ThoseJason Derulo interview
“I was ready to do anything that was possible for people to hear me”
Hits, dance, energy: Jason Derulo seduces the crowds again and again. During his only visit to French -speaking Switzerland, the American star set fire to the Venoge Festival, before his return in March 2026 to Zurich.
On the occasion of his concert in Penthalaz, Jason Derulo returns to his journey.
Camila Alves
- The American artist Jason Derulo has been following success since his first hit in 2009.
- His adaptation to social networks during the COVID offered him a new audience.
- The singer produces several songs daily to maintain his musical success.
XXL scene, impeccable dancers, hits chained without respite, and this little gesture that capsizes the crowd: the falling jacket. Jason Derulo is not just a singer, he is a born showman, Capable of transforming each note into a show. This is what he did during his visit to Venoge Festival on August 15.
But behind this charisma and this high -worked energy, there are mainly years of hard work. Since his first tube, “Whatcha Say” in 2009, the 35 -year -old American star has never stopped creating, experimenting and reinventing himself. The beginnings were not simple: each CD distributed, each written song were one more step to be heard. The success did not fall on him by chance despite his angelic smile, it was the work and perseverance that have shaped the star who no longer counts the number of planetary hits.
On the occasion of his concert in Penthalaz, he returns to his journey, on the way in which he knew how to conquer the world of music, and on his ability to reinvent himself thanks to social networks and a creative energy which seems inexhaustible.
Jason, before singing your own songs, you wrote texts for Lil Wayne, Pitbull and other stars. What motivated you to sing in your turn?
I have been singing forever. I started when I was 4 years old! I always wanted to be an artist, to transmit messages to the public. Writing songs was just a front door for me. I wanted to find my way, and I tried absolutely everything that was possible. It was really in a spirit of “regardless of the means”. So, I was ready to do anything that was possible for people to hear me. From talent competitions to the distribution of my CDs, including everything you can imagine … I tried everything. And the writing of songs turned out to be one of the things that allowed me to bring many people to listen to myself.
Your first single “Whatcha Say”, released in 2009, has a hit immediately. How did you live this success at only 19 years old?
It was incredible. I had worked all my life to reach celebrity, so to speak. At 19, it finally happened, and it was a bit unexpected. I did not know at the start that it was going to be so successful. I actually wrote this song by thinking of doing it for Sean Kingston. She was not even intended for me at the start! And when Sean Kingston refused, with my team we decided that it would be my first single. And it ended up becoming a very popular song.
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You have been chaining planetary hits for fifteen years. How do we keep such regularity on such a long period?
I think I do more songs than anyone. I do not believe that there are many artists who do as much as I do. I write several a day, even today. I would say that I just work harder than everyone. And the more we work hard, the more luck we are.
In 2012, you injured your neck by repeating a choreography for your tour, which puts you in forced rest. What did this stop taught you about yourself and your career?
Life is short. You have to do the things that fill you, make sure to spend time with the people you really want to be. Those who deserve your time, which raise you rather than lower yourself. In my opinion, we tend to believe that we have more time than in reality. And when everything is finished, I don’t think a person on their death bed will say: “My God, I’m so happy to have bought this Lamborghini, and to have all these TV channels.” It would rather be: “How did I impacted the world and the people around me?” How did I help them get up? What are my favorite memories with the people I love the most? ” I think these are the things we remember. I try to keep it in mind, even more after this incident.
With “Savage Love” in 2020, you have attracted a new generation of fans. How do you sign such a return after a career decade?
I would not call it a return, because I had other huge successes in the meantime. There was “Swalla”, “Acapulco”, which were also very big hits and that the new generation was starting to sing too. But I think that Tiktok’s phenomenon allowed me to present myself to a new audience, for sure. An audience who normally would not necessarily have been interested in me without this application.
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Precisely, you are one of the most followed artists on Tiktok. How did it happen?
I just wanted to understand social networks. It was not really an established plan. I had spent all these first years without really unraveling on social networks, or even without interested in it. Then, during the covid, I had time. I thought about what I could do with all this free time, and I decided to look into social networks. Honestly, that’s it: my curiosity, my will to understand these networks.
Is there one of your songs that you almost never went out, and which has nevertheless become a hit?
“Want to want me”, the song with which I finish my concerts, which has accumulated about three billion streamings on all platforms. When I wrote it, I couldn’t find a good feeling, she did not resonate in me. I said to myself: “I don’t know about it …” until I started playing it for other people. And there, my opinion has changed: “No, it’s this one.” So I decided to get it out to try, and of course, your own opinions are not an absolute truth. So I really try to be very inclusive when it comes to making decisions about music, because all the songs are my babies. Of course, I love them all, but some more than others. And for this one, I was really wrong at the start …
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Since your beginnings, how did you follow the evolution of the music industry, from CD to streaming, then in Tiktok?
The industry is perpetual evolution. What is great in music today is that there is no more barrier at the entrance. Anyone can have their moment of glory. You no longer need to go through a label. You can build your own fanbase From nothing, from zero dollar. It all only depends on you. It is necessary to take time, efforts, both in music and on social networks. You have to know how to do both: create the songs, but also promote them so that people really want to listen to them. Currently, millions of songs come out every day. So how do you stand out in all this hubbub? How to capture attention for a set? It’s a real challenge, but I love it because it offers a lot of opportunities to new musicians.
How do you choose your collaborations with large stars, as you did for example with Nicki Minaj or Jennifer Lopez?
Each song has its universe, right? And when I finish a song, I sometimes say to myself: “Oh, the voice of this artist would sound well on it”. Nothing deeper than that, honestly.
The “Jason Derulo” sung in the intro of your titles, it was a coincidence at the start … How has it become your signature?
It only became my signature because people loved him very much. I mean, I would not have done it, but the public really loved and was waiting for it at the opening of each song, so I continued to do it. And when I stopped, people even launched a petition on Tiktok so that I put it back! So, I agreed to restart it.
Jason Derulo at the Hallenstadion of Zurich, Thursday March 5, 2026, info on ticketcorner.ch
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