“‘A beautiful love song that was inspired,” said singer Rahsaan Patterson about his new single “Sent From Heaven” from his upcoming Shanachie Entertainment project, “Heroes and Gods,” set for a May 17 release. “It’s a return to joy … coming whole again after … heartbreak.”
The onetime BET J Award winner for Underground Artist of the Year hasn’t released a project since 2011’s “Bleuphoria.” “Heroes and Gods” will be released on the Shanachie imprint, home of such other iconic artists as jazz pianist Keiko Matsui, Will Downing, Kim Waters and Norman Brown.
“That song was … all songs are from the Creator … absolutely a gift that’s from the universe,” said Patterson about the concept for “Sent From Heaven.” “I’ve grown and learned to stay self-aware. The future is absolutely promised once you internally do the work. Because of the pain of life and relationships you come away aware of consequences of choices. We create the future.”
Patterson said he learned to keep his focus on the positive aspects of life and relationships. Life is too short to focus on anything but that, said the Los Angeles-based singer, who is celebrating 35 years in the entertainment business.
I remind him each time we talk that I interviewed him, Fergie, Shanice and Mario Lopez during their time on the 1980s television show “Kids Incorporated” and have been interviewing them all throughout their careers since then. After “Kids Incorporated,” Patterson signed a deal with MCA Records and, as they say, the rest is history.
Patterson, who has mastered R&B, jazz, funk and gospel vocal genres, has collaborated with such iconic artists as Faith, Ledisi, Rachelle Ferrell and Lalah Hathaway.
“It takes the experience of life,” he pointed out near the end of our interview. “The hard times, trauma, the working through the hurt to understand that you can make it through … a heartbreak.”
Moseley’s The Pulse of Entertainment column has an estimated weekly readership of over 250,000.