Eric Bellinger’s selflessness made him an asset to the music industry: “God don’t make mistakes”
Eric Bellinger is a California native who has written more hits for music artists than one can imagine. He’s been a working machine behind the scenes of the industry and believes his unique upbringing and faith played a major role in the trajectory of his career.
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The father of two was born in Long Beach, CA and raised in Compton. Bellinger grew up in a faith-based family that was dedicated to keeping God at the forefront of all things. Singing was always the “La Perla'' musician's passion and led to his successful journey as a creative genius. The first singing audition he went to resulted in him being placed in a group that was signed to Epic Records. Although the boy band didn’t last, he learned a lot through the process and, years later, began songwriting, which afforded him the chance to make a name for himself.
Bellinger’s natural talent and hard work allowed him to collaborate with some of the best music artists in the industry, such as Beyoncé, Chris Brown, Justin Bieber, Fantasia, Selena Gomez, and Janelle Monáe, to name a few. On the latest episode of “The Blackprint,” hosted by REVOLT CEO Detavio Samuels, the two-time Grammy-nominated industry veteran opened up about his journey and why keeping your purpose at the forefront is so essential. Below are seven highlights from the episode, which you can watch here.
1. His Art Is Grounded In God
The 40-year-old’s love for music developed at a very young age. His family members were avid churchgoers, and he was involved in the music department. It cultivated how the budding star wrote and performed because he learned the art of operating from his soul. Being in the church choir and serving as a lead singer, the young artist was responsible for leading the congregation to a place where they were prepared for the pastor’s sermon. Therefore, Bellinger always focused on “trying to move [the audience].”
“When I sing to people, I’m actually trying to move [them]. I’m actually trying to evoke emotion. I’m actually trying to get you to feel,” he told Samuels. “And like you said, that’s something that comes from church.”
2. Bellinger’s Childhood Made Him A Jack Of All Trades
Even though Compton was Bellinger’s stomping grounds, he didn’t go to school with the other kids who lived in his neighborhood. He went to school 30 minutes away in Santa Fe Springs for better opportunities. Bellinger saw two different sides of the coin when it came to life, which enlightened him in more ways than one and gave him a competitive edge. He was not only street smart but well-versed in different cultural settings.
“So, I lived in, you would say, more of a hood area, you know, but I went to school in Santa Fe Springs... palm trees everywhere. I would understand the street politics of walking down Rosecrans and Bullis, but also the freedom and the safety... on Royston Avenue,” he explained. “And it's just such a blessed place to be, you know what I mean? Because I'm able to be a chameleon in the boardrooms as well, whether we talking golf, whether we talking basketball, you know, I'm able to adapt and carry myself properly.”
3. Going To Church Taught Him Structure
Being involved in his church's music department helped Bellinger become the professional he is today. At the time, he was responsible for being at multiple rehearsals throughout the week and service on Sunday mornings.
“It started off with me just being on the 8 a.m. service. Then it was the 10 a.m. Then it was the Wednesday at 7 jawn. Then it was the Saturday rehearsal. So… At the time, I'm like, ‘Why I keep being on the program? Like, when did I even sign up for this?’” he said laughing. “But now I see it was just a part of the bigger plan. I was just being groomed. And it's something that happened over repetition, something that happened with consistency. And now it's second nature when it's time to sing.”
4. He Is Selfless With His God-Given Gift
The songwriter learned at a very young age that his talent was purposeful and shouldn’t be used for any self-serving goals. He was told early in his singing career by family, “You ain't singing for you, you know. You're singing for God,” which was a proverb that stuck with him. In addition, an important lesson he learned in the process was to surrender to God’s will for his life and lose the idea that he needed to control everything.
“That's the only way God can really bless you. When you try to -- like you said -- be in control and like, ‘This is what I want to do’… I could be doing everything right, at least to my power, [and] something will still go wrong. Somebody else could kick a glass and then [there’s] red punch on the thing. But I was on point all day,” he quipped.
“So, I had to understand that, yeah, it's not in my control, but the things that are in my control, I'll handle. But if something isn't, I'm so good to let go. I'm so good to be like, ‘Oh okay, well, that's what happened. That was supposed to happen. God don't make mistakes,’” he added.
5. Bellinger Feels Joy When An Artist Performs A Song He Wrote
While some may think it’s probably difficult to give your art to another performer who’ll get all the praise publicly, this is not the case for Bellinger. He gets excited to see how artists will take his work and execute their vision.
“I love it. I definitely love seeing it!” he exclaimed. “Man, especially with Chris Brown. His last tour opened up with the song ‘Indigo.’ And as I would watch the recaps and all the shows, I'm seeing this stadium. With him floating down out of the ceiling, with all these dancers, with this incredible stage show, with a packed-out house. And it honestly feels like I'm still there. It feels like my soul is there.”
6. His Mom’s Advice Was Essential To His Career
Bellinger’s mother passed away not too long ago and they had a saying between them, “Mother knows best,” which they also called an “MKB” moment. This was an inside joke and the truth -- his mom always had her son’s best interest in mind and recognized his gifts early. She did everything in her power to nurture his singing talent and moral compass. The established star showed appreciation throughout “The Blackprint” episode for her guidance and presence during different stages of his life – even the dark ones.
“I just recently lost my mom, and her thing is: Mother knows best, right? MKB, that was our thing. MKB, mom knows best,” he disclosed. “And she knew my first love was music, you know? So really, it was a joy because now I'm doing what I absolutely love, and I think I was born to do [it]. My first mixtape series is called ‘Born II Sing,’ and that was something that she would always say… ‘You born to sing… You were born to sing.’”
7. He Made Himself an Asset
Once the singer was given the opportunity to be in rooms with other hitmakers, he stayed in his lane. Although Bellinger always wanted to be a singer and never left that dream behind, he didn’t have a problem sitting in the backseat to be a songwriter. Plus, the money was good. He hit a stride and was getting back-to-back placements, which the revered talent said was because he was selfless. All the Compton-raised artist wanted to do was serve others -- with purpose, of course. He told Samuels this made him an asset to the music industry instead of a hot moment.
“There's one thing to send an email, and ‘Here go some beats that I've been working on from Switzerland.’ But when you're right there with the artist, and when you're connecting, and when you go to sleep, and you wake up, and you're still [on their time] … I was in a mode of service,” he shared. “And I just accepted it, and I think that's why it took off -- because I was more so an asset to have in the room, rather than me being in there like, ‘So this is all good, but I'm working on my album too.’”
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