Karyn White
White in 2011
Background information
Birth name	Karyn Layvonne White
Born	(1965-10-14)October 14, 1965 (age 59) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Genres	R&B soul new jack swing
Occupations	Singer songwriter
Years active	1984–1995 2012–present
Labels	Lightyear EMI Warner Bros.
Spouses	Terry Lewis ​ ​ (m. 1992; div. 1999)​ Bobby G ​ ​ (m. 2007; div. 2009)​
Partner	Al B. Sure! (2012-present)
Children	2

Karyn Layvonne White (born October 14, 1965) is an American singer who was popular during the late 1980s and early 1990s. She is known for several hit singles including "Superwoman" (1988),^[1] "Secret Rendezvous" (1989), "The Way You Love Me" (1988), and theU.S. Hot 100 No. 1 single "Romantic" (1991).

White was born in Los Angeles to Vivian and Clarence White. She is the youngest of five children. She sang in a church choir and worked as a backing singer, then sang onJeff Lorber's 1986Private Passion single "Facts of Love", "True Confessions" and "Back in Love" before signing toWarner Bros. Records.

White's self-titled debut albumKaryn White was released in 1988.^[1] It was produced byL.A. Reid andBabyface and achieved platinum status in the U.S.. The album contained the Hot 100 hit singles "The Way You Love Me", "Secret Rendezvous", and "Superwoman" as well as the No. 1 R&B hit "Love Saw It", a duet with Babyface himself. White was nominated in the Best R&B/Urban Contemporary New Artist category for the1989 Soul Train Music Awards, which was won byAl B. Sure! She also received nominations for two Grammy Awards. She became the first female artist to have the first three solo releases from their debut album hit No. 1 on theR&B charts.

Her follow-up album wasRitual of Love in 1991. It had songs produced byJimmy Jam and Terry Lewis and featured the hit single "Romantic", which hit number one on the U.S.Billboard Hot 100. Other singles from the album include "The Way I Feel About You" (U.S. #12), "Walkin' the Dog", and "Do Unto Me" (the last two did not chart). The photographer anddirectorMatthew Rolston directed the video for the hit single "Romantic". Michael Walls, who was credited asstylist onRitual of Love, worked with White on the look for theRitual of Lovealbum sleeve, and three of the music videos released for the album. Walls had the idea for theChanel-inspired pearls and black dress used on the album cover, theFrench maid look and multiple wardrobe changes for video of "The Way I Feel About You", and the "Walkin' the Dog" video, which was based on a scene from the filmSweet Charity.

Her next album wasMake Him Do Right in 1994. The album did not sell well, although she did chart with the singles "Hungah" and theBabyface-penned "Can I Stay With You", which became her final U.S. R&B Top 10 hit in early 1995. "I'd Rather Be Alone", her last chart single to date, peaked at No. 50 on the same chart later that year. In 1995, White appeared withMary J. Blige,Monica and others for the single "Freedom (Theme from Panther)" for thesoundtrack to theMelvin Van Peebles filmof the same name.

White leftWarner Bros. Records in 1999, and dropped out of the music public eye for many years to start a family.

In 2006, she recorded a new album, titledSista Sista; which was slated for release in 2006, but was shelved. Two tracks, "All I Do" and "Disconnected", were later released on thebest ofcompilation album,Superwoman: The Best of Karyn White. She was also slated to appear on theSoul Train Music Awards in 2009 as a tribute to Babyface Edmonds. However, this performance was canceled when Edmonds and Reid withdrew from the Soul Train ceremony, declining the honor. In 2011, she was slated to have shot a pilot for a reality series with R&B singersShanice andDebelah Morgan.

White released her first album after a seventeen-year break,Carpe Diem, in March 2012.^[2] The album featured the singles "Sista, Sista" and "Unbreakable," both of which received music videos.

In 2017, White landed a recurring role on the BET Centric television seriesBeauty and the Baller as trophy wife Kym Banks.^[3][4] She also returned with new music and her first feature film role, inGale and the Storm directed by Derrick Muhammad.^[5] The soundtrack for the film was released on September 4 and included her latest single "Blind Man Walking".^[6][7] The film made its premiere on October 12, 2017.

She earned a 2017 UB Honors nomination for theGale and the Storm soundtrack in the "Best Independent R&B Album Release" category.^[8]

White marriedTerry Lewis in 1992 and together they had a daughter, Ashley Nicole, and adopted their son Brandon. Lewis brought to the marriage his children Trey and Chloe.^[9] The couple eventually divorced in 1999. White was later married to producer/musician Bobby G from 2007–09. She then started a relationship with musicianAl B. Sure! in 2012.

White resided inRocklin, California, a suburb of Sacramento, and ran a successful interior design and real estate business.^[10]

Studio albums

• Karyn White (1988)
• Ritual of Love (1991)
• Make Him Do Right (1994)
• Carpe Diem (2012)

• List of Billboard number-one singles
• List of artists who reached number one in the United States
• List of Billboard number-one dance club songs
• List of artists who reached number one on the U.S. Dance Club Songs chart

• Official website
• Karyn White atAllMusic
• Karyn White atVH1

• 1965 births
• Living people
• 20th-century American singers
• 20th-century American women singers
• 21st-century American singers
• 21st-century American women singers
• 20th-century African-American women singers
• American contemporary R&B singers
• American women pop singers
• Singers from Los Angeles
• People from Rocklin, California
• American dance-pop musicians
• 21st-century African-American women singers
• New jack swing musicians

• Articles with short description
• Short description is different from Wikidata
• Use mdy dates from December 2019
• Articles with hCards