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From the
recording studio emerges a new R&B sensation...
A Heart-to-Heart with Avant
By Feona Sharhran
Huff
December 2000
The CollegeBound Network NewsClick -- The world
is filled with youngsters who dream of becoming
professional singers. But, do they all have what
it takes to make it? Like determination in the
face of countless demo rejections? How about the
dedication to practice hours and hours at a time,
knowing that a party is jumping down the block?
Judging by the years AVANT has spent recording
in the studio and performing wherever he had an
audience, it's no doubt that he was passionate
about taking his love for music to a career level.
At just 22 years old, the
R&B singer, signed to Magic Johnson Music/MCA
Records, is living it up with back-to-back performances,
autograph signings, and album release promotions.
In fact, Avant is so busy doing his thang that
he has to do interviews on his cell phone while
cruising the highways to his next gig -- like
now.
The CollegeBound Network
NewsClick recently caught up with Avant while
he was in New York taping 106th & Park: BET
Top 10 Live, where he was scheduled to kick
off the promotion of his second single, "First
Love," from his debut album My Thoughts.
"The song is mellow," explains
Avant. "It makes you think about high school,
sitting on the porch all night, trying to smell
that perfume."
This trip, along with the
14-city tour he recently completed with MARY J.
BLIGE, was years in the making, Avant says. He
spent most of his teen years surrounded by studio
equipment as he recorded song after song. While
most energetic male teens would have called it
quits, Avant says he was confident that someone
would eventually give him a chance to show his
skills. And, MAGIC JOHNSON, former pro basketball
player-turned-music impresario, was that someone.
Yep, Johnson was the one
who recognized Avant's special gift and gave him
the chance to flourish. With the support of Johnson's
label and MCA Records, not even the sky has been
Avantˇs limit. "Magic Johnson tells me that to
make it out here you have to do everything you
can do," he says. Even though he has many sleepless
days and nights because of travel, travel, and
yes, more travel, Avant is up for it all. He loves
performing on stage and adores his screaming fans.
"Without the fans, there is no Avant."
Avant also appreciates
the support he has received from his family and
high school friends back home in Cleveland, OH.
"It's so hard coming out of Cleveland with the
drama and stuff that goes on in the neighborhoods;
they are proud that I made it," he says. He says
everyone's so excited about his accomplishments
that they always want to throw him parties.
While life is good to Avant,
he wants everyone to be able to enjoy the basic
pleasures. With an it's-not-all-about-me frame
of mind, Avant eventually plans to open up a neighborhood
center called The 24 Hour Shot Clock in Cleveland.
The center, which will be open to homeless youth,
will be a spot where teens can be free to have
fun without stressing over the danger that lurks
in the streets.
Sure, money, fame, and
fans are cool, but Avant doesn't measure this
as his true success. Only when he gets the community
center off the ground and has secured a financial
future for his family, will Avant feel he is truly
a success. He stands behind his advice to others:
"Stay grounded and you can go anywhere in life."
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· Read more about Avant
at his very own site..
· Into entertainment? Check out Celeb
Central at The CollegeBound Network
for Webcasts, promotions, and star-studded
contests!
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