Dwayne Johnson Says He Is “Exploring” a Music Career Inspired by “Old-School Soul” and Country

Dwayne Johnson wants you to hear what he is cooking up in the studio. In a new interview with Rolling Stone, the pro-wrestler-turned-actor revealed his ambitions to explore a music career. Fans may remember Johnson’s contribution to Wyclef Jean’s 2000 song “It Doesn’t Matter” and his rap feature on Tech N9ne’s 2021 track “Face Off,” but his proper solo debut was in 2016’s Moana, where he sang as character Maui on “You’re Welcome,” penned by Lin-Manuel Miranda. Buy Moana Two-Movie Collection on Blu-ray Now, Johnson wants to “sing from the heart” and in “keys that don’t exist,” exploring the “old-school soul genre” with “some country flavor,” inspired by Sam Cooke, Elvis, George Jones, Merle Haggard, and Willie Nelson. The focus on music comes at a convenient time as his box-office draw wanes, but we’ll leave that for you to decide. “I’ve reached this point in my life and in my career where… when I wake up in the morning, I swing my legs out of bed, and whatever the thing is that I’m doing, I wanna feel like I’m just running towards it,” Johnson told Rolling Stone. “The most gratifying things we do are when it’s for us, because we have enough pressure to deliver for so many other ent...