Bobby V: Where Are They Now?
Bobby Valentino is acting now, but making classic music is still in his plans. See what else he’s been up to.
About 10 years ago, Bobby V made major waves in the music industry with his first major single “Slow Down.” He followed up with his Timbaland-produced single “Anonymous” and a feature on Lil Wayne’s song “Mrs. Officer,” and is still making major moves. One such move is an upcoming feature film called Hollywood Hearts and an album with the same name. We decided to talk to Bobby a bit more about both projects and his growth as an artist.
You have a new feature-length film called Hollywood Hearts premiering on television soon. You are also starring as yourself in it. How did this come about?
I always wanted to do a short film. I started out doing a short film; I put out a project about two or three years ago called Peach Moon, and I wanted to do a short film around that project. It ended up not happening. So, after I put the project out, I was like the next project I do I’m definitely doing a short film. Started on the short film with a director named Ben Brown. It was going so well he ended up running into a friend of his who saw the short film. She’s a director, and she saw the short film and loved it. So she turned it into a full-length film. I’m playing myself, and even though I’m playing myself, I’m still a character. So, it’s not really me, but people are going to think it’s me. I’m more of a funny, fun kind of energy kind of guy and the character that I’m playing is more chill. Just more focused, a different kind of guy than I am. I actually went to acting class before the film, the year before and throughout the film. It’s ready now. That’s how we got into it, we turned a short film into a full-length feature.
When you popped on the scene over 10 years ago with your Disturbing Tha Peace release, R&B was still in its, prime and now we see multiple sides it. How do you see yourself fitting in with what’s more popular now?
Well, I feel like I’m not even trying to fit in. My new album is called Hollywood Hearts, it’ll be out the same day as the movie. I’m really not trying to fit in. I’m staying in my lane and doing me. I think that R&B is kind of a lost art right now. Everybody is kind of rap/singing, taking a lot away from where R&B should be. And I feel like the album that I’m putting out is the blueprint of where R&B should be right now. I’m not really trying to fit in with everybody, I’m just doing me.
What can fans expect from your upcoming album, which shares the same name as your feature-length film?
They can just expect a great futuristic-sounding kind of R&B album. Nobody’s album sounds like this — I wasn’t trying to chase a sound. I was just really doing me. I worked with Tim and Bob on the album, Emerson Brooks, who’s a new upcoming producer. He has a lot of great ideas and he’s very talented. I wanted to work with a new, fresh sound. A new, fresh take on R&B, and he definitely gave me that. I produced a couple of records on it as well. The album is definitely next level and I’m not trying to chase nobody. I’m showing the R&B cats that this is what we need to be at.
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Aside from the film, will we expect anything else from you in the fashion world or even when it comes to reality TV?
I’m working on a fashion line, I’ve been on a few reality TV things. Not really a main character, I always get the offer. But I’m getting more into acting, and with this being my first feature film, a lot of people are going to see that I’m a good actor. I work hard at it, I’m still in acting classes, trying to get my chops up. I’m not going to say that I’m the best, but I’m definitely working at being one of the best actors. So that’s kind of a new direction that I’m taking, but I’m still doing music also. Just trying to hit it from every angle; I’m excited about it. And I’ve always wanted to do a movie, and now I have my own feature film on a major network, so I’m excited.
Ever wondered what happened to some of your favorite celebrities? Did they retire? Are they pursuing new careers or are they living normal lives like everyone else? Let us know who you would like us to find and speak with to see what they are currently up to.