Maxwell muses: Inside his music

Maxwell’s music: Levels of live

SheKnows: And it is, it’s resonating on so many levels. One thing that I have just been struck with is your performances on some of these television awards shows and things. I’m just curious because it’s just so powerful to hear you sing on television, but yet, for you as a performer, used to performing live, you obviously had a live audience there. Do you do anything different with that awareness that there’s a camera there and millions also enjoying you, like me (laughs)?

Maxwell: Well, I’m always nervous, you know. I’m always like don’t fall, or don’t forget this word — don’t forget it, you wrote it — that kind of thing. Don’t look in the audience too much, because that could be like your greatest hero sitting right there looking at you. You look out and you see Smokey Robinson and people you look up to, and you can’t help but think to yourself, “Damn, who do I think I am to even give this a go”. But you go out there and you gotta be able to step out there and do your best and let the chips fall where they may – hopefully not you on the stage! I tell you, in this world of YouTube and where things are eternal-eternal, it definitely raises the stakes because you always wonder how eternal the stakes are. I don’t know why I approach with this pessimism sometimes, but I guess it’s what keeps me on my game with it. I’m glad people are cool with it.

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