T-Pain has been opening up recently about his life since the rise and fall of the Auto-Tune trend he sparked in the mid-2000s. Last month he performed "Buy U A Drank (Shawty Snappin')," "Up Down (Do This All Day)," and "Drankin' Patna," sans Auto-Tune on a segment of NPR's Tiny Desk Concert, proving to his doubters that his voice doesn't actually need help from the pitch-correction software. In a new interview with Larry King, T-Pain says he is finished trying to make chart-toppers.
"Musically, I stopped trying to make hits," T-Pain said. "I'm done with trying to make hits and trying to please everybody, except for myself."
T-Pain also says the songs on his upcoming album Stoicville: The Phoenix are coming from a more personal place rather than just crafting club bangers.
"Stoicville is more truthful to me," he explained. "It's things that's in my heart instead of trying to make hits... It's not about if people get it or not. It's about if I'm singing from my heart and making lyrics that resonate with me and not just making people dance in the club all the time."
He says that the changes and decisions he's making in his career right now have made him a much happier person.
"I'm much happier," he revealed to King. "I've never been this happy in the music industry in my life."
The Tallahassee rapper also clarifies his comments about Kanye West's use of Auto-Tune ("[It] isn't actually wrong, but not how it was originally intended"), and talks about his history with depression and alcohol abuse, his unique friendship with Chris Brown, his confusion over the rise of EDM DJs, the state of modern music, and more.
T-Pain's next album, Stoicville: The Phoenix, is due out in 2015, which has been preceded by the singles "Stoicville," "Let Me Through" and "Coming Home."
Watch the full interview below, and let us know what you think in the comments section!
