Quddus became a household name as a VJ for MTV’s Total Request Live from 2001 to 2006. But now he’s back in the spotlight, as host of ABC’s singing competition Duets.
The show takes superstars John Legend, Robin Thicke, Kelly Clarkson, and Jennifer Nettles from the judge’s panel and onto the stage to sing duets with contestants. After eight weeks of competition, tonight America will finally choose a winner during the live finale of Duets on ABC at 8/7C .
During an interview with theGrio, Quddus discussed why he left MTV, how he got the opportunity to host Duets, and revealed the conversation he had with Frank Ocean the day after he came out.
What have you been doing the last few years? You have sort of been off the radar since your days at MTV.
I started to go behind the scenes and work in artist development for a couple of years and went to Myspace records when Myspace was still relevant and cool. I helped them with their record label that they had launched and they were interested in getting a little bit more savvy in the urban department so they got me involved. It was great experience for me because really the true line of my whole career has been as a music lover first.
I was a DJ before VJ, so going into artist development actually made a lot of sense for me because I always wanted to support great music, so obviously when MTV went away from supporting great music as much as they used to it made sense for me to peace out on MTV and do more of that.
I guest starred on a couple of TV shows like Girlfriends on CW. Nothing really that notable on-camera but definitely great experiences behind the scenes that really helped confirm me so much as a person and as a creator.
You mentioned that MTV stopped covering great music. Why do you think that they kind of transitioned away from that?
People come up to me all the time on the streets saying “hey man what happened to music on MTV?” And I’m like “well not as many people were watching it.” Bottom line the ratings weren’t as good as they used to be and obviously as a business that needs to function and pay the overhead. MTV realized that for them to stay as relevant as they could be, the bottom line was to do reality shows like Jersey Shore and things of that nature because that’s where the eyeballs were going. It’s a shame, because I as a true music lover I used to go to MTV for great music.
How did you get involved in hosting Duets?
I got a call from ABC, they told me that they wanted me to host the show and came to me with a great offer that I couldn’t pass up. I didn’t have to audition it just happened. I was really into the idea of Duets because it wasn’t a show about criticizing the talent but rather mentoring them in a positive way. So many of the other shows that are out, the judges make harsh remarks, and I hate that. I was watching an old audition from American Idol, and Simon Cowell was just so wack with the way he was critiquing the contestant. There is no reason to talk down to a contestant like that. That’s what makes Duets such a different show.
Of the three judges on Duets, who are you the biggest fan of? Who gets played the most in your iPod?
I am a big fan of all the judges, but I have the most songs of Robin Thicke on my iPod. I was a huge fan of his before the show. His music is so real, and he has an ability to deliver lyrics and really make original fresh music. Also he is married to Paula Patton, and any dude that get [sic] with Paula Patton gets points from me.
Will there be a season two for Duets?
From your mouth to God’s ears. I have no idea if there will be a season two or not, but I hope so. In the end it’s all about ratings though, and the show has done pretty well so far.
What are a couple of things that you learned about John Legend while filming Duets that you didn’t know about him before?
It’s obvious that he is incredibly talented vocally, but John Legend is also an incredibly smart man. He surrounds himself with very brilliant people. He treats his team like they are an extension of the brand that he is, and I think that’s how it should be. For example, a lot of artists will schedule a conference call with their team to discuss their next projects, but John Legend actually flies out his team so they can all meet in person and have scheduled roundtable discussions about what’s next for the business that is John Legend.
Also he knows how to throw a great party. I went to one of his parties July 4th and it was unreal. Everybody was there, including Frank Ocean, who just came out the day before.
So what’s your take on Frank Ocean coming out? Some people say that him going public with his sexuality around the same time of his new album coming out, might just be a ploy for album sales. Do you agree with that?
I think Frank’s Ocean is such a talented musician, singer and songwriter. I have been a fan of his for a long time. I think the Hip-Hop community needed a bit of shaking up, and needs to become more real, and Frank Ocean is bringing that right now. You can’t be mad at him for that.
When I arrived to John Legend’s party, when I first walked in I saw Frank Ocean sitting by himself, all solo dolo, I could tell that he was probably feeling the weight of the world on his shoulders after just coming out in the public the day before. I went up to him and I was like, “man I’m so proud of you. I don’t know if you realize it but you are a hero to so many people.” I had brought a bottle of sake with me to the party so after we talked a little bit and I gave him some encouragement I was like “let’s have a drink,” and we did.
I’m just so happy that he is able to be feel free now to express and just be the person that he is his.
There is a lot of buzz around who are going to be the new judges on American Idol now that Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler are leaving. Who do you think should be the new judges?
To be honest, I haven’t watched the show since the first season when Kelly Clarkson won, so I don’t really care who the new judges are. But I think they should hire someone that actually has legitimate history in the business and isn’t just there to give overly critical critiques and say crazy things just to create sound bites.
Follow Chris Witherspoon on Twitter at @WitherspoonC