Keeping the 90's Alive: An Interview With Mark Calderon of Color Me Badd

We’re living in fast times where longevity can be hard to find. Mark Calderon of Color Me Badd can’t relate, though! Their hit debut single “I Wanna Sex You Up” was released in 1991; 31 years later, Mark is still getting on stage and performing it like it was yesterday, along with the rest of their catalog. I had a really great time picking his brain - check out what he had to say below:

We are very excited to have you here in town on Saturday! You're coming through to Portland with the I Love The 90s tour. How has the tour been so far?

It's been busy. You know, so far the the crowds have been great. Everyone's having a good time. Everyone seems to be just doing their thing, loving the 90’s music. We're just having a good time out there with the other acts. We're out there with Vanilla Ice, Tone Loc, Rob Base, Young MC, and more. Just happy to be out there.

Who has been the most fun to be on the road with thus far?

They all have something great, all fun to hang with. They're funny. They're all funny. Coolio is is hilarious. They're just good people. They're just really great people to be with.

Let's take it back to a great year. 1991 is the year Color Me Badd’s debut single “I Wanna Sex You Up” came out to the world. Did you know this song was going to blow up the way it did?

I liked the song. I've always liked the song. I liked the demo of the song, but no one knew it was going to take off the way it did. It just came from nowhere. It's like, as they say, like, what is it? Like catching lightning in a bottle? Everyone can say yeah, we knew it was gonna blow up. We didn't know, no one really knew. It just happened and it was just like taking off like a roller coaster, just non stop. We were just constantly moving, doing shows, doing TV interviews. It was a madhouse there for a minute. It was wild. It's what we always dreamed. We didn't realize it was gonna happen like that. We thought it was gonna be something that was going to take a little time to build and then eventually we'll get to that point, but it hit pretty hard and pretty fast. All of a sudden, we were going all over the world and just seeing new places that we've never seen before. Tasting new foods, meeting new people. It was amazing. I mean, after 31 years, you know, we still get to sing those songs. It's pretty amazing and I'm very thankful. I love to travel, so that's what makes it great also, but sometimes, you know, too much traveling can get to you. I just liked seeing new places new things and, of course, performing those songs because when we do those songs, it takes people to a different place. They sing, they dance, they're having a great time. And of course, with everything that has happened in our world recently, it's good to give somebody good vibes.

In the early 90’s, Color Me Badd were leaders in the “hip hop doo wop” genre. Are there any artists today who you think are in that lane, or do you think there's a lack of that now?

I think there's a lack of it. People aren't taking the vocals seriously. There's not a lot of harmonies going on. I will give a lot of credit to Bruno Mars who does who does it really well and he's probably one of the best out there. I wish there was a little bit more of that. That was the “hip hop doo wop” phrase that we had coined back in the day and that's what we were about. It was basically just taking old samples, putting harmonies with a hip hop beat to it. And that's what we did. Bruno Mars has made it work so you know, it's still out there. It can still be done.

What advice might you give to other artists who dream of having the type of longevity that Color Me Badd has had?

Just be real, but just be true to yourself. Go out there, have fun, continue to create, don't be afraid of doing something different, because that's what makes it work. Sometimes, you just try to sound like everyone else, you know, you might not have a chance to go where you want to go. It's good to be different. You know, God made us all different. So why not put out different music? Just try to be yourself and don't be afraid to try new things.

Color Me Badd obviously has had so many accomplishments from Grammy nominations, to guest starring on Beverly Hills, 90210. Is there a particular accomplishment in your career that you're most proud of?

just those things that you said, being able to be nominated for two Grammys, winning an American Music Award, Soul Train Awards, smashing awards overseas, selling 12 million records. What more can you ask? I think the good thing about it now is that I get to still perform those songs and still see the smile on people's faces and that's what makes it all worth it. It’s about having good times, and good vibes.

You started out at a time where social media didn't exist. How do you think it has changed the industry?

It has completely has changed the industry. Now you don't have to have a record label to put out music like you needed one before. It's a good thing, it also could be a bad thing. I think it's a lot tougher to get your stuff out there in a sense. But, you know, with numbers, I mean, the more music you put out the, the better chance you're going to be able to catch a record that people are all gonna like, it's a different game. The, the trouble that we would have gotten into man, if we had social media back then, but you kind of lose your privacy a little bit, but it's just the way the world is today with everything. It can be good, it's got its pros, and it's got its cons. But, you know, overall, I'm enjoying it, I'm still learning how to use it, and still having fun. So, you know, I'm just living through it, and trying to make the best of it. But if I could have it, I liked it better back in the day where there was still a little bit more control of what we had going on the music that we're putting out and the record labels are backing it. Now a record label won't sign in artists unless that artist has a million followers, so it's not even necessarily about the talent anymore. It's just about the quick hit, quick money, but there's no more developing artists and I think that's a bad thing because there are a lot of people out there that I think they're extremely talented. They just need a little help you know, they don't necessarily have all the followers like some some people do. If I could have it either way, I would like to go back to the the old way. I think technology is great in a lot of ways, but I think it has hurt us a little bit.

In May, you released a new track called “California Dreamin” - what inspired this song?

A DJ of mine from California had sent me this track and asked me if I could write to it. I have to admit, when I get these tracks, they're never that great, but this particular track hit me really hard. I was able to just come up with the medley. I love romance. I still love romance and love songs, which I think our world has forgotten about. But I had to bring that to the forefront with this song. It was the Marvin Gaye spirit that got into me. I don't know. Marvin Gaye, Motown spirit. I had such a great time with the song. We had a good time filming the video.

Does this mean there's more new music on the way from Color Me Badd?

Absolutely. Don't be surprised if you hear different genres that, you know, we might be coming out with. I mean, everybody knows kind of the battle for the hip hop, upstyle music. But, you know, we like we like other other sounds, too, that we might pull out. So it's just gonna be fun. It's gonna be fun to see what we do.

What has been the craziest tour stop with the I Love The 90’s tour thus far?

You know what, we're having a lot of fun doing the baseball stadiums after the major games. We get to perform out there on the baseball field. That's pretty cool. So I don't know, a lot of great places. We performed a lot of nice amphitheaters and arenas. I really liked the outdoor amphitheaters a lot. People really seem to have a good time in those.

What can the audience expect from your performance?

We're gonna take you back to the 90’s! We're gonna take you back to when you were like 16, 17 years old. We're gonna take you back to high school. How about that?

For 31 years you've been a group and you still are out here raking in over a million monthly listeners on Spotify, which such a huge accomplishment. It just shows how dedicated your fans really are. So with that being said, if you could say anything to those fans who have been holding on for 30+ years, what would you tell them?

I would tell them, like I do every every night we perform, thank you so much for the love the support over all these years. The group may have a different look now, but we still bring the music, we still bring the 90’s sound, and we're always going to be Color Me Badd. So, thank you again for supporting us and coming out and go check out “California Dreamin” if you get a chance, I think you'd like it.

Here in Maine, our state motto is “The Way Life Should Be,” so I want to know, according to you, what is the way life should be?

The way life should be should be easy. Hard work always gets you places you know and always show love to your brother.

Much love to Mark for taking the time to chat with me. Check out Color Me Badd’s latest since, “California Dreamin’,” below!