Episode 90: Richard Marx

An interview with Richard Marx about how he originally became a musician, what he learned from Kenny Rogers, how his father’s death affected him, his new album, and his best career advice.

Welcome to the 90th episode of 5 Questions with Dan Schawbel. As your host, my goal is to curate the best advice from the world’s smartest and most interesting people by asking them just 5 questions.

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This episodes guest:

My guest today is singer, songwriter, and record producer, Richard Marx. Born in Chicago, Illinois, Richard’s mother was a singer and father was a jazz musician and the founder of a jingle company. He started his music career at age five singing jingles for his dad’s company. Then, as a teenager, a tape of Richard’s songs reached Lionel Richie and he moved to Los Angeles to work with him. In the 1980s and 1990s, he had several top Billboard hits including “Endless Summer Nights” and Right Here Waiting”, collaborating with Kenny Rogers, N’ Sync, and Cher. I caught up with Richard during the release of his twelfth studio album called “Limitless”.

The 5 questions I ask in this episode:

You started your music career at age 5. I don’t remember doing anything memorable at that age. How did you originally get into music and when did you know that your love for music would turn into a lifetime career?
You’ve surrounded yourself with a loving family and the support of some of the most prominent artists of all time like Madonna and Lionel Richie. What life lessons did you learn from the people who most impacted your career?
You’ve had very high points in your life like topping the Billboard music charts, but you also lost your father and went through a divorce. How have your biggest life struggles given you a sense of gratitude and made you a stronger person?
The music world has completely changed since you became established back in the 1980s. Why is your new album “Limitless” special to you and how will you promote it differently than your previous ones?
What is your best piece of career advice?

Follow Richard’s journey: