Eamon: Our Controversial Crush

19-year-old R&B/rap artist Eamon is a cutie from Staten Island who expresses his feelings about relationships in well...colourful language. His first big single was "F**k It! I Don't Want You Back". He calls himself the King of "Ho-Wop" and insists that his lyrics aren't insulting to women. The singer has been performing since the age of 9 with his dad Walter's Doo Wop group. They played Madison Square Garden even. A writer/producer discovered the youngster at age 15 while he was working in the studio and thought Eamon's soulful street sound could make it big as a single act.

On the 26th of this month the second single from Eamon's "I Don't Want You Back" album "My Baby's Lost" will be hitting radio and music video outlets. He'll be touring with Britney starting in June and you might have caught him on the Sharon Osbourne and Kilborn shows last month. The networks "bleep" some of his lyrics but there is no misunderstanding what this outspoken young man is saying.. we talked with him on the phone and started off with a heavy question....

TeenMusic: Your music is controversial and some are gonna say it's rude and insulting to women. How do you respond to that?

Eamon: It's simple. If you don't think you're a ho you shouldn't get offended by it. Like if someone was saying that they hate people that piss on the street I wouldn't get mad cause I don't piss on the street. You shouldn't get offended if you're not in that situation. You should be singing along with me cause you can switch it on the guys too.

TeenMusic: There are some sweet ballads on your record as well so you do balance it out.

Eamon: Exactly. And those are hit songs on the record. People should listen to the whole record. Yeah definitely, I think if they were to listen to it once they'd be like "what the f***" but you have to listen to it a couple of times and get into the vibe of it.

TeenMusic: What is your favourite track on the album and why is it your fave?

Eamon: I'd say "Love Them Ho's". It's got the most Doo-Wop kind of flavor. It's me. I'd listen to the real song by the Flamingos over and over and over and my father would be like "what are you listening to that for?" I only came up with the hook two weeks before the album was supposed to be done and I just got it out there and I feel like, in a weird way, it's kind of like a blessing that it's just the best song on the album and I got it right before the album came out and something hit me.

TeenMusic: Do you credit your dad for getting you involved in his Doo-Wop group?

Eamon: Oh definitely, that helped me out to be where I'm at now because that showed me how to move a crowd and stuff like that. Without all these things I don't know where I'd be. It's really weird to me how some artists just expect to go out there and perform after they just got a deal and they have no experience. I'm so grateful that I got to do that with my pops cause it showed me the ropes.

TeenMusic: How was growing up on Staten Island and did you actually go to that pizza parlour that's in your video?

Eamon: That's a real pizza parlour. I've been there one time before I did this video but that's not the pizza spot joint in Staten Island. The real pizza spot joint is Brother's Pizzeria. That's the most famous one or like the Village Café.

TeenMusic: That's where you hung out as a kid?

Eamon: Definitely. The video represents Staten Island because if you're on Staten Island you know where Bay Street is and that's where the ferry is, that's where the court house is, so it's got a good feel over there that's why we did it there. That's what Staten Island is made for.(laughs)

TeenMusic: Are you looking forward to touring with Britney and have you met up with her yet? Have you rehearsed anything yet?

Eamon: I look forward to meeting up with her and doing a lot of rehearsals with her but I've never met her. I think it's going to be fun. She sells out arenas.

TeenMusic: People say you are a rough-talking kid but you thank more people in your liner notes than anyone I've ever seen. Are they ok with the language you use?

Eamon: The reason my list of thank you's are so long is I thought I can't leave my family out because those are all the people that, in the beginning were the fans. Those are the people that are all blood related. That's not the thank you for the inspiration to write (my music). That was just a thank you for being a part of my family and always having my back and loving me and supporting me. Personally every person I've talked to is very proud of my success and they know I've worked such a long time, since I was a baby. Everybody's happy for me, I'm sure some of them aren't too pleased with the language, but that's only normal. You can't please everyone.

TeenMusic: Why is "My Baby's Lost" picked as the next single? Did you get a choice in that?

Eamon: I got a choice. My choices were the songs "Love them Ho's", "Something Strange", "My Baby's Lost" and "Finally". A lot of people like Baby's lost and I had no problem with that. We need an upbeat song.

TeenMusic: Do you write your songs or do you write with a partner?

Eamon: I don't make beats but on some I wrote the keyboards but I don't really make the music. I write all the lyrics and the melody. The only song I didn't write on the album was "All Over Love".

TeenMusic: So when you don't have anything to write down lyrics on what do you write on?

Eamon: Humm, I've written it down on a dollar bill before.

TeenMusic: What is the weirdest fan encounter you've had so far?

Eamon: In Kentucky there were a couple of girls asked me if they could pay me to hang out with me. They were like "Please, please we'll marry you, we'll give you money just hang out with us after the show." I was like "Honey, I'm sorry I was on the road I want to go to sleep."

TeenMusic: What is the biggest misconception about you?

Eamon: That I hate women or I'm abusive towards women. I love women I have a mother a sister a grandmother I have so much respect. My song, it's not to be taken serious. I do say what I feel but you can't take everything to heart especially if you're listening to just enjoy it. It's not a gospel album or a political album. I'm singing Ho-Wop. I never talk about abusing girls or hitting them. I don't talk any of that gangster s***.

TeenMusic: What would be your ideal activity on an first date?

Eamon: If I liked her and it was our first date, I basically like to have a lot of laughs. I basically like a girl that can let loose, can joke, can laugh and not be so serious. We could do whatever she wants. I wouldn't have a problem with it. I'm a simple guy I'm always up for trying new things.

TeenMusic: What's the best advice anybody every gave you and who gave it to you?

Eamon: My grandfather told me back in the day he said 'don't be offended if people are talking bad about you or whatever as long as they're talking about you that's all that counts. When they stop talking about you that's all that matters. Bad promotion is good promotion'.

TeenMusic: Who are you dying to do a duet with?

Eamon: I'd do a song with Stevie Wonder. That would be incredible.

TeenMusic: What's in your Cd player or you Ipod right now?

Eamon: I ordered an ipod and I haven't' got it yet but in my Cd player is a group called the Bootcamp Click. They rap and they've got an underground feel.

TeenMusic: What, besides music, do you think you do pretty well and what do you think you do pretty badly?

Eamon: Make people laugh. I'm great with sports and predicting stuff with sports. One thing I'm not good at is everything my mother can do.

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Lynn Barker is a Hollywood-based entertainment journalist and produced screenwriter.