Eric Bellinger Reclaiming His Artistry with ‘Rebirth 3’
Written by Griselda Flores on March 2, 2024
Eric Bellinger’s talent with the pen is undeniable. Since 2010, he has been a force in the music industry, crafting songs for multiple artists including Usher, Tank, Justin Bieber, Ashanti, Fantasia, and many others. This extensive experience paved the way for his current success, with over 30 albums released as an artist since 2014. His versatility was showcased even further when he assisted with background vocals during Usher’s viral Tiny Desk performance, highlighting his multifaceted contributions to the music scene.
Indeed, songwriting for others can present its own set of challenges, but transitioning into one’s artistry is a whole different journey. For Eric Bellinger, this transition has been the most monumental of his career. “It was a slow one because I’ve had the original passion to be on stage. The writing career just took off. I always just wanted to keep going without stopping, you gotta do what you did to get here to stay here. It’s been interesting, trying to get my career a little bit more attention. It’s been dope to just watch both grow. I didn’t have any favoritism towards one and both were able to just continue to flourish.”
For Eric, writing a song for himself is a seamless process compared to crafting one for other artists, which requires more thought. When writing for himself, he can simply enter the studio and let the creativity flow, regardless of who produces the beat. However, when collaborating with someone else in the studio to create a great record, Eric emphasizes the importance of synergy and communication. “Not only am I just trying to write a good song, but I’m also educating myself on the person’s back catalog, so that I can make sure that I write a song that’s missing from their catalog, a song where they feel they don’t have a particular song like that, but it still resembles their sound. I’m trying to really nail it and still be innovative and creative thinking about what that artist’s fan wants to hear from them.”
Eric Bellinger’s signature tagline, “This Gonna Be Your Favorite Song,” has become instantly recognizable to fans. “I had a song on my very first mixtape, in 2010 Born to Sing was the name of the mixtape. The song was called “This That Song”. The record was just saying this that song you put on it was a song for the ladies that’s working hard. When I said it’s gonna be a favorite song I just really genuinely meant it because this was the therapeutic joint that they were going to go back and listen to. People started just singing that joint to me and I was like let me try to put that joint in another song and luckily was strong enough.”
Ten years after the release of his debut album, The Rebirth, Eric Bellinger returns with the highly anticipated third installment, The Rebirth 3. This trilogy holds a special place in Eric’s heart, surpassing his other series in terms of significance. It catapulted him onto the radio, led to international tours, and garnered widespread acclaim. The breakout hit, “I Don’t Want Her,” from the original The Rebirth album, played a pivotal role in solidifying the series’ importance in Eric’s career.
Eric shares that this album marks a new chapter for him, both professionally and personally. He’s now under a new company and is navigating the grief of losing his mother just a month ago. “I was in a situation with Empire for a long time and did the independent distribution thing for a long time. Now I’m actually with a new company called Virgin compound interest. So from that standpoint, it’s a rebirth. One of the biggest pains that I’ve ever gone through right now. I just lost my mom a month ago. So I’m relearning and rebirthing how to navigate life just in general. Mom’s being my best friend and now coping with it. It’s an entirely new life. It’s an entirely new routine and new daily regimen.”
Sampling songs from other artists has been a longstanding topic of discussion in the music industry, gaining renewed attention in recent years. Eric Bellinger is no stranger to infusing his unique spin on records inspired by other artists. “If you can do it in a tasteful way, that’s paying homage, like an interpolation, rather than just a straight sample. A lot of times people just take the music not realizing they can get a little melody then switch it out. It’s so much different than taking the music versus having to pay for the sample. I think a lot of times, it comes from me just having that history, and memory bank of timeless melodies and songs in my head. So when I’m writing songs, if I hear a melody that is reminiscent of a temptation song, or whatever it is, I’m gonna slide it in there but still making my own.”
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