The phrase ‘it never rains but it pours’ rang true for the ‘Feel Good‘ singer, who years following a messy divorce from actress Paula Patton in 2014, and headlines making lawsuit about his biggest hit yet, ‘Blurred Lines‘, has had to deal with blow after blow, including the sad passing of his father, ‘Growing Pains‘ actor Alan Thicke in 2016 after suffering a heart attack.
The following year, his popular manager Jordan Feldstein — who also oversaw Maroon 5’s career — died aged 40.
As if that wasn’t shattering enough, in 2020 his mentor Andre Harrell, renowned for launching Sean “Diddy” Combs and Mary J. Blige’s illustrious careers, died.
While trying to make sense of the misfortunes, Thicke, who usually takes one to two-year breaks in between albums, sadly grew distant from music, resulting in a seven-year gap between his 2014’s ‘Paula‘, and latest 8th album, which chronicles his new outlook on life.
“I just kind of woke up out of the fog, the creative fog I was in and personal fog I was in. Just started seeing the world a little differently, finally,” he was quoted as saying by Yahoo News.
With this album – ‘On Earth, and in Heaven‘ – my intentions are pure again
Robin Thicke
Grammy nominee Robin Thicke reintroduces himself in new eighth studio album, ‘On Earth, and in Heaven’, his first in nearly seven years.
The 11-track collection is entirely co-written by Thicke alongside collaborators like Pharrell Williams, Nasri, James Gass, and more, built on his foundational, signature sound and inspired by a life-altering, transitional chapter.
“(With) this album, my intentions are pure again. I want to make great music that spreads love, that feels like a warm blanket, that brings people closer together, that helps heal wounds and bring bonds back, and that’s what I needed,” Thicke shared in conversation with Apple Music’s Zane Lowe earlier this week. “And that’s what this music has done for me and that’s what I wanted to do for others.”
He also cited the passing of mentor Andre Harrell as the shift that brought the music back. “I just looked in the mirror and I woke up and I said, ‘I’m not going to be insecure like that anymore. I’m not going to let these days go by…I am going to do what I always wanted to do and be the person I wanted to be.’ And then the music came quickly. But it started with that big turn.”
'On Earth, and in Heaven' track list
1. ‘Lucky Star‘ (Robin Thicke, Nasri, James Gass)
2. ‘Hola‘ (Robin Thicke, Jairus Mozee, James Gass, Kenny Wright, Lawrence “LB” Breux)
3. ‘Lola Mia‘ (Robin Thicke, Chris Payton, William “Matty” Taylor, Larry Cox II, Lawrence “LB” Breux)
4. ‘Gorgeous‘ (Robin Thicke)
5. ‘The Things You Do To Me‘ (Robin Thicke, James Gass, Aaron Camper, Larry Cox II)
6. ‘Out Of My Mind‘ (Robin Thicke, James Gass, Bobby Keyes, Rich Skillz)
7. ‘Beautiful‘ (Robin Thicke, James Gass, Larry Cox II, Gianni Credle-Harrell)
8. ‘Look Easy‘ (Nasri, Robin Thicke, Ben Spivak, Chaz Jackson, Dre Pinckney)
9. ‘Take Me Higher‘ (Pharrell Williams, Robin Thicke, Chris Payton)
10. ‘Forever Mine‘ (Robin Thicke, Bobby Keyes, James Gass, Larry Devont Dorn)
11. ‘That’s What Love Can Do‘ (Robin Thicke, Robert Daniels, James Gass, Larry Cox II)
‘Look Easy’ buzz
Buzz around the album’s latest single ‘Look Easy‘ is humming as the #2 most-added single at R&B/Urban AC Radio this week.
The music video for the on-the-rise new track that Thicke dedicates “to all the frontline workers, mothers, daughters and grandmothers of the world” debuted on Friday, 12 February exclusively as a BET Soul and BET Her premiere, airing in NYC’s Times Square at 1pm and 6pm ET.
Directed by Nick Leopold for Skinny Empire and shot in Los Angeles, CA, the clip marries both the album and the single’s themes, smash cutting in with Thicke falling from heaven into the ocean, washing up ashore.
Following a beautiful onlooker through a haze of obstacles, Thicke eventually emerges from the chase, journeying back to the beach just as the sun begins to set into the earth.
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