*Alvin Garrett’s latest single, ‘Roll Slide Roll,’ continues to surge upward, recently reaching No. 27 on the Billboard Adult R&B Airplay chart. The Grammy-nominated songwriter, long celebrated for penning hits for Kelly Rowland, Joe, Fantasia, and others, describes the track as both a celebration of Black love and a reflection of his personal blueprint for unity.
“I am a Southern boy born and raised in the deep South,” he says, explaining that the song’s spirit began with the model set by his parents. “I saw my parents Roll Slide Roll through life… fighting together to raise a family.”
Garrett says the relationship he witnessed at home shaped every aspect of his approach to music. “I didn’t realize how blessed and fortunate I was to see two people loving each other the way they did,” he explains, noting that those lessons became an anchor for the themes woven into his new project. The upbeat tone of the single mirrors that legacy: “Roll Slide Roll is just saying, hey, if it ain’t nothing else, we’re going to do this thing together.”
He sees the track as part of a larger mission to “make Black love look beautiful again,” challenging depictions in music that often feel disconnected from joy or devotion.
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The song’s rising success has been grounding for him. “It’s humbling,” he says of watching his work climb the Billboard charts. Garrett emphasizes that he never takes momentum for granted. “I’m not one of those people that walk around saying, oh, you know, I’m that dude. I got it,” he reflects. Instead, each milestone reinforces his commitment to keep pushing forward: “I gotta stay at it because I’m blessed.”
Beyond the music itself, Garrett has become a vocal advocate for conversations around men’s mental health, especially within the Black community. He credits his father for teaching him that vulnerability is part of strength. “It’s about your humility and service,” he says. “And that is okay to be vulnerable and open.” Those lessons now fuel his belief that men must have safe spaces to express pain without shame or performance.
His songwriting therapy work with young men has deepened that mission. Garrett explains that many are accustomed to channeling trauma into lyrics without first acknowledging the underlying hurt. “That’s not something to glorify,” he says. “That’s a pain that needs to be talked about and dealt with so that you can become whole again.” Through guided songwriting, he helps them create music that reflects honesty, connection, and healing—rather than suppression.
For Garrett, healing and music are inseparable. When speaking to young Black men, he urges them to “write your song,” a metaphor for taking control of their inner world. “If you are freestyling through life, you’re responding to everything that’s happened to you and around you,” he explains. Writing with intention, he says, helps shift mindset, purpose, and direction.
Another key step he emphasizes is embracing one’s true story. “Don’t be ashamed of what you’ve been through,” Garrett advises, adding that empathy—not shared trauma—is what builds connection. Another insight he shares centers on daily reinforcement: “Remove the toxicity.”
Garrett challenges the idea that music is “just entertainment,” arguing that sound and lyrics deeply influence emotion, behavior, and self-perception. He urges, “Remove negativity from the music you listen to.”
The Alabama native’s dedication to purposeful art continues in his next project, an EP titled “Talk to Her Like This” slated for release in January 2026. The musical direction, he says, stays rooted in positivity, romance, and intentional storytelling. He also remains attentive to industry shifts, including conversations around AI in music—an issue he believes holds major implications for artists and songwriters navigating the future.
With ‘Roll Slide Roll’ climbing the charts and sparking new conversations, Garrett sees his music as both a celebration and a call to action. His commitment to love, community, and emotional wellness remains at the heart of it all—an extension of the lessons that shaped him. As he puts it, “How we respond is how we exercise the mind, the same way we exercise our body.”
Watch our full conversation with Alvin Garrett below.
Stream or Download ‘Roll Slide Roll’ HERE.
*This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
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