Eddie Murphy says fans were ‘weirded out’ by his music
Published:Saturday | August 31, 2019 | 12:21 AM
Eddie Murphy has revealed that he stopped releasing music because his fans were “weirded out by it”.
The 58-year-old comedian became a huge star in the early 1980s because of his outrageous stand-up routines, and after becoming a major name in Hollywood thanks to his roles in movies like Trading Places and Beverly Hills Cop, he decided to release his debut album, How Could It Be, which included the R&B hit Party All the Time.
Murphy followed it up with his second LP, So Happy, in 1989, but after releasing his third studio album, Love’s Alright, in 1993, he stopped sharing his music with the public because he felt his fans couldn’t connect with him as a pop artiste.
The Hollywood legend – who did unveil surprise reggae song Oh Jah Jah back in 2015 to a muted response – said: “I stopped putting it out, though, because the audience gets weirded out by it. And I don’t want to be that guy.”
Murphy has revealed that he has hundreds of unreleased tracks that he has recorded and that when he eventually dies, they will be discovered just like the vault of songs that were left behind when pop icon Prince – passed away in April 2016.
Speaking to Krista Smith on her Present Company podcast for Netflix, he said: “I’ve never stopped doing music ... . A hundred years from now, when I’m gone, they’ll find all these tracks, and they’ll be like, ‘Wow, we didn’t even know this guy. We had no idea.’ Whatever muscle I use to be funny ..., I have a muscle to do music, and I use them both all the time.”
Although Murphy is seemingly done with music, he is making a return to stand-up and is reportedly in talks with Netflix to film a special for the streaming service for US$70 million.
The 48 Hrs actor is also returning to Saturday Night Live after more than 35 years away from the sketch show which helped make him star.
Murphy will act as the host of SNL on its December 21 broadcast. He is one of the celebrities confirmed for the job, along with the likes of Fleabag star Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Kristen Stewart, and Woody Harrelson.
Back in July, Murphy vowed to return to stand-up when the time was “right”.
Speaking in a clip from Netflix’s Jerry Seinfeld’s Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee, he said: “I’m going to do it again. Everything just has to be right. You have to get up there and start working out. Still gotta go to the comedy club.”