Thanx Lesley!

Partial transcript:

Thanx voxchasez!

Partial transcript:

JoJo: Everything good, man?

JC: Everything’s good, really good.

JoJo: You’ve been buried in the studio for a minute.

JC: I have, you came and saw me with one of my good friends, Nephew. And uh, we were bangin’ out a track that night.

Follow up:

JoJo: How many, uh…well, how long…first of all, is that the studio you normally record in?

JC: That’s actually Babyface’s studio that we were working in that night, who’s by far a great guy and a great producer as well, and I’m lucky enough to be working in there. I work anywhere the wind blows, man. I go all over. When I work with Dallas, a lot of the time I got to Atlanta and work with him in Atlanta instead. And then when I work with my buddy Jimmy I work out here. I worked with my buddy David Maurice when he had a place in New York. So, um, I go wherever the wind blows.

JoJo: All I know is when I walk into the studio, I saw like - it’s like the studios you see on these big huge specials, you know.

JC: Well, yeah, it’s, it’s a recording studio. [Laughs]

JoJo: Well no, it’s like a huge one! We have recording studios here that are just a tenth of that size! You can’t tell me know what all the buttons do.

JC: Yeah, you have to, man.

JoJo: Every one of them buttons, you know what it does?

JC: I have a pretty good idea, yeah.

- - -

JoJo: This album you’ve got, dude, the one you’re about to release - I know we don’t have a set date yet.. I know it’s soon.

JC: Right. It’ll be in the summertime, like late spring, early summer.

JoJo: You’re debating on two - and by the way, we’re gonna play the single tonight so you guys get ready for the world premiere. The two, there’s two potential titles of the album.

JC: Yeah, which are very identical. I mean, it’s still about the same thing. The album’s either gonna be called just Kate or it’s gonna be called The Story of Kate. The album title kinda came to me…I was writing this album and, you know, I never necessarily write everything about one particular person. It’s just maybe a collection of experiences or a collection of emotions. And so as I was kind of developing this record and writing these songs, I just kept drawing on these inspirations. At one point it was a matter of when I was working with Dallas, and he was like, “You know, we really need to identify this person so it feels real to everyone.” And that’s when we ended up writing the song “Kate.” So at that point when we talked about it, it was like “We really need to, you know, people need to feel this person, feel like it’s real,” you know. People love Harry Potter, you know what I mean? Harry Potter’s not a real person, yet everybody’s attached to him in one way or another.

JoJo: Good thing you didn’t name it Harry Potter.

JC: Yeah, I agree. [Laughter]

JoJo: That woulda sucked.

JC: But still, it’s a matter of getting people involved in this person’s life and really being attached to it, you know. Because I do feel emotional - these emotions are mine, you know what I mean? But at the end of the day, it’s not about one person in particular, it’s about a collection of people but they all kind of built into one person. And so what I ended up doing is giving that person a name, and it really gave the record an identity. And so when you think of each one of these songs you can really see a person, and the fact that that person has a name makes it feel real. And that’s what I loved about it. It was creative, it gave you a clear picture of what this person was, and so that’s what was really fun about putting this record together. I wanted to put together a project.

JoJo: That’s kinda wild, man. So there’s no - just to clarify, even though you just answered it - there’s no person in your life named Kate?

JC: I mean, I know people named Kate, but it’s not about them, no. It’s just, it was kind of…Kate’s a great name because it is an everyday name. I mean, I think everybody, you know, that I know, knows somebody named Kate or Katherine or something like that, or Katie or whatever. Everybody knows a Kate.

JoJo: I’m trying to think if I know a Kate. I think I do, yeah.

JC: And I mean, it’s just a matter of, that way everyone can relate to it.

JoJo: And there’s a song on the album called “Kate” as well, correct?

JC: Yeah, correct.

JoJo: All right. You’re gonna get asked that a thousand times!

JC: I know, I know, I know. The truth is, again, there are definitely pieces of different people in my life, but they kind of like added all up into this one imaginary person.

JoJo: When do you think you’ll make…or what’s your so-called deadline, maybe a deadline you placed on yourself to come up with either Kate or The Story of Kate? When do you have to decide?

JC: It could be…I could flip a coin tonight if I have to, you know. I’m comfortable with either one. But it’s definitely - the album is the story of Kate, it’s just a matter of…

JoJo: I think it’s…my vote, Story of Kate. The Story of Kate.

JC: All right, there you go. [Laughs] There’s one! One for that one.

JoJo: JC, dude. What’s your goal on this next album, man? I know the he first one broke you away from the group, because that was the point in your life where you got to make the crack from NSYNC to solo artist.

JC: Yeah.

JoJo: Now what’s next?

JC: You know, my goal is just to make a record - in my mind, I guess, something that people will listen to for years to come. I really wanna make something timeless. I want something on this record to really connect with somebody, and people, for a long time. My goal now in life is to create a piece of work, a piece of art that people can live with for a long time. That’s my goal.

JoJo: Do you still think there’s a part of you that has to prove yourself outside of the group? Pr do you think enough time has passed so that’s sort of a distant memory?

JC: Of course I would love to be successful, you know, but I still have to be proud and do what I do from my heart. I don’t want to make records because it’s a trend and da da da da da. I have to make a record that I feel passionate about. So um, you know, hopefully the two worlds can coincide.

JoJo: Did you…would you, or did you…actually, I know the answer to this. Let me play stupid for a second.

JC: Okay.

JoJo: Did you work with anybody from the uh, the old school group, from the NSYNC days, on this album?

JC: Yeah, of course.

JoJo: Who…what…like, who?

JC: I worked with Justin. And he’s like, you know, setting the world on fire. I actually just watched his SNL episode again today. [Laughs] It was genius, dude, I’m sorry, it was! But yeah, we did, we got together and we’re, you know, we’re shootin’ the breeze one evening and it kinda came up, you know, “Why don’t we go in the studio?” And we did, and I’m excited with the thing…what we gave birth to, I guess. The songs are, you know, they’re not really - they’re not his style at all. They’re definitely JC records. And he did…as a producer, he was phenomenal, I have to say. A great producer, what they do is highlight what an artist does. A great producer just gets the most out of an artist, and uh…

JoJo: What do you do as an artist? Who is JC Chasez? Big question.

JC: I like to think that my goal in music is to tell interesting stories, and so, um, that part of what I do, he really opened the door for, you know. We did a record called “Until Yesterday” that was a lot of fun to do. It was operatic in some parts in the song and it was very musical. It wasn’t a generic record at all and the story was great, you know? And it wasn’t necessarily a true story but it could be a true story, and it was entertaining, and that’s what I love about music. It takes you away, and it does, it entertains you, and that’s what I love to do.

JoJo: Tonight we’re going to debut what song?

JC: The song is called “You Ruined Me.” I had a lot of fun doing this record. I did this record with a couple of friends of mine, Eman Kiriakou and Lindy. We did this record, uh…the idea kinda came to us…uh, I don’t even know how, we were just kinda messin’ around at one point. It was like, within the first ten minutes of going into the session, we already knew what the song was gonna be. And it is, it’s a great idea. It’s a matter of…the point of the story is you ruined me for life, meaning you turned me upside down. I’m in…it’s a love song, actually, and it’s not a bad thing. It’s actually a matter of, this is something I did not plan on whatsoever, hit me like a truck, and now I have no choice but to deal with it because I can’t, I don’t want to be without it.

- - -

JoJo: KIIS FM bringin’ Hollywood to your hood. Which basically means I’m bringing somebody famous to your house, specifically the dude right in front of me, JC Chasez. Now, when we get to these people’s houses…

JC: I’m excited. We’re gonna throw a party, man. We’re gonna play some new tunes. You’ll be hearing, you know, what took me over a year to put together. Some fun tunes, things I’m real proud of, you know, we’ll hang out and talk. If you have any questions, we’ll shoot the breeze, man, and you know, talk about life and everything else, and have a good time in the process.

JoJo: Now are you gonna like explain, like…I guess you can put a pause on the CD player, like, “All right, track one…”

JC: Well, if they want - if that’s what they wanna do, that’s what we do. If they just wanna play the thing and hang out and talk, then we’ll do that too. I just wanna have fun. I mean, you know, I love what I do, I’m passionate about music, you know, obviously if they’re callin’ in about music, they’re passionate too, so we’ll have something in common already. And again, have a good time in the process.

- - -

JoJo: You know, we got a few surprises for you here and there. You had no idea this dude was gonna call. One of the biggest producers on the planet, Dallas Austin. Say what up, dude.

Dallas Austin: What’s happenin’, man.

[Cheers and applause]

JoJo: Where are you at right now?

Dallas: I’m in Miami, man, just finishin’ one of the music conferences.

JoJo: Nice. Okay, uh, couple of quick questions, dude. How many tracks did you work on this album with JC?

Dallas: Oh, man. We did a lot of tracks, a lot of songs. Um, probably about, like, seven or eight songs, then you know, with all the different times, certain ones we’ve been workin’ on for like, you know, a year or two before that. Then we just kinda got together to put them all together and then said pick which ones would be the best ones for the story of the album. We worked on a lot of songs. Me and JC write a lot of songs together for other people too, so he’s like my writing bud, too.

JC: That’s my buddy right there.

JoJo: So the album title is gonna be one of two things, and I know you’re in the mix on this: Kate or The Story of Kate.

JC: Which I wrote with him.

JoJo: What’s your vote?

Dallas: I think it should be - I don’t know, I love the cleverness of If You See Kate because it’s a clever title, a clever hook. And you know, not only a clever way to say a couple of other things, but you know, when you say it’s Kate you’re looking for a thing that just makes the story and the cleverness of the whole thing, like really really special.

JoJo: Any moments in the studio that have never made it to…

[Dallas laughs]

JC: Oh, man.

JoJo: …public knowledge?

JC: You don’t even know about what we did in that studio in Atlanta. Hotlanta!

JoJo: What happened in Atlanta?

Dallas: Me and JC were workin’ on a song one night called “Love Again” and the song is wonderful, it’s like jammin’, you know. All of a sudden these girls come in - I guess they just came from a club - who we knew from nobody, nowhere…

JC: She like, kicked the door down.

Dallas: Kicked the door in, dancin’.

JC: She’s dancin’ full blast. She’s like, “What’s this? Uh! Uh!” Throwin’ it all out there. We were like, yo!

JoJo: And you had no idea who this chick was?

JC: No, ’cause she…

Dallas: [Laughing] She was with JC.

JC: No! She wasn’t with me at all! She came in with, uh, with like, I think Juan - everybody knows Juan…

Dallas: [Laughs]

JC: And uh, sure enough, they were like, “What’s this?” And they just started dancin’ and shakin’. I mean, they dropped to the floor, and Dallas is like, “Oh, hold on. I’m gettin’ my video camera. This is not going…”

Dallas: Unbelievable.

JC: So he video’d…so like while this song is playing - we literally just laid the vocal down that, you know, like ten minutes before they came in. Next thing you know he’s like, “Y’all wanna hear it again?” They’re like, “Yeah, we’ll dance to the whole thing!” So he literally videotaped them like two times in a row dancing to this one song, and he’s like, “Oh, we are definitely gonna put this up on the internet somewhere in the future.”

JoJo: kiisfm.com, keyword JoJo!

[JC and Dallas laugh]

- - -

Some other interview highlights:

- Lightning round questions:
When was the last time you got in trouble?
Last May - it was a girl thing.

Favorite home cooked meal
One of his bodyguards (Mo) used to cook southern food, and made the best collard greens in the world, with chicken and sweet potatoes

Embarrassing naked moment?
His first time going to a homecoming dance, in 7th grade. He asked this girl out that he had a big crush on, and it was the first time he ever asked a girl out. They got off the school bus at their stop and he walked up to her to ask her out. Just as he said “Will you go to the dance with me?” his friend Jimmy pantsed him - got his pants and his underwear and he’s blowing in the wind. But she said yes and they went to the dance and had a great time.

Do you believe in ghosts or UFOs?
Doesn’t know about ghosts, but he does believe that there’s life elsewhere in the universe

Do you like cheese?
I like cheese

Most cash in hand at one time?
A couple hundred grand.

Most famous person in his blackberry/sidekick/treo?
Justin