Big Sean’s breakout year: ‘It’s a surreal thing’

Big Sean gets a haircut from Tracy Love backstage before his performance. “Since 2011, when my first album came out, there’s been a lot of people who have come and gone -- so many,” he said. “The fact that I’m still here and have a lot more to prove and say, comes from my whole perspective changing with my music.”

During a haircut, Big Sean discusses the show with creative director Mike Carson, right. “When I first started, I wanted to be famous. I wanted to be on the radio and be popular. That perspective changed. I want to make songs that people can feel for years to come,” Sean admitted. “It’s cool having the song of summer, but I’ve had people come up to me and say, ‘My mom had cancer but your song really helped me’ or your video blogs helped me or ‘One Man Can Change the World’ saved my life. It’s really incredible.”

“I want to take what I learn from people like Kanye and the people who made an impact in my life and be a natural progression and tell my story,” Big Sean says. “I want to make something that matters. Even a song like ‘IDFWU’ matters, I’ve seen people so happy singing along to that song. And that’s what it’s all about. All my music is from a positive place, a fun place. For myself it’s theraputic. I put it all out there, and it’s a true pleasure to do it. I feel like I’m just getting into the stride now.”

Big Sean dresses for his performance. After recording his breakout album “Dark Sky Paradise” in his home studio, he outfitted his tour bus with a recording studio to continue working. It’s the best decision he’s ever made, said Sean, who also recently spent more than $120,000 bankrolling a set of music videos. “I put my own money into building a studio in my crib because I can’t wait for anyone. That’s the biggest mistake that I’ve made before in my life and it’s the biggest mistake I’ll never make again,” he said. “I’ll never wait for anybody anymore, because you’ll wait forever. Everybody’s priorities aren’t your own.”

“I want to be the best,” Big Sean says. “If anybody is doing sports or music or whatever it is, they want to be the best -- and that’s why you do it. That’s why I’m up late.”

Bodyguards escort Big Sean to the stage. He’s juggling his breakout year with giving back to his community. The namesake foundation he runs with his mother continues to assist Detroit youth and he recently built a recording studio for students at his alma mater. His latest single, “One Man Can Change the World,” underscores that desire to make a difference beyond the charts and is inspired by his late grandmother — a Women’s Army Corps captain in World War II and one of the first female black police officers in Detroit. “She came from West Virginia in poverty … and she built herself up. She’s one of my biggest inspirations, right there along with Kanye and Jay and Eminem,” he said. “I was happy I got to talk about her on that song, and to have her voice on the same song as Kanye and John Legend, I felt she deserved that. She passed away right before I got to play it for her, but i’m sure she heard it one way or another.”

“One of my friends from Detroit was at a [recent] show and she was like, ‘Do you remember when you used to perform in Detroit and there was only 4 or 5 of us who knew your stuff?’” Sean recalled. “And now we are playing an arena. It’s crazy that this is even in the same lifetime. That feels like a whole nother lifetime. I get emotional when I go back that far, thinking about being at my grandmother’s house. Crazy to go from those times to now. It makes me just want to go harder, I feel more hungry and focused than ever.”

Big Sean performs before a sold out crowd of nearly 20,000 fans at Staples Center. “I don’t know what the future holds, I’m just going to keep doing my thing. You can’t measure success in anything but happiness. It’s not about how much money or anything, it’s about how happy you are,” he said.