Richard Marx Talks New Music, Rod Stewart’s Advice and Life With Wife Daisy Fuentes (EXCLUSIVE)
The ‘Right Here Waiting’ singer/songwriter opens up about ‘not ready to surrender yet’
With his just-released new single, “Forget About the World,” serving as a judge on The Voice Australia, hosting his YouTube series Stories to Tell and planning an upcoming tour, it wouldn’t appear that Richard Marx has mastered work/life balance. But in reality, the veteran hitmaker has learned to work hard and play hard, thanks to watching rock icon Rod Stewart.
“There is a balance. You only see or hear about work and the projects, but Daisy and I are pretty good at enjoying our life,” he says of his wife of nine years, Daisy Fuentes, during a Zoom interview for Woman’s World. “I learned that from Rod Stewart and a couple other people I’ve watched who work really hard. We love what we do but we also have a life, and we enjoy the fruits of our labor. Sometimes that means just staying home and just vegging out.”
“I don’t know how much longer I have on the planet,” the 61-year-old says. “I want to make it count.
Richard Marx on making his mark
Over the years, the Grammy-winning artist has definitely made the moments count. Known for such enduring hits as “Right Here Waiting for You,” “Endless Summer Nights,” “Hazard,” “Satisfied” and “Hold Onto the Nights,” the Chicago native was discovered by Lionel Richie at 18 when he sang backup on “All Night Long.”
Since then, he has sold more than 30 million albums and made history as the only male artist to have his first seven singles reach the Top 5 of the Billboard charts. He’s written a No. 1 song in each of the last four decades and has collaborated with Keith Urban, Hugh Jackman, Ringo Starr, Barbra Streisand, N’SYNC, Olivia Newton John, Burt Bacharach and Celine Dion, among others.
On his new single, “Forget About the World,” Marx teamed up with three of his favorite people. “I wrote it with all three of my sons and I’m so excited about it. I’m so proud of it,” he says of co-writing with sons Lucas, Brandon and Jesse, which he shares with ex-wife Cynthia Rhodes. “I think, if I do say so myself, it’s a great modern pop record. My son Lucas produced it.”
“ It feels like everything’s on fire. There just seems to be a level of, ‘What? WTF is going on?’”
And it has a timely message. “For so many of us whether it’s personal stuff going on or just our view of the world, it feels like everything’s on fire,” he says. “There just seems to be a level of, ‘What? WTF is going on?’ for most people. So I thought I want to write a song that’s basically acknowledging that there seems to be some craziness going on so we have to hold each other closer and maybe just for tonight, let’s just forget about the world and just be together. It’s a very honest but ultimately positive statement. I really really love the song.”
Richard Marx on becoming a content creator
Another project that Marx has poured his heart into is his YouTube series Stories to Tell, which finds the crooner interviewing a variety of interesting characters.
“I have a little team of three guys and we’ve created a visual show that we’re so proud of,” Marx smiles. “We decided to launch on YouTube because I’ve been fortunate enough to have garnered over a million subscribers to my YouTube channel and to be honest with you those numbers are bigger than most network numbers. So, we’re starting there.”
Launched in February, the show is filmed at Marx’s California home, which he has dubbed Martini Manor. Katie Couric, Paul Stanley of KISS, Dr. Terry Dubrow and Kenny G. are among his guests so far.
“We did one at Rick Springfield’s house in his backyard, which was really beautiful, but his pool was on, and the motor of the pool was making noise,” Marx laughs. “Then we did one in a bar, and then the fourth one we did at my house at my bar. It wasn’t just that we had more control over the sound and everything, it was that my team and I looked at each other and we went, ‘This is the vibe!’ People were really relaxed and so the deal now is you’ve got to come to my house.”
He enjoys getting guests to share never-before-heard stories. In his conversation with Kenny G, the acclaimed musician tells of being handcuffed and arrested during a traffic stop. “It’s a crazy story. That’s all I’m going to say,” Marx laughs and encourages readers to check out the show for the rest of the story.
“The quality of your thoughts dictates the quality of your life.”
Still learning life lessons
Marx is really enjoying the conversations he’s having on Stories to Tell. “I find myself interested less interested in what people think about things and much more about how they think,” he says. “Because over my 61 years, I’ve had a lot of ups and downs personally and I’ve gone through some really hard times and grief and sadness and immense joy.
One thing that Marx says he’s learned over the last dozen years, is that “the quality of your thoughts dictates the quality of your life. So, if you’re a negative thinking person, you’ll probably have negative experiences in life.”
“I just feel like it’s an irrefutable fact that what you think about the most and how you think the most is what will describe and dictate your journey. So I find myself asking people, ‘Yeah, but what were you thinking when you were 17? Did you think to yourself, I’m going to be this?’ Or ‘When you were in that situation what was going through your mind? What were you thinking?’
“That’s what is fascinating to me is getting down to how people think rather than what they think.”
Richard Marx on finding a new Voice
Richard Marx has a lot on his plate—and he wouldn’t have it any other way. One project he’s particularly jazzed about is his new role as a judge on season 14 of The Voice Australia, where he joins Melanie C (aka Sporty Spice), Ronan Keating, and returning coach Kate Miller-Heidke. The show tapes in Sydney, a city Marx holds dear.
“I love being in the country. I’ve been all over the country, but I have a soft spot for Sydney,” he says. “Daisy and I just decided to have an adventure. I wanted to do something really different than I’ve ever done before. Because of all the TV I’ve done, I was always on the side of where the contestants are, performing.”
Now on the other side of the stage, Marx is embracing the chance to discover fresh talent. “I just love great music. So I don’t think I’m going to be influenced by a genre. I’m just going to be looking for really great singers who I believe,” he says. “Luther Vandross used to say, ‘Man, sing to me, not at me.’ And so I’m looking to hear something that makes me go, ‘I believe her!’”
Though best known for his pop ballads, Marx insists his taste is wide-ranging. “I’m never listening to old music, hardly ever. I listen to new music. I want to hear what people are doing,” he says. And he’s not shy about challenging the skeptics. “People of a certain age will say, ‘There’s just no good songwriting anymore.’ And I’m like, ‘You’re just not listening.’ There’s great music out there. It’s just not what you used to love.”
His go-to playlist? “The majority of when I’m in the car—which is usually when I listen to the most music—I’m never listening to the 70s or the 80s station. I’m listening to Hits One.”
On top of his coaching gig and a new single, Marx is also back on tour. In addition to solo dates, he’s reuniting with longtime friend Rick Springfield for another run of shows this fall. “We’re going to do at least 10 more at the end of the year. We’ve been doing this for over a year,” he says. “I really love Rick. He’s like a brother to me.”
Richard Marx’s most precious career memory
As the conversation winds down, talk turns to career highlights. “Winning a Grammy doesn’t suck,” he says with a grin. “Working with Luther Vandross and having number ones with Keith [Urban] and working with NSYNC when they were the biggest band in the world, that’s all really great stuff, but that’s not what comes to mind. It usually is connected to something with family, something that’s more personal.”
Two moments he treasures most: having his mother sing on his records and his father join him on tour. “In 1994, my dad arranged and conducted the orchestra behind me at half a dozen shows. He worked with me on my records,” Marx says. “I lost him when I was 33, so I was still really young, but he got to see the first seven years of my career. He saw great success. He did the string arrangement on ‘Now and Forever.’ He did the horn arrangement on ‘Children of the Night.’ He came out on the road and conducted a 60-piece orchestra behind me. I would turn around and we would just give each other this look. He was the most talented person I ever knew. He was my best friend. Both my parents were just the best.”
These days, Marx is focused on projects that bring joy and meaning—and has no problem walking away from the rest. “I have learned to say no way more often if it’s not something I want to do,” he says. “I am done doing things because I think I should. I’ve spent so many years missing out on things because a manager or an agent or somebody said, ‘You really should do this.’ I stopped doing that about two years ago, and it’s really improved the quality of my life.”
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