R. Kelly talks Christmas music, not legal troubles

MINNEAPOLIS — You have to hand it to R. Kelly and his unflagging salesmanship.

Even as his publicist jumped on the line to abruptly cut off our recent phone interview, the infamous, resilient R&B singer still got in one last plug for his new album, “12 Nights of Christmas,” which he’s promoting on a concert tour.

The cutoff came within seconds of the questions veering toward the many documented accounts of Kelly having sex with underage girls, which he has vehemently denied.

We had to agree to only ask questions pertaining to his upcoming show and music. It was an uncomfortable compromise, since the elephant in the room would loom as large as Trump Tower in Chicago, where Kelly, 49, has lived in recent years.

Given the fact that Minneapolis’ biggest historic theater is welcoming Kelly — and there are many fans who believe in his innocence, or don’t care — it seemed worth hearing him out even with those stipulations. After all, he was one of the top-selling R&B acts of the 1990s. Even his recent albums, “The Buffet” and “Black Panties,” have sold relatively well.

Also, there were ways of staying on the promised topics without completely ignoring the elephant. Here’s an edited transcript of the interview. Q: Kelly: People wonder if it’s just going to be all Christmas songs. I wouldn’t be able to get away with that. There would be a bunch of chairs thrown at me if I don’t do some “Bump n’ Grind,” “12 Play,” “Ignition” and all that. I’m definitely doing my catalog, but I’m going to be throwing in songs from my “12 Nights of Christmas” album in the midst of it. There’ll be a Christmas set and a production. It’ll be a lot of fun.

Q:

Kelly: I never thought of it as a transition. Just like in life, we all do regular things, and then when Christmas comes around we start shopping and setting up the lights, and we bring out the Nat King Cole albums and the Christmas songs. People forget that I’m human, and I grew up on Christmas music just like everybody else. It’s my favorite time of the year.

Q:

Kelly: Absolutely. It’s always a good year for putting out stuff that’s positive and feels good. People in the world may have forgotten sometimes what it’s like to feel good and positive. As a songwriter, it’s my duty to continue to remind people it’s not all about hip-hop and R&B and sex songs.

Q:

Kelly: I had to still keep it R. Kelly, but also respect the classiness of Christmas. But make no mistake about it: People make love on Christmas just like they make love the day after Christmas, New Year’s and everything else. So it’s just me writing about life, not disrespecting Christmas.

Q:

I don’t really pay attention to that stuff when it comes to doing any types of songs. I do what’s in my heart, and that’s what makes a true artist. Q:

(Publicist pipes in: “I’m sorry to interrupt you … ”)

Kelly: I would say, “The 12 Nights of Christmas’ is out. Go get it!”

Q: