As this year marks the 20th anniversary of Mathew Knowles’ Music
World Entertainment, the industry titan is showing no signs of halting
the label’s track record of success. In recent weeks, Beyonce's dad premiered his international reality television show, “Breaking From Above,” in America as part of a joint venture with MTV International. The series, which initially aired last November in 160 countries, follows Knowles’ latest girl group, From Above, as they navigate the mogul's artist development program.
During a recent interview with The Huffington Post, the Fisk
University graduate and former Xerox executive opened up on his latest
foray into unscripted television, and offered some details on the
release of two new Destiny’s Child albums and his love for his
grandchildren, Juelz and Blue Ivy.
Matthew gives some great advice and is a great business man if you ask me. He manages a lot of successful groups & artist currently relevant in the music industry. Check out the full interview below!!
Congratulations on the recent U.S. premiere of “Breaking From Above.” Are you planning on shooting additional episodes of the show?
Yes, we’re absolutely thinking about doing that. We’re in the
discussion phase right now. This is all a part of a joint venture with
MTV International and so Teen Nick falls within their Viacom system. And
it’s the older demo for the channel [13 to 21], with a sweet spot
around 18, 19-year-olds. Which is also the sweet spot from my girl
group, From Above.
Where do you envision From Above in terms of making an impact on today’s music scene?
We have to look at more creative ways to rolling out albums. And
we’re still in discussions with having that strategic partner that we
need. It’s my belief that you can’t put out albums today just in a
vacuum without having a strategic partner. And that was the reason why
we were so successful with Destiny’s Child and Beyonce, because we
always had L'Oreal, Walmart, clothing lines, etc. etc. So we’re still a
work in progress with From Above.
Is this your first experience working on a reality show?
This is actually my second. I did my first one about six years ago
with Channel 4 over in the U.K., which is one of their larger networks.
However, this is the first show that I’m the creator of. And we’re
looking to do more of that in the future, because TV is the new radio
for music.
What are your thoughts on so many record executives, such as yourself, transitioning over into unscripted television?
I think they offer a lot of knowledge, and so I think that they’re
the right people for those roles that they’re playing. Maybe I’ll get a
call one day for “American Idol” [Laughs].
This year also marks the 20th anniversary of Music World.
What are your plans to ensure that you’ll be successful for years to
come?
We have to be realistic. At Music World we got to shift our direction
and certainly stay in music. We’ve grown our Music World Gospel to the
fifth largest Gospel label in America. But again, even for the label, we
got to partner up. It’s similar to what’s happening in corporate
America back in the ’80s. You saw a lot of mergers and acquisitions. We
have to be smart in who we can partner with to do it better. We still
have our joint venture with Sony and in November we’re putting out two
Destiny’s Child catalog records with new material. So we’re going to
start doing strategic things like that.
New material meaning previously unreleased tracks?
It’s all released material with some previously unreleased material.
Will there be a Destiny’s Child reunion tour to complement the two projects?
Not on the first release. It takes a year of planning to do these
tours, but first it starts with the artist wanting to do it. And I think
the ladies are still working happily in their solo careers. And I hope
in the next five years that there is a reunion tour. I think it would be
incredible. The hardest thing would be choosing which songs they’re
going to do, because we would want to mix it up with solo hits and
Destiny’s Child hits. We would have to throw away some number ones from
off the set list [Laughs].
Destiny’s Child is one of the eight girl groups that you’ve
managed in your career. In your opinion, what does it take to put
together a successful girl group?
Unfortunately they all weren’t successful, I wish I could say that
[Laughs]. But I think with girl groups it’s all about the relationships
that the members have with each other. It really boils down to that. And
then the second thing is each member accepting what their role in the
group is. Followed by great songs, work ethics and talents.
Can fans expect a Trin-i-tee 5:7 album in the near future?
Yes, they have a new album that’s coming out in the September-October timeframe. With that album will be a major announcement.
Speaking on maintaining a great relationship with artists, do
you have any advice for parents who are trying to break their children
into the entertainment industry at a young age?
Well first, you have to start young to really be the best at
anything. But the one piece of advice that I have for any parent is to
make sure that it’s your child’s dream and not yours.
Earlier this year your granddaughter, Blue Ivy, was born. How does it feel to have your first granddaughter in the family?
Blue Ivy is a special gift, so nothing but love. The same goes to Juelz, my grandson. So I’m a proud grandpapa.
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