Selita Ebanks Interviews Trey Songz About New Album, Cyber Bullying & More

For the first time ever, super-model Selita Ebanks (who recently shared that she’s launching her own swimsuit line), conducted an interview. Her subject? 27-year-old singer, Trey Songz, for VMAN. Trigga opened up about his upcoming album, touring and bullying. Peep a few excerpts:

SE: The world has heard four albums of your seductive voice, and Chapter 5 brings some new Trey “Songz.” VMAN is a men’s fashion magazine that shines light on a new kind of man. How does Chapter 5 shine a new light on you?

TS: As I’ve grown from a young man to a man, I think a lot of people have been able to see that progression [in the music], as far as my fans are concerned, as far as consumers are concerned, and just the general public. So I’ve gone from “Gotta Make It” to “Top of the World.” I’ve gone from “I Invented Sex” to “Sex Ain’t Better Than Love.” I think life is about growth and I think fashion, in a lot of ways, is about growth as well. I think the new album will reflect very much where I’m going as a person and what I’ve been through. Music, for me, is very much an expression of how I felt at the time when that song was made. And it’s almost been a year and a half since I put my last album out [2010’s Passion, Pain & Pleasure], so we’ll see how much I’ve grown and how much I’ve changed since that album’s dropped.

SE: When are you going on tour?

TS: The first day is February 9th in Cleveland. It’s the Anticipation tour and it’s the first time I’ve ever toured for a mixtape [Anticipation 2]. I’m one of the few R&B artists who has been making mixtapes throughout the full extent of his career—[I made one] even before my first album came out. I went back to that formula, going back to the work ethic that I had initially at the start of my career, knowing that that’s what basically gave me the chance to make it to Chapter 5.

SE: There has been a lot of cyber bullying and a lot of hate toward young people, through the Internet, texting, and things of that nature. What message would you send to young people as far as bullying goes?

TS: Bullying is childish, and a lot of kids get stuck in situations where obviously something is wrong at home, so it’s kind of a release for them. It’s a comfort blanket and it’s affecting so many people as well as themselves. It’s important to speak not only to the people being bullied but to the bullies as well. To the people out there who are being bullied, just stay strong. There’s only one you. I tell this to people all the time, to kids, to grown men, grown women: there’s only one you, and to think that being you is not enough is to say that God didn’t do his job, because He only made one you, and that alone should show you that you’re special.

Peep the full interview here.