By DENIELLE LEONG
alltherage@thestar.com.my

Years ago in Georgia, the United States, lived young Bobby Ray Simmons, Jr, who played the trumpet in his school band. This boy had a clear vision of what he wanted to do in life – pursue a career in music.

Today, he is a force to be reckoned with; an award-winning rapper, best known for his collaborations with Bruno Mars, Rivers Cuomo of Weezer, Hayley Williams and, most recently, Taylor Swift. Yup, we’re talking about the one and only B.o.B.

During an interview at a hotel in Kuala Lumpur, the 24-year-old performer said he’s got big plans for the future. He just released his ninth studio mixtape last month, and he’s also working on an upcoming album.

“I recorded a lot of my album along with my mixtape and I wanted the tracks to sound cohesive,” he said ahead of his performance last Saturday at the Watsons Music Festival in Stadium Merdeka, which also featured Far East Movement and Mizz Nina.

The multi-talented artiste also revealed another rather surprising work in progress. “I’m working on my rock EP, which is like a rock EP for real, and I’m really excited about both projects.”

From trumpet boy to hip-hop prodigy to rock star, his rise to stardom really does sound like a modern fairy tale. But of course, that really wasn’t the case.

B.o.B had been rapping and releasing mixtapes for years before he struck mainstream gold with Nothin’ On You.

The hit single was conceived after songwriting team The Smeezingtons (featuring a then little-known Bruno Mars) was brought in by Atlantic Records to work on some tunes, mainly for rappers Travie McCoy, Lupe Fiasco and the promising B.o.B.

Those sessions produced not only Nothin’ On You (which made both B.o.B and Bruno Mars instant stars), but also the McCoy-Mars smash hit Billionaire.

The mega success of Nothin’ On You brought forward Atlantic’s planned released date for B.o.B’s debut album, The Adventures of Bobby Ray. The album would debut at number one on the US Billboard 200 chart, and produce another hit in the Hayley Williams collaboration Airplanes.

“Nobody expected these huge records to come from me when I first started just making mixtapes,” he said. He persevered, finally fulfilling those childhood fantasies, and even getting to do a few dream collaborations along the way.

“I’ve always wanted to collaborate with Paramore, and that happened in the form of Hayley Williams. I also loved the whole idea of Airplanes because the song just fit with everything that was happening in the world. It all just came together so naturally and it was such a life-changing experience.”

After years of hard work, mixtapes and chart-toppers, B.o.B believes that he’s grown as a musician. “I feel like I’m giving less of a **** about my music and I’m just letting everything be natural.”

During his hour-long performance at Stadium Merdeka, B.o.B’s talent beyond hip-hop was evident. He wasn’t just rapping, he also sang and played the piano, performing songs like Price Tag, Castles and, of course, Nothin’ On You and Airplanes.

And as he left the stage to make way for the Far East Movement, he said: “Thank you so much, Malaysia! Y’all have been great tonight. I can’t wait to come back!”