Next

T-Low told POLLSTAR the songs represent personal experiences of the group’s members. “We’re not writing stuff about mansions and Mercedes Benz because we don’t have that. We’re not writing songs about moving a mountain for a woman because we can’t move a mountain,” he said. “Like our single ‘Too Close’ that’s out right now — the No. 1 song in the country — it’s about dancing on the dance floor and you get aroused and the girl tells you to ‘step back. You’re dancing kind of close.’ It’s all real life situations that have happened and that we’ve experienced.”

The Minneapolis-based members of Next have been singing their whole lives, starting in church. “It’s been all of our dreams to be in a group,” T-Low said. “Like myself, I always wanted to be in New Edition when they came out. Michael Jackson and the Jackson 5, we wanted to be a part of that. So one day, basically, me and my youngest brother got together and were like, ‘Man, we should just start our own group and just do it.'”

That was six years ago when brothers T-Low, 24, and Tweety, 21, decided to form Next. They enlisted the third member, 21-year-old R.L., through their uncle, who was the director of a local gospel choir. But if you ask the close-knit group, all three are brothers.

The trio began rehearsing in the home of T-Low’s Godmother, Sounds of Blackness vocalist Ann Nesby, who helped with vocal training. They quickly made a name for themselves around Minneapolis playing clubs and talent shows. In fact, the guys were so successful, they were eventually banned from local talent competitions. “For like three straight years, we won them,” T-Low said. “They banned us from doing talent shows in the whole of Minnesota.”

While the then-teenage boys were doing their best to manage their own career in those early days, it wasn’t long before they started getting support from prominent figures in black music.

In 1994, Prof T. and Lance from the group Low Key saw Next perform and approached the trio about doing some production work. “They felt like we had the qualities to do something in the music industry so they took us up under their wings and took us in the studio, without promises — not promising us anything,” T-Low said. “They just did demos with us.” Those recordings were made at Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis’ Minneapolis studio, Flyte Tyme.

One of the demos ended up in the hands of Naughty By Nature’s KayGee, who visited Minneapolis while on tour. At the time, KayGee was working out the details of his Divine Mill label imprint. Though Next was anxious to record its debut album, the group was patient. KayGee’s promise to take care of the trio eventually paid off in a big way.

KayGee set up a showcase for Arista Records prexy Clive Davis, T-Low said. “We did the showcase for him one day [and] he signed us the same day. Clive Davis signed us himself. Right when we got offstage, we went to the office and did paperwork. He was that impressed”

KayGee also introduced Next to Naughty By Nature’s management company, Queen Latifah’s Flavor Unit. T-Low said Next felt the right vibe from the management firm and the group was more than happy to turn their career over to Flavor Unit’s capable hands. “It’s a relief,” he said. “Now all we gotta do is focus on the music.”

While many R&B acts don’t center their careers on touring, Next lives for road work. “There’s nothing like touring,” T-Low said. “When you’re on tour, you get to meet people, you see who’s supporting you, hear them sing your music with you while you’re performing. That’s the greatest feeling.”

The group’s love of performing provides the motivation to stay on the road. “We take our performance more serious than anything because that’s all we had before we had our record deal,” T-Low said. “We just have a lot of energy and we love performing. You can see it on our faces.”

Apparently, Next’s live performance leaves quite an impression. At least it did on one reviewer who said if the guys couldn’t make it as singers, they could have a career as exotic dancers. “That’s true,” T-Low laughed, adding, “Actually, my younger brothers could. Not me.” But he takes it as a compliment. “That must mean we can dance.”

Next is currently dancing its way into arenas, playing what the group considers a dream gig — opening for Boyz II Men. “Right now, we’re on a high because it’s like a dream come true that we get to perform with Boyz II Men every night because we’re big fans of theirs.”

Other than that, the trio is working on a measly little promo deal. The group seemed the obvious choice for Pepsi’s “Generation Next” ad campaign. “It fits like a hand-in-glove,” T-Low said. Next will be featured in Pepsi’s summer print ads and will also develop their own jingle for the company’s radio spots.

With a certified gold debut album, two hit singles, a dream tour and a big time promotion deal, there’s only one thing left for Next to do. “We’re counting our blessings,” T-Low said.