Celebrity GUYS Who Make You Say "HEY!": 3T

*April 1996* issue of Just For You! Magazine

On my way to interview Michael Jackson's nephews, 3T, at the Sony Offices in Manhattan; I go over the questions in my head and concentrate on not asking too much about their famous family. Instead, I want to try to find out the heart and soul of the group members; individually and as a whole.   

When they informed me that 3T was waiting for me in the large conference room on the 31st floor, I grabbed my belongings and tried to find my way. Even though I was directed,  I was still got lost in Sony's maze of hallways and had to ask for directions again. When I came to the door of the conference room I was surprised to see Tito Jackson (an original member of the Jackson 5 who I admired when I was younger). At that moment I was reminded that these three young men were the next in line for musical royalty.   After I sat down on the other side of the table, I got the chance to get a sneak preview of their first single, "Anything". Courtney Barnes, their publicist, came in and introduced himself to me just as the video started. Although I knew the interview would officially begin after the video, I found myself tapping my fingers to the mellow beat as I became engrossed with the video's total package of audio and visual effects as well as the stunning good looks of TJ, Taj and Taryll. The video was released to all major video channels just after the Labor Day weekend. the video was directed by award-winning director, David Nelson and it took place in Los Angeles.

   TJ; the youngest of the group, wore red, white and blue Grant Hill jersey, chomped on Bazooka Joe gum and described himself as determined. "I also like to have a lot of fun and go out with my friends. I like to read and I like to learn. I'm relaxed and laid back. I don't let people bother me too much", he said.    Taryll; the middle child, who recently dyed his hair blonde, admits that he has the biggest mouth of the group. "They all agree with me." he said. "I stand up for what I believe in. I guess that's what I get from my mom. I don't let people step all over me, I voice my opinion. Yes, sometimes it gets me into trouble but that's just something I do. But I will stand up and say something if I don't feel it's right", he said.

   Taj; who sports tiny, neat braids, is the oldest brother who describes himself as the shy one. " I'm really shy, but a lot of people mistook that for arrogance. We went to a private school and everyone knew who we were. I learned that I have to talk to them so they won't think I'm arrogant. I'm extremely humble. People realize that I'm a really nice person. I like to have a lot of fun playing  video games and baseball", he said.

Getting a early introduction to all types of music, 3T has a wide variety of musical influences. Their greatest, of course, would be the entire Jackson family and their most famous Auntie Janet and even more popular Uncle Michael. "We started off going to the Jacksons concerts. When we came home we sung all the songs in the Jackson running order. For the live concert, it started off as "Can You Feel It". We had the Jackson rehearsal tapes from our father and we would do the whole concert. Then, what happened was, it turned from doing their songs into playing other songs the, eventually, creating our own songs." said Taryll.

     "They (family) listened to a variety of music, they weren't just straight blues or country or straight R&B. I think we naturally caught on to listening to all types of music," says Taryll.     Currently, they listen to a variety of musical artists, as well. " Right now, we can listen to anything ranging from The Beatles, to Da Brat, to The Supremes, The BeeGees to TLC." adds TJ.

Knowing that hard work is the key to success, they worked on their own rather than just getting a handout from their family. "We even shopped around for demo deals but never really found the right one for the group. After that, we did another set of demos until we found what we wanted. I was actually in the ninth or tenth grade when "Didn't Mean To Hurt You" ended up on the Free Willy soundtrack" said TJ.

   "We worked really hard on the whole album," says Taryll. "There were plenty of first singles to choose from on the album. We wanted to make sure that we came out with the right songs for the group. Something that represents 3T, something we could be comfortable with as our first image. "Anything" was picked as the first cut. The song says  a lot. We wrote it, produced it, and we all sung our own verse. It represents us," he continues.

   "It took a little over two years because we wanted it to be perfect. We knew that people would try to criticize our  work, coming from the Jackson family, so we really took our time and made sure it was what we wanted. Plus, we wanted each song to have the ability to be a single," Taj added.

    All the young men are single yet all have had experiences with female relationships that they can relate to in their lyrics. Taryll describes the perfect girl as someone with personality and a sense of humor. "I like someone that's fun and likes to joke around. I'm kind of silly. What's pretty to me might not be pretty to someone else. I don't like girls with attitudes. If someone is not sweet, I'm not going to stick around. And I don't like to much make-up ", Taryll confesses.

    Their collective long term goals are to keep the family legacy going strong with musical achievements. "It would be fun to be on tour with Michael and Janet but we want to make sure that we have a lot of single out so people can be familiar with us and so we're not the act that people go to the bathroom and get popcorn on. We would take that kind of personal" Taj said.

   Standing strong in Brotherhood, I doubt that will ever happen.

by Winnie Price