Wanya (pronounced Wan-yay) is the perpetual class clown and the guy considers to be a good friend. When you first meet Wanya Morris of Boyz II Men, you'll feel as if you've known him all your life. He's cute, he's funny, he's playful, and oh so down-to-earth. If you're not careful, you might find yourself in a hospital from laughing so hard at his jokes. (It's pretty easy to get a "split side" from hanging out with this clown.) Whatever the situation, Wanya can always find something funny to say about it-but never at anyone's expense. He always does it in the spirit of good old-fashioned, clean fun.
Each of the young men keeps himself grounded in order to deal with the stress of the competitive music business in his own way, but Wanya's method is the most interesting. He wears earrings in boh ears and proudly sports a lion tattoo to represent his Leo astrological sign. He enjoys speaking slang, but is favorite word is "join," a catch-all term that's indigenous to Philadelphia. But the thing to keep in mind about Wanya is that no matter how much fame his being a lead singer in Boyz II Men has afforded him, he's still "Squirt" - one of the homies from around the way. He still cruises around the Philly 'hoods looking for his friends and hanging with them whenever he feels the need. He's clean-cut, as are all the members of Boyz II Men. He doesn't drink, smoke, do drugs, or treat women as b--ches or hoes.
No matter how bad any given situation turns out to be, Wanya takes it in stride and moves on. Even the situation where a radio deejay got hold of a fifth generation tape and played it on the air before their second (and new) LP, 'II', was released was turned into a positive - if you hear Wanya's assessment of it. He says, "It's flattering, in a way, to know that people want to play our songs and that they like us so well. Technically, that's also damaging to the group. The mystique is gone. The album is killed. On the other hand, the situation worked for us because it built a hype."
Another thing about Wanya is that he can make himself comfortable in any situation. He'll fit in anywhere at any time. On the day of our interview, he sat on the floor in a comfortable position, then he streched out on the floor when he really got into this writer's questions. His brand of fitting in is expressed in an offbeat way: through his unique fashion sense. The group members are usually all dressed alike to underline the characteristics of unity, cohesiveness, and camaraderie. However, what sets each of them apart from each other is the way they wear their top article of clothing. Watch Wanya carefully because he's the one who will wear his sweater or shirt tied around his shoulder or neck.
When he's not singing and making girls swoon, you'll find Wanya shopping, writing music , playing video games, watching movies, or just chillin' out at home.