10 Questions with ... Ralph Tresvant

NAME:Ralph Tresvant TITLE:Recording artist COMPANY:Xzault Media Group BORN:Boston RAISED:Boston

Please outline your career path.

Singing Credits: New Edition, Bobby Brown, BBD, Johnny Gill, Whitney Houston, Biggie Smalls, Ja Rule, P.Diddy, Michael Bolton, Garth Brooks, Peter Cetera, Céline Dion, Kenny G, Little Richard, Kathy Mattea, Gunnar Nelson, Matthew Nelson, Pointer Sisters, Brenda Russell, Will Smith/The Fresh Prince, Randy Travis, Luther Vandross, Warren Wiebe, Raphael Sadiqq, Tony Toni Tone, Gerald Levert.

1) Describe the first time you got paid for performing as an artist.

The first time I got paid for performing was at a talent show at a place called Roscoe's Lounge in Boston, with New Edition.

2) Who did you look up to when you were first starting your career?

I looked up to the Motown sound, Marvin Gaye, the Temps, Tops, and some pop influences like the Bee Gees, Kraftwerk, as well as early hip-hop and rap.

My family introduced me to music very early, and I've had it in my heart ever since. Ricky Bell, along with Bobby Brown, started me on a path to do this as a career. When we started performing for shows like "Soul Train," "Solid Gold, and "American Bandstand" ... I felt like we might just be on to something!

3 ) If you had a chance, given what you now know, would you do it again? What changes would you make?

Yes, I would certainly do it again ... but I would've had my mother a lot more involved with my biz. She really had my back in this world, and would have done much better with finances than some of the people around me in the early days.

I would have taken more advantage of the different opportunities available to me back then.

4) What do you see down the road for Ralph Tresvant?

I honestly see myself rounding off a long journey in the entertainment industry. God's gonna work the remainder of my career out, the way he sees fit.

5) How do you feel the current formatting of Urban radio has affected you and artists similar to you?

I think it's hard because radio is formatted for kids and teenagers. Most established artists don't fall into this category. Music, as far as mainstream radio is concerned, is very young. They have to know that their audience still wants to listen to older artistd.

6) Do you still have a listening audience?

Well, there are a lot of things that are taking away the seriousness out of being an artist. It's already not the same as back in the days; if you said you were an artist, people took that gift more seriously. You say the same thing today and people react less impressed. That's only gonna get worse if we don't start reminding people why this gift is special ... i.e., real talent and music.

7) What do you do in your spare time, when you are not recording or performing?

Nothing, really. I just keep on representing love, play ball with the real players in my industry, and pray to God for protection!

8) Tell us a little about your current single.

"It Must Be You," the single was written and produced by the Xzault Media Group team. Danny Bell did the music, Danny Dillman did the lyrics, and I sung the song and added a little Ralph T to it! All in house on that one.

9) How do you feel about illegal downloading and the pirating of materials that is currently going on in our industry?

I think it's a shame to see all the hard work that goes into creating these different projects get stolen and traded for free; it's a low-down dirty shame! As for marketing, it can be great sometimes, but at a terrible cost in the long run.

10) Do you have any career regrets?

Yes, I have some regrets. The main one is, I wish I would have or could have taken the business side of my career as serious as I took being an artist and working on my craft; yesterday would be a lot easier to swallow today!

What would people who think they know Ralph Tresvant be surprised to find out?

I never dreamed of becoming an entertainer. Although I loved music, I never saw myself doing this for a living. It was just something to do with some friends to me. So how I ended up being the lead singer for one of the most accomplished groups in R&B/ pop music history ... has got to be God!