Siedah Garrett On Writing 'Man In The Mirror'

(19-9-2012) Siedah Garrett wrote the lyrics for Michael Jackson's No. 1 hit "Man In The Mirror" and is a featured vocalist on the song. She still remembers the day she penned the reflective record 25 years ago for the Bad album. Garrett, who later went on to record as a solo artist and write hits for the likes of Tevin Campbell and Jennifer Hudson, said she immediately knew she had something great. "I called Quincy [Jones] and said, 'Dude, Glen [Ballard] and I have written a great song.' He said, 'Great, great. So turn it into the publishing office, and I'll hear it on Monday.' I said, 'Nope. No. Quincy. Let me just drop off the cassette [now]'." Within a week, Michael—who preferred to write his own material—was in the studio recording the track. When Quincy Jones assigned a group of songwriters the task of writing one last song for Bad, Garrett knew she needed to come up with something powerful. "I couldn't write a 'oh baby baby [song].' It couldn't be a run-of-the-mill idea. He had such a huge platform. He had the eyes and the ears and attention of the entire planet, so I wanted to offer him something to say to the world, not knowing if he would get it, not knowing if it would get past Quincy." Michael told Siedah Garrett that "Man In The Mirror" and John Lennon’s "Imagine" were his favorite songs. Their chemistry was so strong that he invited her to duet with him on another Bad single, "I Just Can't Stop Lovin' You." Siedah Garrett pays homage to Michael on her new song, "Keep On Loving You." Produced and co-written by DapoTorimiro (Justin Bieber, Brandy, John Legend), the song will appear on Garret’s upcoming album, Look Inside Myself, which is slated for release later this year. It’s her answer to their 1987 worldwide smash, "I Just Can't Stop Loving You." "When Michael and I recorded and performed our duet together, it always felt as if he were singing it just for me. I wanted to write an answer, a sort of love letter back to him, that tells the story of how we first met, and how amazing it was to be in his presence and be able to interact with him creatively over the years. This new song expresses my deepest feelings for him, and appreciation for all the personal attention and unbelievable opportunities he afforded me." She last saw Michael a month before he died, during auditions for his London tour, This Is It, where—ironically—she sang "Man In The Mirror." Garrett said she misses the way he valued his colleagues: "Here's the essence of his genius. Whenever he found someone whose artistry he respected, he studied that person and would take the good of what they do and internalize and tweak, twist and flip it, and make it his own. So whenever you were in his presence, and he respected you as a talent, he made you feel as if he had as much to learn from you as you did from him. Oh my God. That was the biggest lesson that I learned from him." To view the interview with Siedah Garrett and to watch her new video, "Keep On Loving You," please click here. Source: MJFC / Yahoo Music / Singersroom Garrett: I Just Owe Everything That I Am To Him (24-9-2012) While promoting her latest single "Keep on Lovin' You," singer Siedah Garrett talks a bit more about the influence Michael had on her life. She sang alongside the King of Pop on the lead single for his Bad album, "I Just Can't Stop Loving You," and co-wrote the song "Man In The Mirror." Meanwhile, she has carved her own niche, winning two Oscar nominations associated with her work on the movie adaptation of the stage musical "Dreamgirls" and the animated film "Rio." Still, Garrett remains humble when she cites the two people responsible for her success. "I just owe everything that I am to him [Jackson] and because of Quincy [Jones] I got to be introduced to him through my music. So I owe a huge debt of gratitude to Mr. Jones for my life as it is at this moment because he was my introduction to Mr. Jackson. I don't even know how I would be in the same sphere as Michael Jackson if it weren't for my association with Quincy and his relative association with Michael and the project that he's done for him." After Michael passed away, Garrett said she felt the need to "write something that expressed how I felt about having met him and about how his creative influence has changed my life entirely." The result is her new song, "Keep on Lovin' You": "It's my answer to our duet. My love letter back to Michael... how I was feeling and how it felt to be with him at that time, how we respected him so much and let me feel like he had as much to learn from me as I did from him," Garrett said of her friend and mentor. "I think the first line of the song is 'I know I was nervous and if you were feeling nervous too I didn't have a clue. I found it so refreshing you turned out to be so cool. You were just cool.' When I wrote those lines, they really expressed my deepest, most heartfelt feelings about him as a man, as an artist, as my duet partner." The video for her single features footage of the two of them from the "Dangerous" tour, for which she received permission from the MJ Estate. "They gave me permission after having seen what we did, how we used it and I am so, so pleased. That was a huge coup for me. It's all well and good to have a video that you feel is a tribute to Michael, but if he's not in it, it could be anybody. But because they allowed me to use us on tour, on the "Dangerous" tour, it just brought so much legitimacy to this next single... I could not be more happy with the way it turned out, with the fact that the family gave their blessing and everybody is just totally alright with the way this came out." With "Bad's" reintroduction to music fans this month, Garrett feels the timing couldn't be better. Especially, she believes the 25th anniversary edition is the charm for one of the standout tracks from Bad—the inspirational "Man in the Mirror." "That was one of my biggest regrets for the song itself, that it didn't really get the recognition it deserved." The song was not nominated for a Grammy, considering it was released a year after "Bad" arrived in stores. In the coming months, you can look for more from Garrett, who will release her upcoming album, "Look Inside Myself," later this year. Source: MJFC / EUR Siedah Garrett Fondly Remembers Michael (28-10-2012) Singer and Grammy winner Siedah Garrett co-wrote Michael's hit "Man in the Mirror" and sang with him "I Just Can't Stop Loving You." For her new album, she composed and performed two new tribute songs to the King of Pop. In a recent interview, she talked about the songs and fondly remembers Michael for being highly creative, for being a perfectionist, and for his childlike sense of humor: "Keep On Lovin' You" is your answer to your original duet with Michael Jackson. What thoughts and feelings did you have as you were composing and performing the new song? Whenever we were on stage performing the duet "I Just Can't Stop Loving You," it was like Michael was singing it to me. So, I wanted to write a response that would describe how I felt about him, what a difference he made in my life, and how much I appreciated the opportunities he afforded me. Will there be other treats for Michael Jackson fans in your coming new album? In fact, yes. I've recorded another song entitled "I'll Remember," which pays homage to Michael and John Lennon. Can you share your memories of meeting Jackson for the first time? And of the last time you saw him? After Michael and Quincy Jones accepted "Man in the Mirror," Michael wanted to record it in a lower key that was more comfortable for him. Quincy Jones called me to come to the studio to re-record the song. When I met MJ, I remember him being really down-to-earth. As I re-sang the demo in the new key, Michael was holding a video camera recording my performance. When I asked why, he responded that he loved my voice and my energy, and that he wanted to sing it just like I did. As for the last time I saw him, I reached out to him in 2009 when I learned he was making plans to go back on tour. I caught up with him on the phone during the Michael Jackson week on "American Idol," four weeks before he died. He congratulated me on my Grammy win and Oscar nomination. I later saw him at his tour audition three weeks before he died. What do you remember most about Jackson? What memories stay fresh in your mind to this day? Michael was incredibly creative, a perfectionist in the studio and on stage. He had a childlike sense of humor. While in the studio recording our duet "I Just Can't Stop Loving You," Michael recorded his part, but when it came to me singing my verses, he began tossing popcorn in my face in an effort to make me mess up. Quincy Jones, not seeing this, began to chastise me for flubbing the takes. Michael, on the other hand, was just cracking up! Can you share the story that went into the making of "Man in the Mirror"? I was signed to Quincy Jones as one of his songwriters. He called us all to describe the type of song they needed to complete MJ's "Bad" album. I later got together with my main writing partner at the time, Glen Ballard, and as he began to search for sounds on his keyboard, I began flipping through my lyric notebook for a random idea. The phrase "Man in the Mirror," which I had written in the book two years earlier, just popped out of me. I began writing on that theme, and the lyrics began to flow. Within 15 minutes, we had the first verse and the chorus of the song. We split up to work on our respective assignments—Glen the music and me the melody and lyrics. Two days later, we completed the demo. To read the complete interview, please click here. Source: MJFC / Inquirer