![]() I was getting credits here and there, but I didn’t really get a chance to finish the album. Instead of trying to do the complete album, he was working with Gwen Stefani, Snoop Dogg, Justin Timberlake, and Usher, all of these big artists that he was putting me in the backgrounds. It kind of took a little bit of his time away from all of his artists. Then we started recording some songs until he had a high demand with working with other artists before his actual artists on the label. At Interscope, I actually had to do a showcasing again for Jimmy Iovine and in return, I ended up signing the joint venture there. We had to do a joint venture with another major label, which ended up being Interscope. At the time when I signed with Arista, they folded and were no longer a record company. When I actually signed with Pharrell, he definitely wanted to do a completely whole new album. Vanessa Marquez: I had an album in mind I was doing my demoing. Were you working on an album back then? How was it coming along? YouKnowIGotSoul: We’ve heard some of the songs you’ve done with The Neptunes from years ago. ![]() Vanessa Marquez: That was probably around 2002 or 2003. YouKnowIGotSoul: What year was it when you signed with The Neptunes and performed for L.A. Not only that, there were people who would come in like huge artists which would open the doors for me to get on their album. What I liked about them is they tried to get me involved in everything and give me my own freedom as to how I wanted to do things and what direction I wanted. I know that a lot of producers, like I said, would have something in mind for the artist. From there, basically we just started writing and the music began. What I liked about them is when I’d go to the studio, it wasn’t like “This is the song you’re going to work on.” It was actually like “what kind of mood are you in, what are you doing?” We kinda just vibed off of that and then from there, Pharrell would lay down a piano track or drum track and then Chad would come in and put his spin on it as well. Vanessa Marquez: They’re pretty much geniuses. YouKnowIGotSoul: What was the creative process like when you were working with The Neptunes? Reid which was at Arista and I actually had to perform and I got interviewed, it was kind of like a showcasing in New York. That’s basically how I met Pharrell and Chad and had the privilege of meeting with them, sitting down with them, re-listening to all of my music. When Justin heard my stuff, he was like “Well if you sign her, you definitely got to put her on my album.” That was amazing. When they all heard the stuff, they were really excited and wanted to meet me and possibly sign me. He played my demo for Pharrell and Chad, and at the time they were actually recording with Justin Timberlake. We went to New York and we met with Arista, there was an A&R there and he was like “You know what, I have producers in mind, can I take your demo and see what I can do with it?” That led to him going to the studio with The Neptunes. Finally, there were these producers I was doing demos with and they felt that I had some great material so they wanted to shop me around. Vanessa Marquez: I was recording since I was 12 years old with vocal producers here and there. YouKnowIGotSoul: Tell us how you got your break in the industry and what led you to sign with The Neptunes? YouKnowIGotSoul had a chance to speak with Vanessa Marquz about her career with The Neptunes, working with Pharrell and Chad in the studio, collaborating with Justin Timberlake, her upcoming project and her desire to bring R&B music back to the forefront. Luckily for us music listeners, Vanessa is giving music another shot. The time away from the music industry allowed her to reflect on life and decide if she wanted to continue pursuing a music career. ![]() Unfortunately things didn’t work out for Vanessa while she was with The Neptunes and she seemingly fell off the face of the earth. She also appeared on The Neptunes “Clones” album with the song “Good Girl”. Her partnership with Pharrell and Chad gave her an opportunity to provide background vocals for artists like Nelly, Omarion and Usher. The R&B artist, who was originally signed to The Neptunes’ Star Trak label, caught the attention of many with her sweet vocals on Justin Timberlake’s song “Rock Your Body”. It’s been a good minute since we’ve heard from Vanessa Marquez.
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