Don’t call it a comeback. For Jason Derulo, this is a rebirth.
In the early months of 2024, the American pop singer is in the midst of a career resurgence. In February, he released his first album in nine years, Nu King, which has already garnered hundreds of millions of streams. Next month, he is set to headline Dubai’s first EarthSoul sustainability music event at Coca-Cola Arena, one of the first stops on a new world tour.
For Derulo, this is not just another album, nor another concert. Both come after the most challenging period in his life. “I think I've always had this vision of who I could become in my mind, and I feel like I’m finally becoming that person in 2024,” Derulo tells The National.
To reach this point, Derulo had to risk everything. The first make-or-break moment happened behind closed doors in 2020, when, after more than a decade with Warner Bros Records, he decided to walk away from the company that helped make him an overnight sensation. “I see myself as an artist who is ever growing. I have no bounds – there is no ceiling. And when people start adding those ceilings above me, we’re going to have an issue, right off the bat,” Derulo says.
When Derulo sat across the table from the label representatives four years ago, he did not see the people who helped make him a contemporary artist unlike any who had become before him.
“I think I’m the only black artist to ever go pop first, and actually win,” says Derulo. “And I had won.
“The problem was, I was further and further removed from the people who signed me – from the people I knew, who understood me, as I understood them. There had been regime change after regime change, and those people were gone.”
Derulo felt disrespected. “These new people had the goal of finding new people. But I had been keeping the lights on for 12 years. I was one of the premiere artists on the label besides one or two other people. And we just kept butting heads. I said, ‘what are we doing here? I’ve got to go. I’ve got to be released. Let me out of this’,” he says.
Derulo knew the potential risk of his decision, but he was still confident that others would see his value. He was a proven hitmaker, someone who could collaborate with artists from across genres and produce songs that resonated the world over: Whatcha Say, Want to Want Me, Wiggle. But when he began to meet with other record labels, he felt that, five years removed from his last album, the only person who truly saw the potential that remained in him, was himself.
“I thought I was going to be received with open arms. I thought another label was going to be like, ‘oh, I’m so glad to have you. You can have whatever you’d like,” says Derulo. “And that’s exactly what didn’t happen.” Derulo's overtures were met with hesitance. Decision makers balked at the price tag, seeing him as a lower-tier star.
“They said, ‘I’m not sure this is going to work out.’ I was just like, ‘wait, what? I sold 250 million records. What are you talking about? You have the wrong guy,” he says.
“So, I didn’t sign the deal that I was not supposed to sign.”
Instead, he decided to start releasing songs independently, recording for the first time in years only for himself, following his own vision.
“My first offering was called Savage Love. My manager told me, ‘I don’t think you should put that out.’ I put it out anyway,” Derulo says.
After releasing an initial version in June 2020, Derulo approached South Korean septet BTS to incorporate vocals of members Jungkook, Suga and J-Hope to remix the track. It quickly became the second number-one song on the US Billboard Hot 100 for both artists and eventually climbed to the top spot on the company’s Global 200 chart as well.
“Suddenly, I had the number one song in the world, and as you can expect, all those same record labels came back and asked me to do a deal. I said, no, I’m not doing that,” says Derulo.
Instead, Derulo went back to Warner Bros – this time to its premiere label Atlantic Records, which had been the home of artists including Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles and Led Zeppelin. There, he was no longer treated as a secondary concern. Now, he was treated as the star he knew he’d always been. The singer was the first solo artist to top charts across the 2000s, 2010s and 2020s, after all.
“It was time in my life to have a true partner. I’ve been very successful, and I finally felt comfortable putting my material in the hands of people who I knew would treat it with care,” says Derulo.
“It’s been a long couple of years of me digging deep in my heart, and telling stories, and writing a lot. I’ve come up with an album that I think is my greatest work to date. And it’s very different from anything people have heard of me, or anyone else for that matter,” he says.
To get there, he had to reconnect with his roots. He stripped himself of concerns about trends and algorithms, and found every answer he needed within himself. “I’ve always been courageous, but this time I had to have the courage not to make songs to appease everyone. I had to be selfish, and create music for myself.
“It’s cinematic – even dark. This isn’t what people know me for – there’s romance and heartbreak. And most importantly,” the once famously auto-tune loving singer says, “I wanted people to hear me really, really sing.”
When he doubts begins to doubt the decision, he thinks back to his hero, Michael Jackson. He remembers the risk that Jackson took in the early 1990s with his album Dangerous, embracing new genres, writing fewer love songs and including lyrics closer to his heart.
He, too, is ready for honesty. That’s what got him back on top, and that’s what’s guiding him forward.
Jason Derulo headlines EarthSoul at Coca-Cola Arena, Dubai, on May 4
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
The years Ramadan fell in May
Zayed Sustainability Prize
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
War 2
Director: Ayan Mukerji
Stars: Hrithik Roshan, NTR, Kiara Advani, Ashutosh Rana
Rating: 2/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
The specs: 2019 Audi A7 Sportback
Price, base: Dh315,000
Engine: 3.0-litre V6
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 335hp @ 5,000rpm
Torque: 500Nm @ 1,370rpm
Fuel economy 5.9L / 100km
WWE Evolution results
- Trish Stratus and Lita beat Alicia Fox and Mickie James in a tag match
- Nia Jax won a battle royal, eliminating Ember Moon last to win
- Toni Storm beat Io Shirai to win the Mae Young Classic
- Natalya, Sasha Banks and Bayley beat The Riott Squad in a six-woman tag match
- Shayna Baszler won the NXT Women’s title by defeating Kairi Sane
- Becky Lynch retained the SmackDown Women’s Championship against Charlotte Flair in a Last Woman Standing match
- Ronda Rousey retained the Raw Women’s title by beating Nikki Bella
SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20SAMSUNG%20GALAXY%20Z%20FOLD5
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What sanctions would be reimposed?
Under ‘snapback’, measures imposed on Iran by the UN Security Council in six resolutions would be restored, including:
- An arms embargo
- A ban on uranium enrichment and reprocessing
- A ban on launches and other activities with ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons, as well as ballistic missile technology transfer and technical assistance
- A targeted global asset freeze and travel ban on Iranian individuals and entities
- Authorisation for countries to inspect Iran Air Cargo and Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines cargoes for banned goods
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Company%20profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Belong%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Michael%20Askew%20and%20Matthew%20Gaziano%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Technology%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETotal%20funding%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%243.5%20million%20from%20crowd%20funding%20and%20angel%20investors%3Cstrong%3E%3Cbr%3ENumber%20of%20employees%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2012%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
Expert input
If you had all the money in the world, what’s the one sneaker you would buy or create?
“There are a few shoes that have ‘grail’ status for me. But the one I have always wanted is the Nike x Patta x Parra Air Max 1 - Cherrywood. To get a pair in my size brand new is would cost me between Dh8,000 and Dh 10,000.” Jack Brett
“If I had all the money, I would approach Nike and ask them to do my own Air Force 1, that’s one of my dreams.” Yaseen Benchouche
“There’s nothing out there yet that I’d pay an insane amount for, but I’d love to create my own shoe with Tinker Hatfield and Jordan.” Joshua Cox
“I think I’d buy a defunct footwear brand; I’d like the challenge of reinterpreting a brand’s history and changing options.” Kris Balerite
“I’d stir up a creative collaboration with designers Martin Margiela of the mixed patchwork sneakers, and Yohji Yamamoto.” Hussain Moloobhoy
“If I had all the money in the world, I’d live somewhere where I’d never have to wear shoes again.” Raj Malhotra
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Seven tips from Emirates NBD
1. Never respond to e-mails, calls or messages asking for account, card or internet banking details
2. Never store a card PIN (personal identification number) in your mobile or in your wallet
3. Ensure online shopping websites are secure and verified before providing card details
4. Change passwords periodically as a precautionary measure
5. Never share authentication data such as passwords, card PINs and OTPs (one-time passwords) with third parties
6. Track bank notifications regarding transaction discrepancies
7. Report lost or stolen debit and credit cards immediately
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
Essentials
The flights
Etihad (etihad.ae) and flydubai (flydubai.com) fly direct to Baku three times a week from Dh1,250 return, including taxes.
The stay
A seven-night “Fundamental Detox” programme at the Chenot Palace (chenotpalace.com/en) costs from €3,000 (Dh13,197) per person, including taxes, accommodation, 3 medical consultations, 2 nutritional consultations, a detox diet, a body composition analysis, a bio-energetic check-up, four Chenot bio-energetic treatments, six Chenot energetic massages, six hydro-aromatherapy treatments, six phyto-mud treatments, six hydro-jet treatments and access to the gym, indoor pool, sauna and steam room. Additional tests and treatments cost extra.
From Zero
Artist: Linkin Park
Label: Warner Records
Number of tracks: 11
Rating: 4/5
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
Team Angel Wolf Beach Blast takes place every Wednesday between 4:30pm and 5:30pm
The biog
Family: wife, four children, 11 grandchildren, 16 great-grandchildren
Reads: Newspapers, historical, religious books and biographies
Education: High school in Thatta, a city now in Pakistan
Regrets: Not completing college in Karachi when universities were shut down following protests by freedom fighters for the British to quit India
Happiness: Work on creative ideas, you will also need ideals to make people happy
