After his split from Jordin Sparks, Jason Derulo learns to love himself and embraces his inner Michael Jackson

NEWLY single R & B singer Jason Derulo is having a blast after his split from Jordin Sparks — but thinks that Tinder might be “a little too much”.

US dance pop singer Jason Derulo for National Hit only

You’re just about to release your fourth album Everything is 4 — do you still get nervous?

I do. But only because everything is always so different every single time. With all the experimentation of trying new sounds and reinventing myself, there is no real expectation.

It would have been easy to do another Talk Dirty, but this album is so not that. So it’s nerve-racking because it’s new.

The first single Want To Want Me has been a hit around the world though — that must give you some confidence for the album. Why has it struck such a chord?

It’s because of that difference. It sticks out like a sore thumb on the radio and it’s a very feel-good kind of record.

I didn’t know it would be the first single — it was actually the first song I did for the new album. It never happens where your first single is the first song you do — that’s like winning the lottery on your first try. But it has an ‘80s vibe and it’s a very sexy song about that obsession we have with winning that one person that we want to want us back.

You wrote more than 100 songs for the album and Want To Want Men early didn’t make the cut — why not and what changed your mind?

I just didn’t call it. I usually know right off the bat if a song is special, but I guess because it was the first song that I did I kind of wrote it off.

It wasn’t until I started to play it for people that I knew how special it was. It broke records the first week it came out as the most added song in top 40 radio history, but it just shows that you don’t always know yourself.

There’s a real ‘80s influence on that song and the album in general — what did that era in music mean to you?

I wasn’t around for that era — but looking back on it there was such a feel-good vibe and real instruments. It was when Michael Jackson and Prince were in their prime and they are two of my biggest influences, and so naturally that era has played a big part in my musical journey.

Biggest influence ... Michael Jackson inspired Jason Derulo to perform. Picture: Supplied

There’s definitely a Michael Jackson influence not only in the music — but also in some of your outfits. What did MJ mean to you?

He was my biggest influence and the sole reason I started singing and dancing in the first place. He was the greatest of all time — he’s that person you can strive to be close to. He changed the face of music forever and even to be mentioned in the same sentence as someone as talented as him is crazy.

You’ve come out of a long-term relationship (with singer Jordin Sparks) during the making of this — to what extent is it a breakup album?

I am not someone who dwells on anything — that’s not really my personality. I touch on a lot of things on this album and for sure that played a part in my life so you can definitely hear about things like that.

But it doesn’t consume the entire album. I think a lot of people do that and it’s a big mistake.

Happier times ... Singers Jordin Sparks (L) and Jason Derulo attend the 2014 Billboard Music Awards at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. Picture: Frazer Harrison/Getty Images

Songs like Get Ugly and Love Me Down seem to be a celebration of being single — how’s single life treating you?

It’s incredible. You get to learn yourself, and what makes you tick and what makes you happy and the things that you like. When you are so focused on treating someone like a queen, you lose sight of what makes you happy and feel good. It brings you back to the basics so you have to learn how to love yourself first.

You released the video of Want To Want Me through Tinder — ever thought of trying that yourself now that you are a single man?

Yeah man, Tinder looks like a lot of fun and I think I’d have a lot of fun on it. My cousins are on it and I am constantly on theirs saying ‘you should swipe left, she’s whacker’ or ‘ you should swipe right — she looks good’. I’d love to do it, but it’s not right for me because of the nature of what I do. I think it would be a little too much for me.

Guitar guru ... Jason Derulo roped in Keith Urban and Stevie Wonder for the song Broke.

You have roped in not only Stevie Wonder, but also our very own Keith Urban for the track. How did that happen?

With Stevie, that was us being at the White House and getting to talking and I asked him if he wanted to play harmonica and he’s like ‘”of course, man, we’re family”. And then he said: “if I hear that song on the radio and I’m not on it, I’m gonna whoop your ass”. It was amazing to have him want to be a part of one of my songs. And with Keith Urban being one of the best banjo players in the business I had to get a hold of him and ask if he would do it and I was so pleased that he did. He brought such a cool vibe to the song and all those moving parts made that song a really special one.

I love the line ‘more money, more problems, I’d rather be broke’. You don’t really mean that, surely fame and fortune is all that it’s cracked up to be …

Nah, I wish. The more money and the more fame the more problems come. I have watched so many things crumble because of what I have done and what I continue to do. Some people just can’t really deal with it. It’s crazy to watch how greed consumes everybody around you.

How do you stay away from that trap?

You can’t. It’s not something that you can change or try to keep away from — it just follows you and you have to deal with it as it comes. Each situation is different and has to be dealt with as it comes.

Talent ... Jason Derule thinks Meghan Trainor is an “incredible person and musician”. Picture: Dimitrios Kambouris/ Getty Images

The song Painkiller really shows a different side to Meghan Trainor — what do you think?

I think she is an incredible musician and person. We actually did the whole song in the booth together which is very different to what most people do in 2015. It’s a very old-school way of recording. We really fed off each other’s energy and emotion and almost became as one. If one person messes up you have to do it all over again — it has to be perfect every single time. We became one person with our hearts beating at the same time.

HEAR Everything Is 4 (Warner) is out now.

Originally published as After his split from Jordin Sparks, Jason Derulo learns to love himself and embraces his inner Michael Jackson