Maxwell's New Album Is Coming This Summer

It’s been over seven years since we received Maxwell‘s BLACKsummers’night. The ironic thing about this fact is that the LP served as the first part of a trilogy. The only problem, a follow-up never happened — until now allegedly. In a conversation with Essence, the singer states that the second second part, blackSUMMERS’night, is on its way and will arrive this summer. It will also mark the 20-year anniversary of his debut album, Maxwell’s Urban Hang Suite. Read excerpts of the conversation below and read the full interview here.

On the release date of blackSUMMMER’snight

I’m so hyped about the new album coming out, which is so exciting for me, because it’s fresh and it’s different, but it is what I do. It doesn’t make you feel like, oh, yeah, that’s going to come out in 1996. You’re not going to feel that. At least I hope you don’t. (Laughs.)

On how long he’s worked on the album

I’m at the point with the album where it’s just like … With the passing of my cousin, and my grandmother passing away … Me turning 40, and being 42 now, and having a whole sort of new milestone in my life, where a lot of my mind is grown up, and I’m thinking in terms of the next 10 years, and what I’m going to try to do for the next 10 years, which is something I never really … I mean, I did it, but I’m not doing it as much as I do now. I’m just hyped. We have two and a half years of just consistent, around the world, going everywhere, traveling, doing shows…It’s funny, because I remember reading Marvin Gaye’s biography when I was, like, 17 years old, Divided Soul. He always said something that really stuck with me. He said, “You can rush to fail, or you can take your time to succeed.” I’m happy that I haven’t exhausted people’s visions to the point where they’ll never want to listen to me.