OUR NEXT GUEST IS A THREE-TIME GRAMMY
AWARD-WINNING SINGER/SONGWRITER AND
PRODUCER, HAILING FROM OXNARD, CALIFORNIA.
WE ARE SO EXCITED TO WELCOME HIM TO THE LATE
LATE SHOW, THE ALWAYS BRILLIANT ANDERSON PAAK IS
ON THE SHOW TONIGHT.
HOW ARE YOU, ANDERSON?
IT IS SO GOOD TO SEE YOU!
[LAUGHTER] >> James: HOW ARE YOU
DOING?
>> SO GOOD, MAN.
>> James: YOU LOOK SO WELL.
>> YOU ALWAYS LOOK HEALTHY, BRO.
YOU HAVE TRIMMED DOWN.
IS IT QUARANTINE?
>> James: NO.
I'LL TELL YOU WHAT HAPPENED.
YOU'RE VERY SWEET.
I DID LOSE SOME WEIGHT, AND THEN I PUT IT ALL BACK
ON MINUS ONE POUND.
SO RIGHT NOW I'M ONE POUND LIGHTER THAN WHEN I SAW
YOU LAST.
>> IT'S A JOURNEY.
>> James: IT'S A JOURNEY.
THIS IS THE WAY I SEE IT IN LOCKDOWN, YOU'LL COME
OUT A CHUNK, A CHUNK, OR A DRUNK.
THIS IS OUR FIRST DAY BACK IN THE STUDIO, AND
EVERYONE HERE IS GETTING TESTED REGULARLY.
YOU POSTED A VIDEO OF YOU GETTING TESTED A FEW WEEKS
AGO FOR COVID.
AND YOU DID NOT DO GREAT WITH THE NOSE SWAB.
WAS IT AS TERRIBLE AS IT LOOKS?
>> IT WAS WORSE.
IT WAS, YOU KNOW -- THEY TOUCHED MY BRAIN.
THE CLINICIAN IS, LIKE, DON'T MOVE, AND I DID NOT
MOVE.
>> James: THAT'S THE THING, YOUR INSTINCT IS TO
GO, AHH, LIKE THAT.
I'LL TELL YOU WHERE I GOT TESTED FOR COVID THIS
MORNING WAS SOMEWHERE WHERE YOU WERE JUST BACK
IN JANUARY, HERE AT TELEVISION CITY.
I HAD MY TEST IN THE SEATS WHERE PEOPLE CUE AND STAND
IN LINE FOR "THE PRICE IS RIGHT."
AND YOU WERE ON "THE PRICE IS RIGHT" IN JANUARY.
TELL ME ABOUT THAT EXPERIENCE.
WHAT WAS IT LIKE FOR YOU?
>> IT WAS ONE OF THE GREATEST DAYS OF MY LIFE.
THE ENERGY IN THERE IS INCREDIBLE.
THERE ARE A BUNCH OF PEOPLE SCREAMING AT YOU,
SCREAMING NUMBERS.
HAVE YOU NO CLUE WHAT'S GOING ON.
AND THEN YOU GO DOWN THE AISLES.
I GREW UP WATCHING "THE PRICE IS RIGHT" SINCE I
WAS A LITTLE KID.
I WAS WATCHING IT ON THE OLD TELEVISION.
TO BE ON THE SHOW AND MEET DREW AND ALL OF THE PEOPLE
ON THERE, AND THEY'VE BEEN WORKING ON THE SAME SET
FOR YEARS AND YEARS, IT WAS CRAZY.
I HAD A DREAM ABOUT KANYE WEST THE NIGHT BEFORE, AND
I HAD TO LEAVE AND I DIDN'T WANT TO TELL THEM I
HAD TO GO TO "THE PRICE IS RIGHT."
SO I SAID, I HAVE THIS THING I HAVE TO DO.
IT WAS THE CRAZIEST DAY OF MY LIFE.
THAT SESSION AND THEN GOING FROM THERE TO "THE
PRICE IS RIGHT."
>> James: YOU MUST BE THE ONLY PERSON IN THE
HISTORY OF THE WORLD TO LEAVE A RECORDING SESSION
WITH DR. DRE AND CON WKANYEWEST TO GO TO BE ON "THE
PRICE IS RIGHT."
UNLESS DREW CAREY HAS ALSO BEEN A CONTESTANT.
I KNOW HE IS OFTEN IN THE STUDIO WITH DRE, BUT I
DON'T KNOW IF HE DOES IT ON THE SAME DAY.
[LAUGHTER] >> James: I'M SO HAPPY
YOU'RE HERE ON THE SHOW, ANDERSON, BECAUSE I
REMEMBER TALKING -- I WAS SPEAKING TO MY SON, WHO IS
NINE YEARS OLD, AND, YOU KNOW, AS WE'RE ALL TALKING
TO OUR CHILDREN ALL OF THE TIME THROUGH THIS PERIOD
OF LOCKDOWN AND QUARANTINE.
AND THEN, OBVIOUSLY, THERE WAS THE MURDER OF GEORGE
FLOYD AND THERE WAS THE PROTESTS AND ALL.
AND I SAID TO MY SON, I SAID, I DON'T KNOW WHO IT
IS GOING TO BE, BUT SOMEBODY IS GOING TO
CREATE A PIECE OF ART FROM THIS MOMENT IN TIME.
AND I DON'T KNOW WHO IT IS GOING TO BE.
AND IT FELT LIKE TWO DAYS LATER, YOU'RE SONG
"LOCKDOWN" CAME OUT AND THE VIDEO CAME OUT.
AND I WAS COMPLETELY MOVED BY IT IN EVERY WAY.
ME AND GUILLERMO, WE SENT IT TO EACH OTHER.
I SENT IT TO YOU, AND YOU HAD SOME FRIENDS WHO WERE
ON THE SONG -- >> YEAH.
>> James: IT FELT LIKE IT CAME ABOUT SO QUICKLY,
ANDERSON.
HOW DID YOU TURN THE SONG AROUND, SHOOT THE VIDEO
AND GET IT OUT ALMOST IMMEDIATELY?
>> MAN, IT WAS ALL, LIKE, JUST A BLUR, NOW WHEN I
THINK ABOUT IT.
BUT EVERYBODY WAS SO BEHIND THE SONG AND WANTED
THE SONG TO COME OUT, THAT IT JUST MOVED SMOOTHLY AND
GOT THE MESSAGE OUT.
AND IT LOOKS LIKE EVERY DAY PEOPLE WERE FINDING
IT.
WE'RE IN THE STUDIO AND WE WERE THINKING THE SAME
THING.
WE WERE IN THE STUDIO, LIKE, OH, WE WANT TO MAKE
MUSIC, BUT WE'VE GOT TO TREND WHAT IS GOING ON,
TOO.
THAT'S THE MOST OF ARTIST SHOULD DO, REFLECT WHAT IS
GOING ON AROUND US, LIKE THE TIMES.
I FELT LIKE IT WAS OUR RESPONSIBILITY AS AN
ARTIST, AND THAT'S THE LEAST WE COULD DO.
SO WHEN I WAS SITTING THERE WATCHING THE NEWS
AND SEEING DIFFERENT THINGS GOING ON WITH THE
BRUTALITY, AND PEOPLE HITTING THE STREETS, AND
THEN I DEALT WITH THINGS IN THE PAST WHERE I FELT
LIKE I WAS MISTREATED, AND NOW I ALSO HAVE A
9-YEAR-OLD SON, AND I'M HAVING TO INTRODUCE THINGS
LIKE RACISM TO HIM AND TELL HIM, LIKE, THIS IS
WHAT IS GOING ON, AND THIS IS WHAT YOU HAVE TO
PREPARE FOR.
I'M LOOKING AT HIM AND TRYING TO EXPLAIN THINGS,
AND IT IS TAKING ME BACK WHEN I FIRST SEEN PEOPLE
LIKE RODNEY KING, AND WHEN I FIRST EXPERIENCED
RACISM.
I WANTED TO BE ABLE TO GIVE AN OFFERING TO THE
MOVEMENT, BUT TO GIVE PEOPLE SOMETHING.
WE WROTE THE SONG, REWROTE IT, FINISHED IT UP, AND I
SENT IT TO DAVE RIGHT AWAY.
AND I WAS, LIKE, YOU CAN PICK, AND HE HEARD THAT
ONE, AND HE SAID, THIS HAS GOT TO COME OUT.
WE CAN'T WAIT ON THIS ONE.
>> James: I THINK IT IS THE BEST NEW SONG I'VE
HEARD IN MONTHS.
I LOVE IT SO MUCH.
I'M BEYOND HONEST THAT YOU'RE GOING TO PERFORM
YOUR SINGLE, "LOCKDOWN" RIGHT HERE ON THE SHOW.
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, PLEASE WELCOME THE
ASTOUNDINGLY TALENTED ANDERSON PAAK.