It's been eight long years since Michael Eugene Archer, the Grammy-winning soul stirrer known as D'Angelo, released his acclaimed second CD, Voodoo. During his hiatus, he was arrested for drug possession and DUI, suffered injuries in a car crash, and checked into rehab. But just when it seemed like he'd gone the way of Lauryn Hill, his rep confirmed to me that he's currently recording his third studio album in Los Angeles. Though no release date has been set, the still-untitled disc will be distributed by RCA/SonyBMG and will feature collaborations with John Mayer and Raphael Saadiq, who co-produced D'Angelo's 2000 hit "Untitled (How Does It Feel)."
In addition to keeping busy in the studio, D'Angelo's also working out with celebrity trainer Mark Jenkins, who helped the singer-songwriter get in famously chiseled shape for his deliciously sexy "Untitled (How Does It Feel)" video. I just got off the phone with Mark, who called from Los Angeles to give me the scoop about both of the singer-songwriter's hot new bodies of work.
MARGEAUX'S MIX: What did D'Angelo look like when you first got the call to start training him again?
MARK JENKINS: He had already dropped a significant amount of weight on his own, so I didn't see him at his craziest stage. He knew better than to show up training with me like that. It would be too painful for him. So he got in shape before we got together, somewhat -- he got in shape to get in shape.
When was that?
Maybe three or four months ago.
How much did he weigh at that time?
It's hard to say how much he weighed because of the way he stays covered up. He's very anti-body, anti-press. He's interesting to train because you don't really get a good look at his physique because he's always covered up. I guess I would say he was over 200 pounds. And he's not that tall of a guy -- about five feet six inches.
How big was he at his worst?
I don't use weight when I'm training people; I use body-fat measurements. In the "Untitled (How Does It Feel)" video, he was around 6 percent body fat. At his worst, he must've got up to the high 20s or 30s in body-fat percentage, which is a big departure from 6. That's drastic.
As his trainer, how did it make you feel -- no pun intended -- to see him let himself go like that?
I was very upset and I told him. I was like, "Hey, man, I really felt bad because I left you in great shape but apparently, I didn't instill in you what you needed." And he was like, "Nah, you know, circumstances and things happen in life." But you can't get somebody in great shape and do all this press, and then say when they get out of shape, "Hey, that had nothing to do with me!" So I feel bad as a trainer about that. He understands. He knows. But of course, it's not 100 percent my fault because it is his body and ultimately his responsibility.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment