueche Tran called Dinner with The Stankershets. It will be coming out sometime next year. I’m super excited about everything I’m doing right now. I’ve just been trying to stay focused, which is the most important thing to me. The industry is so sporadic now, and it’s so full of chaos that you just have to make sure you stay focused.
Parlé: In the movie Will To Love, you play a character named Jamal. What can we expect from your character?
Marques Houston: My character Jamal is very particular in what he wants. He runs his grandfather’s business, Let It Roll Toilet Paper Incorporated, and he is all about business. He is one of those guys where nothing else in the world matters but his business to even where his love life suffers. The theme of it all with this movie is his grandfather is sick, and he is, unfortunately, passing away. Before he does pass, he wants to see his grandson fall in love. He puts a stipulation on him, and he says that everything in his will belongs to Jamal as long as he falls in love and gets married before he dies. At that point, Jamal is wondering how he is going to fall in love and how he is going to find true love because he has never really focused on love in his life. Every girlfriend that he has dated has kind of been someone to pass the time, and he is a ladies man. He never took love seriously. He now has to look for something that he isn’t even sure what it looks like or feels like. For me, playing Jamal was pretty cool because I am a person that loves to be in love. I love relationships and things like that. This role is very opposite of the type of person I am. It was a pretty good challenge for me.
Parlé: You worked with Keisha Knight-Pulliam on another project Love Letter. How does Will To Love differ from Love Letter and the roles the two of you had?
Marques Houston: This movie is totally different. It has a totally different concept and feel. In Love Letter, we played love interests. We hooked up because her mom introduced us. I was kind of like the guy on the side, and Romeo Miller was her main focus and the relationship between them was the main focus. With Will To Love, it is completely different because here you have this bachelor, and he is very successful. Then you have Keisha, who works for Jamal, and clearly has feelings for him because she sees him for who he is and not what he has. Keisha falls for the character because she sees a softer, sweeter side of him. Jamal begins to realize that Keisha’s character is the one that he has been looking for his entire life. He doesn’t notice this until the end of the movie. It was good to be able to work with Keisha again because we have good chemistry on-screen, and we are friends. It is always good to work with people that you like and that you have chemistry with. With this role, it was a lot different because we had to play very different roles.
Parlé: Moving to music, do you find it harder maintaining in R&B compared to when you first began?
Marques Houston: I don’t pay attention to relevancy and all of that stuff. I do what I want as an artist, and I’ve been blessed and I thank God every day for blessing me with this career. To be able to be in a position to do what I love to do is amazing. To me it’s not about being relevant, it’s not about being the hottest person out, it’s not about any of that. Back in the day when I was coming up, it was all about the music, making people feel good and entertainment. It’s about entertaining and music. Whenever I feel like I want to get back in the studio and do another album, then I do. I think my fans and the people out there who support me are who keep me relevant and keep me motivated in this industry. Nowadays this industry is all about relevance. Things are different now. I try not to get in that political battle and that relevant battle with this industry because you’ll start doing stuff that’s not you just to stay relevant. I just want to stay true to myself and who I am, what I believe and my artistry. Whatever follows after that just follows.
Parlé: With this upcoming album, have you thought about what your fans are interested in? Have you gone back to the old school R&B feel or is it a mix?
Marques Houston: It is very different I will say. It’s not even like an old school R&B feel, it is just different. I think people are going to be very surprised when they hear the music. I will say that it is nothing like anything that I’ve done before. I wanted to get out there and just try some different things. When you’ve been in the industry for so long, and you’ve sung music for so long, you want to get out there and try something different. I think this is going to be a surprise for everyone. I think they will enjoy it.
Will To Love is available on DVD and streaming networks now. Be sure to check it out…
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