If Robin Thicke's family name sounds familiar, it's probably because you may remember his father, Canadian Alan Thicke, star of the television comedy "Growing Pains."
But Robin Thicke has been making a name all by himself with the success of his sophomore CD "The Evolution of Robin Thicke."
The album was quietly released last October, after interest in his career was revived by super-producer Pharrell Williams.
"The Evolution of Robin Thicke" gradually gained momentum and has been certified platinum in the U.S. fuelled by the hit single 'Lost Without U.'
While it may seem that Thicke has attained his success very quickly, his 2003 debut album, "A Beautiful World," disappeared without a trace, much to his disappointment.
It was almost as if he had gone to medical school for twelve years and was "told that you can't be a doctor," Thicke told CTV's Canada AM. "In some ways that was kinda what it was like for me."
This subdued mood certainly informed the music on "The Evolution of Robin Thicke," he says.
"The songs that I was writing were about overcoming struggle and loving yourself and believing in yourself, when the world is against you and you're trying to make something for yourself," Thicke said. "So I think I ended up writing a lot of the songs alone as opposed to being in the party atmosphere," he says.
Things are not only going well for Thicke these days, they are also pretty good for his wife, actress Paula Patton, whose career is also on an upwards trajectory. She recently starred opposite Denzel Washington in the thriller "D�j� Vu."
While Thicke and Patton are thrilled by their newfound fame, their busy schedules are impacting how much they can enjoy their success together.
"One day you're very grateful and very excited because we're both living our individual dreams," Thicke said.
And then it hits you how your life has changed, he said. On Monday, his wife leaves to film a new movie for two-and-a-half months in Romania.
"So realizing that when I go home there won't be anyone there, that's tough," he says.
Even growing up with a famous father, Thicke enjoyed some normalcy, often visiting Canada during his childhood and attempting to learn how to skate.
While Thicke never learned how to stop on skates, he does figure in one of the most significant moments in Canadian hockey history.
Wayne Gretzky, who was a good friend of his father, was staying with Thicke the morning he was traded from the Edmonton Oilers to the Los Angeles Kings.
When the phone rang that morning at the Thicke residence to break the news, a very young Robin Thicke answered the phone and spoke with then-Los Angeles Kings owner Bruce McNall at 7 a.m.
"He said 'Can you wake up Wayne?' and I said 'Well, Wayne's sleeping. I'm not gonna wake Wayne.' He said 'I think you need to wake him up,'" Thicke said.
After waking up Gretzky, Thicke went to baseball camp and returned home to see the hockey player on television at a press conference in Edmonton relaying the shocking news that he had been traded.
Thicke himself will be on the move very soon. As part of the continuing promotion for "The Evolution of Robin Thicke," he will be the opening act for R&B superstar Beyonce on the North American leg of her summer tour.
Upcoming musical guests:
June
Friday June 1:
Tuesday June 5:
Wednesday June 6:
Thursday June 13:
