Thong and Dance

Stardom predicated on a salacious novelty hit has been a mixed blessing for Sisqó -- no ifs, ands, or butts about it. ''I'm the thong guy now,'' he says, half lamenting his good fortune as he takes a break in the Hollywood studio where he's cutting an undies free new album. ''I'm done with the whole sex thing. Everybody got the point; they over- got the point. 'The Thong Song' came out, and then there were like a hundred booties'' always in the immediate vicinity. The sad truth: ''I'm desensitized to the ass now.''

That's why Sisqó is emphasizing amour over that other A word on ''Return of the Dragon,'' the follow up to 1999's quintuple platinum ''Unleash the Dragon.'' Inasmuch as he's going for romanticism instead of sexual titillation, this second solo effort may remind fans of his earlier records with Dru Hill. But he's shying away from that group's emphasis on ballads, which he thinks carried over to and hobbled ''Unleash.''

''With my last album, I wanted to come with more up tempo tracks, but the label was so fixed on me filling the void of Dru Hill, they kind of prematurely released it. I didn't even want to sing 'Incomplete,''' he says, talking about the lady killing slow tune that went to No. 1 on the pop and R&B charts. ''Personally, I prefer to sing ups.''

He's not abandoning the languid stuff altogether, and he has a better voice for balladry than people who've only been exposed to ''Thong'' could know, but sitting still long enough to sing 'em probably isn’t easy. During a playback of some of his more rhythmic new tracks, which on casual listen represent a big leap forward from the last effort, the wired singer dances, bounds, and even moonwalks through the control room as if on an arena stage. He's as competitive as he is excitable, which is why he's just now resuming work on ''Return'' after taking a break to case the current scene.

''We finished five songs before Christmas and were about to move to No. 6, and then I was like, 'Hey, we're finishing too quick; we got to chill.''' The album isn't due out till summer, and Sisqó was worried his beats might sound old school by then. ''I didn't want to have my album done and then some new sounds come out. So I kind of chilled back and listened to the radio. 'Okay, Jay-Z, that's what you're doing? Cool. Mystikal, I hear you! Oh, Nelly, I hear you! E.I.! E.I.! Uh oh, got to do something new!'''

Something new, but also something borrowed, if not blue. ''Here's a secret nobody knows: The song that (writer - producer) Teddy Riley let me use for my album originally was (conceived as) a Michael Jackson song. Michael's recorded about 160 songs, but I don't think many of them will come out. So, thanks, Mike! He's given me influence, and now he's giving me songs. He's just the gift that keeps on giving!''

Not only that, but ''my first single was originally written for Destiny's Child. Normally, nobody would tell you that because they're too scared, thinking you're gonna be listening to their joint and thinking of Destiny's Child the whole time. Damn that! I could tell you Dick Clark sang it first. When it's my song, it's my song.... But the lyrics are really from a girl's perspective.''

The determined skirt chaser isn't worried about fanning any rumors about sexual orientation that may have already been sparked by his flamboyant appearance. ''One of the lines is 'I'm not your girl and you're not my man.' I think I'm gonna keep the female lyric and just get more publicity: People will say, 'See, I told you he was gay!'''

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