Expect The Unexpected From Avery Wilson
We've all watched showbiz kids grow up on our Television screens, from adolescence to a come-of-age. But, in this day and age, Avery Wilson represents a new class of social media figures who've started their journey creating content on social media platforms like Instagram before the reals and Twitter before the X --for Wilson, it was the now-defunct Vine-- to finding themselves on big screens and stages. The latter is Avery Wilson's latest stop as follows in the footsteps of the late Michael Jackson and Hilton Battle of portraying the Scarecrow on Broadway.
Photographs by Ammar Thomas
What are your earliest memories of your artistry?
My earliest memories of my artistry, I would say, are from when I was about nine years old. I was playing sports and doing different things of that nature, but nothing musically related. My dad heard me sing, for whatever reason around the house, I was probably just singing anything. HE started to question if it was me because I was in my room with the door closed. He opened the door and was like do it again. And I sang, again, whatever I was singing, and it was kind of moment where he was like, "Oh, you got something." So all this extra stuff that you do extracurricular stuff, we're not doing that anymore, and it became, do you want to do this? Are you very serious about it? And I remember telling him, "Yes." I'm going to be candid because he's a candid type of guy. From then on I've immersed myself in the world of music. Many people that I know started young. They're like, "When I first came out of the womb, I was singing at five years old." That wasn't my story. I found the love of music as far as singing late in the game.
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I know you from Vine, which is now defunct. Was there any point where you were creating content for Vine that you thought, "I'm about to take off?"
You know what? I wouldn't say take off because I've thought a lot about what taking off means. A lot of times, we do things, especially people online, socially, to create a viral moment, or I'm doing this to be seen. I just wanted people to respect me. At that point, I had already done TV shows, singing around, and getting my name buzzing online. But Vine took it over the top. When I did Vines, my only thought was, "Make people respect you." If it takes off, and it comes viral, if there's a moment here, then great, but if people respect me, then I can be pleased and do whatever I've been loving for as long as I want to. When somebody respects you, that gives you a different level of visibility in my eyes. When I see Beyonce, it's not that she's just talented. You respect her.
You were on The Voice as well. Let's talk about competition. Are you a competitive person?
I am naturally. I come from a family of three boys. I'm the youngest of three. They were all into sports, all headstrong individuals. Whether it was being up on time, or getting dressed the fastest, it was always competitive. So naturally, I am, but I don't carry that into my everyday life because I believe competition will drive you to create more inward, than outward issues. Be great. Have a focus. Have a purpose, but just be better than you were yesterday. That's my mind all the time. Whatever I did yesterday, that was cool. Today, if I get another chance, God willing, to get up, then I should be able to beat that. That keeps me cool, sane and leveled.
Okay, how do you feel about singing competitively?
Singing competitively is cool for a second when you're doing it for that reason, like if you're on a TV show, yes! To say we're not being competitive is a lie. There are people up here competing for a spot. So yeah, that's cool for a second. But once you leave those environments, the only way to get better is to look at the old you, not the person next to you, because you really can't see that. Nobody seeing me now will ever know what I had to do to get to this point. Even if you saw me online, on Vine, or saw me on Instagram, you still don't know what it took. So technically, if I focus on the old me, realize where I came from, and look back --I don't know why people don't like that. But looking back is the most important thing to me to see where I came from.
What led you to Broadway?
I always wanted to do it at some point in my life. I never knew when because it takes a lot of time -- eight shows in six days is crazy. The preparation time to tour is another six months for however many cities. It's a lot on your body, mind, vocals, and everything, and you need to be committed to that. I was like, you know what, I want to do it, I just don't know when. Then I heard about this audition for The Wiz. Everything that I remember about black joy on screen as a young kid, --because I wasn't a Disney guy; I didn't grow up watching all the different Disney movies and all that-- Michael Jackson, Diana Ross, Ted Ross, and Nipsey Hussle on the screen, I'm like, yo, this is crazy. And I mean, I got a tattoo of Michael Jackson, which people know at this point, so I've been a fan of him, and to see him transform, I was like, I want to get to a space where I can be free and show that there is more to me than just what people see. I'm sure people know Michael Jackson and think I know who he is. He's the glove, he's the hair, he's the "shamone", but it was more to me to see him on that screen. So I was like, you know, at some point in my life, I want to do that. And it just came a lot quicker than I ever thought it would, to be honest. But I'm glad because I have the energy and the youth on my side.
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You just answered my next question, which was what made The Wiz special to you?
It’s not just the fact that these people were in The Wiz. But it is about seeing black people on screen who were creative, not struggling and still found joy. Seeing that connection on screen, to me, was the thing that transcends time. We weren't struggling. We weren't slaves. It wasn't the typical stereotypical black story. So I think that was one of the things that brought me to The Wiz. We deserve that. As people, we are curators who've created so many things in this world that we don't get the recognition, or they get stripped away from us. But, seeing that lets me know that there will be moments in my career or just in life where we can get the win on our side.
You're playing Scarecrow, once played by Michael Jackson. Did you face any pressure taking on this role?
In the beginning, yes. I think trying to get the role, yes. But, now that I have the role, the role is not about me being Michael Jackson. Rest in peace to Hinton Battle, but it's not about him. It's about me standing on their shoulders and bringing who I am to the role. That's what they did that inspired me. It wasn't me looking at them saying, wow, I want to do what they did. Now, great artists steal, so I am taking things from them, characteristics, physical traits, or physical emotions, or maybe tones of voices or even dancing because Michael Jackson went on to be the dancer, but Hinton Battle was a whole different type of dancer on a technical level. So I'm taking those things and morphing them into it. That's what I'm doing. I don't care to beat them, but I do care to respect them and represent them well.
Did you do anything specific to prepare for this role?
I had some friends in the theater world, Shoshana Bean being one of them. She took me into an honest space before my auditions and kept it real. If you go in that room, like basically show me what you're doing, read the size, let's go through the songs, showed me how to connect because this is my debut. She showed me the ropes before going into that space where I'm trying to be my most vulnerable, open self as possible to get this role. After I got the role, I said, let me look at Hinton Battle, the blurry footage on YouTube from the 70s, as best as I can. Let's look at this movie with Michael Jackson, Diana Ross, and all the different people in it and learn as much as I can from them until I have to shut that off and say, now where are you in this character? Who are you in this world? What is the fabric or fingerprint that you have that makes this important? So that's kind of what I did. I mean, it was my special process, but I didn't think it was too crazy.
You sang background with Babyface for his Tiny Desk concert. How was that for you?
First of all, When Babyface calls you, period. It was amazing to hear that when I got on that phone, he said, "Man, I think you're one of the greatest vocalists of this generation." Your baby face. What do you mean? I don't understand this. It's very off-guard. And then to hear that I was singing with Tank, who I'm great friends with at this point and Chanté Moore. That's legendary, and we're singing legendary music. And I got the call, I believe, from singing "Can We Talk," which was a viral moment on YouTube that I had that he wrote. And I was like, wow, he could have called anybody, but he decided to call me. I felt gratitude at that moment to see that someone who paved the way is also seeing someone trying to follow in similar footsteps.
You just dropped a song, "Kiss The Sky." On Instagram, you posted a video singing "Kiss The Sky," and the caption in bold print read, "This is R&B." What about this track to you screams R&B?
It is the perfect balance of what feels modern and feels old school. I think it has all the elements of a real story about love and the chase of love and wanting to make somebody feel that feeling that you don't always come across in life, back to back. Also, there are chord changes in the song that shadow what the past was. There are songs "Me and Mrs. Jones" and "If You Don't Know Me By Now," staples in R&B with similar chord changes. Freddie Jackson, too. These are R&B greats, in my opinion, and they are not just great music but great vocals. I feel like Kiss The Sky" very much lines up with that. But, it still sounds like today while bridging the gap. Most people love R&B. It's a feeling. It's a soul. It's all these things in one. But sometimes, I felt those elements get lost in the sauce because now, if I'm being respectful, most rappers use melody, and there was a time when they didn't. To me, it pinpoints that singer in the meat of it and feels very familiar to the air.
You just talked about the state of R&B. We hear all the time that R&B is dead. You being a singer's singer, is R&B Dead, or are people not listening?
R&B is never dead. If anything, R&B has inspired so many different genres. I feel like, well, I don't feel like, I just said, rappers are singing now. Rappers. The definition of a rapper is not to use melodics in the way of vocal lining, which we do as singers. It's spread so far left into another genre. Then you have all these different subgenres where there's R&B Soft Rock. It hasn't died. It's transformed, and maybe it's not in the original form we fell in love with, but it could never die. I don't subscribe to that.
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When do you celebrate this role on Broadway? While you're in it or after the last show?
Every day is a celebration, and not to sound cliche or corny, but every day is a celebration of it. Broadway can last forever, or it can last only the contract. It could only be this six months, three months, or whatever you have on paper. It can be that, or it can extend. So anytime I get a chance to be on stage, whether acting, singing, or speaking, I'm going to celebrate that moment because so many people, I'm sure, wait to audition for these roles or my role, if you will, and I'm the one who has it. So, I'm going to give myself that. It took me a lot to get to this place. I didn't even know I would be at this moment, and I will always sit on that and give my best and all my joy. Always.
What is next for Avery Wilson, creatively?
Creatively, people should be looking for me, and I'm looking for myself to be on the big screen. To put out an album and tour for my music. Maybe do some more Broadway shows and some lead roles. I don't know. I feel like expanding the brand is what people should expect from me. Everything that they're looking for I want to find and give it to them. And then even the unexpected because no one, and I do mean no one, thought that I would be on Broadway doing this. I've heard people say oh, you would be great. But the potential is one thing, but factual and actual is different. So they didn't expect this. There's more of the unexpected. Expect the unexpected.
Art Director & Photographer: Ammar Thomas @iam.ammarjamal | Fashion Director & Interview: Nigel Isaiah @nigel_isaiah | Grooming: Tara Lauren @taralauren | Location: The 9 Studios | Special Thanks: ImPrint PR @imprintpr
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