Joy Enriquez and Rodney “Darkchild” Jerkins attend the NUVOtv Upfront presentation at The Edison Ballroom on May 15, 2013 in New York City.
This week, The Source Magazine sat down with super producer Rodney “Darkchild” Jerkins and his wife actress/singer Joy Enriquez at the NUVOtv Upfront at Edison Ballroom in New York City. The couple were promoting their new reality show on the network “Rodney’s Joy,” which focuses on their family, Rodney’s work as a songwriter/producer and Joy’s return to the music scene after a hiatus.
Check out our exclusive interview with Rodney and his wife Joy below:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jN_T0ROha1I
Q: How did your NUVOtv reality show come about?
RJ: Actually you know it kind of organically happened. We talked about doing a show, when we first got married we talked about doing a show.
JE: Everybody always would tell us, “My gosh, you guys are so funny. You should have a show.” Isn’t that how it always happens?
JE: I don’t think we’re that funny.
RJ: Well I think we’re pretty funny…We’re just naturally funny when we’re around each other. And so a friend of ours set up a meeting and then we took it from there.
Q: How much do we get to see you working in the studio on the show?
RJ: I mean she’s always tries to get my time, you know I’m in the studio working and she’s always trying to slip in there and steal me away from projects that I’m working on and I mean as beautiful as she is why wouldn’t I give her my time you know. She actually always wins that battle.
JE: But he’s really busy and he works a lot and he has a lot of artists and sometimes I feel they’re more important than me. So I just want him to give me equal the time he gives all those other really really really important artists.
RJ: But I’m always fighting for her time as well because she’s busy again with the kids and other things going on all the time at our house, it’s like a madhouse. So when I do give her the time I expect her to be on time and be there, which isn’t the case always Joy!
Q: What upcoming projects can you share? Are you working with Britney Spears? Mariah Carey?
RJ: I was working with Britney actually at the end of the year. She had me come on X-Factor show and do something with her, so we’ll see what happens if we get a chance to work together. I am working with Mariah, I am working with Jennifer Lopez. I just finished a couple songs with Jessie J over in London and I also wrote a couple of songs that are being considered for Rihanna’s new album, so there’s a lot of good stuff happening so we’ll see…I’m always busy, but it’s all good, never too busy for my baby.
Q: Can you speak about working with Mariah Carey in the studio on her upcoming album?
RJ: Yeah, Mariah’s great. We had a chance to write together and it was really cool. She’s a pro, she’s a real pro and relatable, too. She has two children, two beautiful kids and we got a chance to really get to know her and Nick and the kids doing this project and they just bring that class act family and you know it’s good to have friends like that.
Q: You have been in the game for years. What are your thoughts on how the industry has changed?
RJ: I could write a book on the late 90’s and early 2000’s about how lucrative it was back then and how albums sold so many records. Like you walk down a hallway in my house and you see an album that sold ten million albums you know and today it’s a little harder for artists to sell millions and millions and millions of copies. You know we’re in a single generation now, but I still love what I do and I love the fact that I’m able to contribute my music to so many great talents.
Q: And how do you continue to be inspired? Year after year you produce hit after hit.
RJ: I think every morning when I wake up to my wife’s beautiful face and every night when I go to sleep to her beautiful face it makes me want to go into that studio and make another hit.
Q: Is your wife involved in your music projects as well?
RJ: She owns a publishing company, a very successful publishing company. She publishes songs like “As Long as You Love Me” by Justin Bieber, “I Forgive You” by Kelly Clarkson, Britney Spears, Janet Jackson. She’s very low-key on it, but she’s modest. She’s building a strong strong publishing company slowly but surely and I’m happy to see my wife, maybe one day she’ll have enough money to be able to sign me.
Q: Speaking of Justin Beiber’s on “As Long As You Love Me,” what was it like working with Justin and on the song?
RJ: It’s always a pleasure, again. It’s funny because when I work with artists they become friends of mine and Justin Bieber is like a little brother now. He’s an amazing talent, he’s a humble kid. I don’t want to call him a kid because he’s a growing up. He’s a humble young man now, but we had fun and we all had a goal in mind. Our goal was to get him his first top 10 billboard hit and that’s what we achieved.
