Robinson is ready to bring his timeless hits to audiences
There's a reason Smokey Robinson is known as the 'King of Motown.' His voice — smooth, drenched in soul — has carried across generations, weaving through love stories, heartbreaks, and dance floors for more than five decades. Whether it was the unmistakable falsetto that made 'The Tracks of My Tears' an anthem or the lyrical touch that gifted 'My Girl' to the Temptations, Robinson's mark on music is unmistakable. When asked if it feels surreal to look back on all he's accomplished, Robinson's response is grounded in humility. 'None of it, or the magnitude of it, was expected,' he shared over the phone, still lively as ever.
Robinson hails from Detroit, where he was a kid with big dreams and a notebook full of lyrics long before Motown existed. He formed The Miracles in the mid-1950s and when Berry Gordy took notice, everything changed. Robinson didn't just become a star — he became the architect of a sound that broke racial barriers and shaped American music. The Miracles' hits, from 'Shop Around' to 'You've Really Got a Hold on Me,' became top hits and cultural gems. And even beyond his own recordings, Robinson was the pen behind some of Motown's greatest classics, writing for Marvin Gaye, The Temptations, and Mary Wells.
'When we first started out, I never imagined this level of success,' he continued. 'I met Berry Gordy before Motown even began. On that very first day, neither of us anticipated that Motown would become a global phenomenon. We were just making music because we loved it. Back then, it wasn't even guaranteed that we'd be paid fairly, especially being Black. It's gone far beyond what we ever imagined.'
At the time, music was still deeply segregated, and mainstream success for Black artists was far from guaranteed. But Motown wasn't just a record label—it was a movement.
'Berry Gordy said, 'We're not just going to make Black music; we're going to make music for everyone,'' Robinson recalled. 'And I'm proud to say we accomplished that.'
Now, at 84, Robinson is still doing what he loves—performing, creating, and proving that timeless music never really fades. As he celebrates 50 years of 'Being With You,' Robinson is reflecting on his journey, his enduring passion, and the music that continues to bring people together.
Songs like 'Ooo Baby Baby,' ' Cruisin',' and 'Being With You' became soundtracks to people's lives, and Robinson's ability to write with both heartache and hope ensured his music never lost relevance. For Robinson, the connection with his audience has always been at the heart of his performances, and it's something that has only deepened over the years.
'I do concerts, honey,' he said, his voice filled with joy. 'And it really makes me feel good. I see people at my concerts with their children, their children's children, all sitting on their laps. When I first saw them, they were on their parents' laps.'
Despite the decades that have passed, he finds that every night offers a new opportunity to rediscover the joy in his own music. 'Every night, those songs feel new to me,' he continued. 'I'm extremely blessed to have a job I love, and I look forward to it every night. I'm having such a good time.'
It's that sense of excitement that he brings to every show, often adjusting his setlist based on the energy of the crowd. 'I mix it up depending on where I'm performing,' he explained. 'If it's a younger crowd, I'll pick songs that resonate with them. Every concert is a unique experience.'
Though his music is timeless, Robinson isn't one to look back when creating new work. 'I don't think about the past or any of that when I write,' Robinson said. 'Inspiration just hits me. When I write a song, I aim for it to resonate today and 50 years from now.' His approach to songwriting remains as fresh as ever, with his upcoming album 'What the World Needs Now' being a prime example.
Associated Press
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Al Etihad
13 hours ago
- Al Etihad
Spain gears up for year-long celebration of surrealist Joan Miro
8 June 2025 10:51 BARCELONA (AFP)The torchbearers for one of Spain's most famous artists, Joan Miro, are promising a year-long fiesta of events honouring the surrealist, and the foundation he set up half a century who died in 1983 aged 90, was a giant of the surrealist movement, known for his playful, abstract paintings with bright geometric forms and doodle-like calligraphic Joan Miro Foundation, which he established in a purpose-built modernist structure on top of a hill in Barcelona in 1975, now houses a vast collection of his canvases, sculptures and other institution is planning a year-long series of events to mark the half-century, ranging from exhibitions and concerts to a sunrise visit to its hilltop building."In these 50 years, we've gone from being an artist's dream to becoming a cultural reference point in Barcelona and around the world," said foundation director Marko foundation traces its roots back to the early 1970s, when Miro -- then living in the nearby island of Mallorca -- sought to reconnect with his native city by creating a centre for contemporary art Josep Lluis Sert, a close friend, designed the distinctive white-concrete building on Montjuic hill, overlooking Barcelona. The foundation opened quietly on June 10, 1975 at Miro's request to avoid an official celebrations of Miro kick off on Wednesday with the opening of an exhibition of photos, press clippings, and architectural plans which trace the institution's evolution over the foundation will open its doors on Sunday at sunrise to allow visitors to experience the building bathed in the light of of the highlights of the anniversary will be the opening in October of 'Miro and the United States', an exhibition examining the surrealist artist's connections with America -- a relationship less documented than his ties to visited the US seven times between 1947 and 1968, and the show will feature works by American icons such as Louise Bourgeois, Jackson Pollock, and Mark Rothko alongside the Spanish artist's own pieces. Miro initially drew inspiration from artists such as Vincent van Gogh or Paul Cezanne before developing his own unique style.
Gulf Today
3 days ago
- Gulf Today
Evaristo wins accolades for breaking literary boundaries
Bernardine Evaristo doesn't like boundaries. For the Booker Prize-winning novelist, rules about genre, grammar or what a working-class biracial woman can achieve are all to be challenged and swept away. Evaristo was announced on Wednesday as recipient of the 100,000-pound ($135,000) Women's Prize Outstanding Contribution Award for her 'transformative impact on literature and her unwavering dedication to uplifting under-represented voices.' Evaristo, 66, received the prize both for her work to help promote women and writers of colour, and for writing that takes in poetry, a memoir and seven novels including the Booker-winning 'Girl, Woman, Other.' 'I just go wherever my imagination takes me,' she said. 'I didn't want to write the kind of novels that would take you on a predictable emotional or moral journey.' Evaristo had already explored autobiographical fiction, historical settings and alternate realities when she won the Booker in 2019 for 'Girl Woman, Other,' a polyphonic novel told from the point of view of a dozen characters, largely Black women, with widely varying ages, experiences and sexualities. She was the first woman of African heritage to be awarded the prize, which was founded in 1969 and has a reputation for transforming writers' careers. When she won, Evaristo was 60 and had been a writer for decades. She says the recognition 'came at the right time for me.' 'Maybe I wouldn't have handled it so well if I was younger,' she told The Associated Press at her London home. 'It changed my career — in terms of book sales, foreign rights, translation, the way in which I was viewed as a writer. Various other opportunities came my way. And I felt that I had the foundations to handle that.' Evaristo's house on a quiet suburban street is bright and comfortable, with wooden floors, vibrant textiles and a large wooden writing desk by the front window. Large photos of her Nigerian paternal grandparents hang on one wall. Her work often draws on her roots as the London-born child of a Nigerian father and white British mother. Like much of Evaristo's work, 'Girl, Woman, Other' eludes classification. She calls it 'fusion fiction' for its melding of poetry and prose into a novel that relishes the texture and rhythm of language. 'I kind of dispense with the rules of grammar,' she said. 'I think I have 12 full stops in the novel.' If that sounds dauntingly experimental, readers didn't think so. 'Girl, Woman, Other' has sold more than 1 million copies and was chosen as one of Barack Obama's books of the year. Evaristo traces her love of poetry to the church services of her Catholic childhood, where she soaked up the rhythms of the Bible and sermons, 'without realizing I was absorbing poetry.' When she started writing novels, the love of poetry remained, along with a desire to tell stories of the African diaspora. One of her first major successes, 'The Emperor's Babe,' is a verse novel set in Roman Britain. 'Most people think the Black history of Britain only began in the 20th century,' Evaristo said. 'I wanted to write about a Black presence in Roman Britain — because there was a Black presence in Roman Britain 1,800 years ago.' Another novel, 'Blonde Roots,' is set in an alternative historical timeline in which Africans have enslaved Europeans, and was nominated for a major science-fiction award. 'Mr Loverman,' was an attempt to move beyond cliched images of Britain's postwar Caribbean immigrants. It was recently made into a BBC television series starring Lennie James and Sharon D. Clarke. Her latest award is a one-off accolade marking the 30th anniversary of the annual Women's Prizes for English-language fiction and nonfiction. Women's Prize founder Kate Mosse said Evaristo's 'dazzling skill and imagination, and her courage to take risks and offer readers a pathway into diverse and multifarious worlds over a 40-year career made her the ideal recipient.' Evaristo, who teaches creative writing at Brunel University of London, plans to use the prize money to help other women writers through an as-yet undisclosed project. She has long been involved with projects to level the playing field for under-represented writers, and is especially proud of Complete Works, a mentoring program for poets of color that she ran for a decade. Associated Press
Dubai Eye
4 days ago
- Dubai Eye
Alcaraz bludgeons Paul to reach French Open semis
Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz steamrolled past American 12th-seed Tommy Paul 6-0 6-1 6-4 at the French Open on Tuesday with a jaw-dropping display of attacking tennis in one of the most one-sided men's quarter-finals in Paris in recent memory. Four-time champion Iga Swiatek, who is looking to become the first woman in the professional era to win four consecutive titles in Paris, also punched her semi-final ticket with a straight sets win over Elina Svitolina of Ukraine to set up a mouth-watering semi-final with world number one Aryna Sabalenka. But it was four-time Grand Slam champion Alcaraz's merciless dismantling of Paul that grabbed the fans' attention, with the 22-year-old Spaniard terrorising the former French Open junior champion who looked like a fish out of water. Alcaraz charged through the first two sets in just 53 minutes and in near flawless fashion, hitting winners at will and chasing down every ball before the shell-shocked American had any time to react. Paul pulled himself together to hold serve and go 4-3 up in the third but as the sun gradually went down over Paris so did the curtain on his inspired run, with Alcaraz winning three games in a row to put him out of his misery in just 94 minutes. "I could close my eyes and everything went in," Alcaraz said. "My feeling was unbelievable. I tried to hit the shots 100% and not think about it." "Today it was one of those matches where everything went in," he said. He will next take on in-form Italian Lorenzo Musetti who battled past American Frances Tiafoe in four sets after surviving a second-set wobble, to reach the French Open semi-finals for the first time. Musetti Warning Musetti, the world number seven, who escaped with a warning for unsportsmanlike conduct when he kicked a ball at a line judge, eventually overran 15th seed Tiafoe. "Honestly it was really unlucky coincidence," said Musetti of the incident. "I was a little bit scared, because I really didn't want to harm nobody, of course. So I immediately went to the line umpire, and I of course said, 'sorry', I apologise to everyone." "It was right to have a warning, but I think the umpire saw that there was no intention about that and that's why probably just, you know, let me continue my game." That occurred in the second set when Musetti, the only man to reach at least the semi-finals of every main claycourt event this season, was given balls to serve. He kicked one to inadvertently hit the line judge, who barely flinched even though she was hit on her upper body. Grand Slam rules state that players are issued a warning at first instance for any ball abuse. Tiafoe, however, called it 'comical' that there was no serious punishment. "I mean, obviously he did that and nothing happened," said Tiafoe, who had looked surprised and pointed out the incident to the chair umpire. "I think that's comical, but it is what it is. Nothing happened, so there's nothing really to talk about. Obviously it's not consistent, so it is what it is." Earlier, and in front of a sparse crowd around lunchtime, Swiatek braved the windy conditions to beat Svitolina 6-1 7-5. Although Swiatek failed to win a title going into the tournament this season, she looks to have rediscovered her remarkable claycourt form in Paris, stretching her winning run at the French Open to 26 consecutive matches following her title three-peat between 2022-24 to add to her 2020 crown. Three-time Grand Slam champion Sabalenka, hunting her first French Open crown, also needed just two sets to overcome Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen and snap her opponent's 10-match winning streak at Roland Garros with a 7-6(3) 6-3 victory. "I think we're all here for one reason," Sabalenka said. "Everyone wants that beautiful trophy. I'm glad I have another opportunity, another semi-final to do better than last time."
