Baby Bash says that if all the success he's had were to hit a wall tomorrow, he'd still be happy.
"You never know what will happen in this business," Bash said by phone from Corpus Christi, Texas. "It can keep going strong, or it can stop without warning."
During his youth, Bash, who was born Ron Bryant, wasn't preparing himself to become a singer/rapper. He wanted to be a professional athlete. "I loved music and loved what it could do, but I wanted to play basketball. In high school and in college, I played hoops."
Still, Bash enjoyed writing songs as a hobby. "When my friends heard some of them, they asked me to write more. And then, as things went on, music began taking over the sports."
Bash's songs have always leaned toward the positive. "The music needs to be happy. I don't like big egos. I want to sing about having fun, not whether or not I shot anyone."
A major adjustment for Bash is getting used to being recognized. "I still like to do my own shopping. I go to the grocery store, and people know who I am. They're always asking me stuff like, 'Why are you shopping here?' And I say, 'I'm hungry and want some cereal.' "
Still, he feels that being successful brings more responsibility. "We play a show until midnight and make appearances at the after-show party. I'm up until 3 or 4 in the morning. Then I have to wake up at 6 to make a flight for an appearance on a radio station. So at times I'm working on two hours of sleep. I don't do uppers, so I get real tired.
"But when I get on stage, it's all worth it. It's all good."
NEWCOMER NATALIE has always loved music, dancing and entertainment.
"I was a huge MTV watcher in the '80s. And I always knew I wanted to do something with singing, dancing and writing," said the former Houston Rockets dancer, whose last name is Alvarado. She also spoke to the Deseret Morning News from Corpus Christi.
A couple of weeks ago, Natalie's debut single, "Goin' Crazy," reached No. 1 on Billboard's Top Single Sales chart. "I was totally amazed that people loved my song. At the time, they didn't know what I looked like, but that didn't matter. They just liked my song. And I will be eternally grateful for those who bought it or downloaded it to make it No. 1."
Right now, she's devoted to her music. "My last Houston Rockets performance was Feb. 27. I was prepared to stop dancing to do the music. And there were a few times when it was so close you could taste it, but then something would go wrong. During those times, I felt like I wasn't getting anywhere. I wasn't about to quit, but I felt like, what am I really doing?"
That's changed a bit since she hit No. 1. "I still have a hard time believing all that's happened. But I want to make the people happy. And I want to do my best for them."
HEADLINER FRANKIE J has that same attitude. "I'm feeling good about what's been happening," he said from Corpus Christi. "One of the headaches is how the music business can make things hard for people who want to sing and make people happy.
"I don't like that radio stations fight over a singer, because a singer just wants to reach out to as many people as possible."
The former lead singer with AB Quintanilla y Los Kumbia Kings is promoting his second solo album, "The One," following "What's a Man to Do?" which debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard's Top 200 album chart. "I was blown away when I heard that happened. I felt like I accomplished something. To be in the Top 5 is something in this business.
"I was a little nervous going into the studio to make 'The One.' I new I had to come up with some good songs, because you never know which one it will be."
Frankie J, whose real name is Jayceon Taylor, worked on 40 songs before cutting 30 for the album, he said. "It was hard because they were all pretty good. But we also felt like we chose the best for the album."
Like Natalie, Frankie J wants to become a multimillion-selling artist and get that Grammy. "That's always been a goal for me. It's like a badge of honor."
If you go
What: U-92's Eighth Annual Cinco de Mayo Super Show, Frankie J, Baby Bash, Natalie
Where: Utah State Fairpark
When: Sunday, 11 a.m.
How much: $20
Phone: 467-8499 or 800-888-8499
Web: www.smithstix.com
E-mail: scott@desnews.com