Not many young people would turn down a football scholarship. But that is exactly what 33-year-old Eric Bellinger did. As the captain of his high school football team, Eric Bellinger seemed destined for greatness. But inside him, Eric was looking forward to a different kind of greatness. One that did not necessarily involve sport.
Eric Bellinger carved out a niche for himself as a songwriter for the stars long before he released his first album in 2014. The talented artist from Compton has now release a second album.
Bellinger has already won a Grammy for writing F.A.M.E and his new ambition is to achieve the same success as a performer that he already has as a songwriter for the stars.
Eric’s Career as a Singer/Songwriter
Eric Bellinger has three mixed tapes and three studio albums to his name. Bellinger is a member of a group of songwriters called The Writers Camp.
Even though he only started songwriting in 2010, Bellingerhas already worked extensively with famous artists like Chris Brown, Justin Bieber, Trey Songz, Selena Gomez, TeyanaTaylor, and Usher.
The 33-year-old singer, songwriter, and producer has helped to write hits like Lemme See for Usher, Don’t Know for Tank, Right Here which was performed by Justin Bieber, Disrespectful by Trey Songz, and New Flame which was performed by Chris Brown.
Bellinger’s solo projects include Born II Sing Vol. 1, 2, and 3, The Rebirth, Cuffing Season, Cuffing. He also sand Rebirth, Cuffing Season 1 & 2, Eventually and Eric B for President: Term 1.
Eric Bellinger spent his childhood growing up in Compton, California. He went to school in Newark where he met NiemanJohnson who was going to be his manager in future.
As a young child, Eric Bellinger listened to Gospel music singers like Fred Hammond, Karne Clark, and Kim Burrell, who had an influence on him. Besides gospel, Eric enjoyed Jagged Edge, Blue Moon, Michael Jackson, Brandy, and Usher.
At some point, it must have looked like the young Bellingerwould go for a career in sports - he was the captain of his high school football team and almost went to the University of California on a football scholarship. Incredibly, Eric Bellingermade a brave decision to turn down the offered scholarship. He already knew that he wanted to make music.
Soon after rejecting the scholarship, Bellinger was on the road touring with R&B group AKNU (A Kind Never Understood). After his work with AKNU, he was signed up by Epic Records. Eric started working with The Writing Camp in Los Angeles, where his mentor Erika Nuri worked. Erika was also a friend from his childhood.
Eric’s first big break came when he started cowriting songs for stars like Selena Gomez and Jacob Latimore in 2010. He started off writing pop songs but moved on to a wider variety of genres.
Bellinger had an opportunity to work with The Game in 2012. He worked on The Game’s song “Death Penalty” from California Republic, a mix tape released in the same year. Besides working with The Game, Bellinger also got an opportunity to get a publishing deal with Sony ATV and later BMI. Eric made the decision to join BMI instead of Sony because of his growing body of work as a songwriter.
Pedigree
Eric Bellinger’s grandfather was a hit singer as well. Bobby Day released the hit song Rockin’ Robin in 1958 . Day was also a member of the Bob & Earl band as well as The Hollywood Flames as a teenager.
Day was born in Texas but he moved to California when he was 15. Like Bellinger, Bobby Day was a successful songwriter for famous artists including The Dave Clark Five. In 1972, Day’s song Rickin’ Robin was performed by a young Michael Jackson. Day wrote songs for the Jackson 5 as well.
Virtual Reality
Eric Bellinger has found a way to combine his music with another passion of his - virtual reality. Inside his californiahome, the artist has a whole room dedicated to Virtual Reality. He doesn’t want to enjoy it alone, he wants to share the experience with fans.
Through his latest project The Rebirth 2, Eric Bellinger has created 30 songs with Virtual Reality as a theme. Some of the songs are the usual club songs, like Drive By and Type A Way, but others like Lay Up are slower and more mellow.
The songs have catchy hooks that people can easily sing along to. Bellinger wanted people to be able to play while listening to his songs, and that is exactly what he achieved.
On his new Type A Way video, you see Eric Bellinger and Chris Brown putting on VR goggles before joining a party scene. The video is also on The Rebirth 2 album it is the usual debauchery of hip hop videos with a futuristic twist. Ne-Yo and Trinidad James show up on the video as well. Bellinger’s teal hair dye fits into the video quite well.
Awards
Besides a Grammy Award for Best R&B song which he won in 2011 for his work on the song F.A.M.E, Eric Bellinger has also won an ASCAP Award for Lemme See by Usher. The award was for Best R&B/Hip-Hop song.
Creative Freedom
Starting off as a songwriter before becoming a performer worked really well for Eric Bellinger. By the time he was recording his first album, the talented artist was already well off financially. By his own admission, he was no struggling artist. This situation set him free from having to sign up to a music level. He has enjoyed creative freedom and the ability to plan his career according to his own personal vision.
Bellinger wants to use that freedom to create R&B music that is not boring. There is a good chance that Eric Bellinger will become a true legend in the years to come.
Comments