Fame, Fans and the future!
They grew up in a family of Superstars, but how are 3T handling Mega-Fame themselves?
Is it weird suddenly finding yourselves the centre of attention all the time?
TJ Well, I don’t think it’s strange really because we’ve seen our dad and other members of our family being famous all our lives, so we’ve always known what it involves. I don’t think we’ve changed or anything - if you ask anyone in our family they will say we haven’t really changed. Just because we’re doing what we’re doing doesn’t mean that we have to become different people. It’s true that some people let fame go to their heads - but we try not to.
Do you get freaked out when fans start getting hysterical on you?
Taryll Well, they get excited because they’ve managed to see us. We spend as much time with them as possible, though - we go out and thank them and try to sign as many pictures as we can.
Taj There’s one fan who’s been there since the star for us. We saw her recently and started talking to her, then one of hr friends said she couldn’t get tickets for the concert so we got her some - we just try to take care of our fans like that. It’s important to us to give back to our fans.
But do you ever feel threatened by your fans when they start to get a bit over-excited?
TJ Well, we have rowdy fans, but the ones here in Britain aren’t that rowdy. You should see them in Brussels, though - that’s a different story!
What do they do over there, then?
TJ I was eating an ice-cream cone once - I’d just had one lick and this girl just started licking it! I said, “You can have it!” Then they started touching my bottom! They all gang up on you... and when they hug you they almost choke you!
Taryll Yeah, they are a little rough over there!
TJ But now we know, we’re ready for them!
Taj Yeah, we love it - that’s why we’re going back!
Do you have bodyguards?
Taj Now we do, yeah.
Taryll I’m not sure if we’re going to have any over there, though.
TJ Well, I’m not going over there unless I’ve got some protection - no way!
What is the strangest thing a fan has ever done to get close to you?
TJ I think that would have to be the time some fans climbed up onto our balcony. They were mad! I wouldn’t have done it, anyway.
Taryll Yeah, six floors up - can you believe it?! They didn’t actually get into our room though - it was the hallway. We had just got back from a gig...
Taj Man, it was amazing! They came in with their shoes all muddy and I reckon that anyone who outwits us like that deserves our attention!
What’s the nicest thing a fan has ever done?
TJ We get a lot of letters and gifts, like stuffed animals, which is great.
Taj Yeah, I really love getting nice letters from fans - we like reading them when we’re on a long plane journey. It helps pass the time and makes you feel good.
Do any of you think you’ve been changed by fame at all?
Taryll I don’t think we’re different. We do get to do some really good things that we didn’t do before, like television shows and stuff, but we’re still the same. Although it’s hard to tell yourself, isn’t it?
TJ We don’t FEEL any different, anyway.
Do you think you’re different from your uncle Michael when he was your age?
TJ I think our lives have been quite different. I mean, The Jackson 5 started much earlier, when they were about seven. Musically we started at the same age, but we didn’t do anything public until we were a lot older than that.
Taryll By the time our uncle was our age he’d been in the business for at least ten years, whereas we’re just starting. That means we MUST feel different, I guess.
Taj They were travelling at such a young age - they never really got to make friends, and their birthdays were just like any other day because they never really got to celebrate them. We had the benefit of a lot of thing that they had to give up.
Do you feel you’ve been given a bit more privacy, then?
Taj Yeah, we never had to experience all that.
Taryll I think our lives have been very different. I think our uncle’s surroundings were very different. I mean, there were nine children living in a house not much bigger than this room (AND THE ROOM ISN’T ALL THAT BIG!), whereas there were only three of us who had to grow up in our house. Our school and childhood have been very different.
Didn’t you used to get up on stage with your dad when you were kids?
TJ Yeah, once in a while we would get on stage with our father. We mostly practised at home, but when he was a kid he was already out doing it all over the world. But I think our mental state has been pretty much the same as his - all of us wanted to succeed and wanted to go to the top.
Are you all talented in different ways?
Taryll No, I think we share the same talents. Mind you, individually we all do our own little thing... TJ is good at business - he’s very business minded. He also really like acting and wants to try modelling. Taj likes producing, while I like writing.
And you are all good at singing!
All Thank you!
How do you see the future?
TJ Hopefully we’ll be remembered for our music.
Taj We want our songs to live forever, and hopefully, if everything goes to plan we’ll be making music for the rest of our lives. We always want to stay in the music side of things... it’s a part of us.
Have your lives been really starry, or have you ever had any `normal` jobs?
Taryll We all baby-sat!
TJ We baby-sat kids at school, or for strangers.
Taj Yeah, that was fun! I used to teach as well. I taught Maths and English, although I don’t know why I tried to teach English, I was horrible at it! I had a way of reaching out to the children, though. I think the kids and I had some sort of connection. I had a way of making learning fun - I was like the last resort before the psychologist! I hate to say it, but it’s true.
Do you think you got through to any of them then?
Taj I did actually, yeah. One of them was going to be denied acceptance into another school, and the other one was going to go down a grade, but I got them working and they did OK - I had a pretty good success rate, and I got a lot of satisfaction from doing it - especially when I saw the kids doing well.
You’re actually more successful in Europe than you were in America - why do you think that has happened?
Taj I think in America you’re less likely to hear our song, but their a lot tougher on our family in America. You have to do a lot of favours in America, like the radio station will only play your record if you do something in return for them. Although, our first single went gold over there - we sold 500,000 copies which is pretty good!
Would you ever consider living anywhere apart from America?
TJ I want to move to England in about four years. Y’know, start a family and move here.
Do you have a girlfriend, then?
TJ No - help, I need to find someone!
Taj That’s why he needs four years!
Are you all feeling happy with life at the moment?
All Yes, totally!
Taj We’ve been lucky enough to have met some great people and been around them all the time.
TJ And we’re doing what we’ve always wanted to do. Yeah, I’m really happy! _____________________________________________________________________________ TVH
Interview by ELIZABETH MACDONALD
Supplied to this site by EMMA,3T FAN ;)