Babyface | |
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 Babyface in 2013 | |
| Born | Kenneth Brian Edmonds (1959-04-10)April 10, 1959 (age 66) Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S. |
| Other names |
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| Education | North Central High School |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1974–present |
| Television | College Hill Soul Food |
| Spouses | |
| Children | 3 |
| Relatives |
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| Musical career | |
| Genres | |
| Labels | |
| Formerly of | |
| Website | babyfacemusic |
Musical artist | |
Kenneth Brian Edmonds[1][2] (born April 10, 1959), better known by his stage nameBabyface, is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. He has written and produced 26 number-oneR&B hit songs and won 13Grammy Awards. He was ranked number 20 onNME's 50 of The Greatest Producers Ever list.
Edmonds was born on April 10, 1959, inIndianapolis, Indiana,[3][4] to Marvin Dallas and Barbara Jean (née O'Bannon) Edmonds.[5] Barbara was a production operator at a pharmaceutical plant. Edmonds, who is the fifth of six brothers (including futureAfter 7 band members Melvin andKevon Edmonds, the latter of whom went on to have a modestly successful solo career), attendedNorth Central High School in Indianapolis, and as a shy youth, wrote songs to express his emotions.[6] When he was in eighth grade, Edmonds' father died of lung cancer, leaving his mother to raise her sons alone.[6]
Edmonds later met funk performerBootsy Collins, who tagged him "Babyface" because of his youthful look. He also performed in the groupManchild (which had a 1977 hit "Especially for You" with band memberDaryl Simmons) as a guitarist. He played keyboards and guitar in the light-funk andR&B groupthe Deele (which also included drummerAntonio "L.A." Reid, with whom he would later form a successful writing and producing partnership). One of his first major credits as a songwriter for outside artists came when he wrote the tune "Slow Jam" for the R&B bandMidnight Star in 1983. The tune was on Midnight Star's 1983 double-platinumNo Parking on the Dance Floor album. Babyface remained in the Deele until 1988, when both he and Reid left the group.
His albumPlaylist consists of eight cover songs and two original works. It was released on September 18, 2007. It was the first album on the newly re-launchedMercury Records label.[7]
On February 4, 2014, he released aGrammy Award-winning duet album withToni Braxton titledLove, Marriage & Divorce onMotown Records.[8]
In April 2024, he announced aLas Vegas residency via anInstagram video, featuring a playful spoof ofKidman's viral AMC Theaters ad.[9]
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From the late 1980s to the early 90s, he wrote R&B and dance songs, writing and producing music forBobby Brown ("Roni"),[10]Karyn White ("Love Saw It"),Pebbles ("Girlfriend"),[11]The Whispers ("Rock Steady", "In the Mood"),The Deele ("Two Occasions"),[12]Johnny Gill ("My My My"),[10]After 7 ("Ready or Not"),The Boys ("Dial My Heart"),Damian Dame ("Right Down to It") andSheena Easton ("The Lover In Me").[13][14]
In 1989, Edmonds co-foundedLaFace Records with Reid.[15] Three of the label's early artists,TLC,Usher, andToni Braxton, were very successful. TLC's second albumCrazySexyCool, for which he wrote and produced some of the hits, became the best-selling album of all time by an American girl group.[16] Under his direction, TLC sold more than 60 million albums worldwide, and a combined total of 75 million records. Toni Braxton's first two albums,Toni Braxton (1993) andSecrets (1996), for which he wrote the majority of the songs, went on to sell a combined total of over 15 million copies.[17]
Babyface helped form the late-1990s R&B groupAz Yet. Edmonds also helped to mold and work with some of his then-wifeTracey Edmonds' acts, such asJon B and producerJon-John Robinson.[18]
"I'm Your Baby Tonight" (1990), produced forWhitney Houston, was Edmonds' first No. 1 Top 40 hit in the US. He also wrote and producedBoyz II Men's 1992 "End of the Road" and 1994 "I'll Make Love to You", both of which established records for the longest stay at No. 1 on theBillboard Hot 100 chart.[19] He co-wrote, co-produced, and provided backing vocals onMadonna's 1994Bedtime Stories, which featured the seven-week No. 1 hit "Take a Bow", and shared billing with Eric Clapton on the chart-topping Grammy winner "Change the World" from thePhenomenon soundtrack.[20] He also wrote and produced the No. 1 hit "Exhale (Shoop Shoop)" for Houston as well as the rest of the 10 million-sellingWaiting to Exhale soundtrack in 1995, which spawned additional hits for Houston,Brandy andMary J. Blige.[citation needed]
Edmonds has produced and written music for Bobby Brown, The Whispers,Pebbles, After 7, Johnny Gill, Deele, Karyn White, The Boys,Damian Dame,Tevin Campbell,Patti LaBelle,Chaka Khan,Aretha Franklin,Madonna,Janet Jackson,Faith Evans,Beyoncé,Diana Ross,Sheena Easton, Toni Braxton,Michael Jackson,Michael Bolton,Paula Abdul,Eric Clapton ("Change the World"),Whitney Houston,Brandy,Mary J. Blige,Tamia,Shola Ama,3T,Sisqó,Dru Hill,Fall Out Boy,Céline Dion,Samantha Jade,Backstreet Boys,Honeyz,Katharine McPhee,Mariah Carey,Vanessa L. Williams,Bruno Mars,Kelly Clarkson,Chanté Moore,En Vogue,Zendaya,Kenny G,Kristinia DeBarge,Lil Wayne,Kevin Abstract,P!nk,Marc Nelson,TLC,Ariana Grande,Jessica Mauboy,Xscape,K-Ci & JoJo,NSYNC,Jordin Sparks andPhil Collins.[citation needed] He received three consecutiveGrammy Awards for Producer of the Year from 1995 to 1997.[21]
Babyface worked onAshanti's albumThe Declaration (2008), producing the track "Mother".[22]
He worked on theLil Wayne albumTha Carter III (2008), on theKanye West-produced "Comfortable".[citation needed] He also worked with R&B singerMonica for her sixth studio albumStill Standing (2010).[citation needed]
In 2013, Babyface served as producer forAriana Grande's debut albumYours Truly, producing five of the songs, including her second single, "Baby I".[citation needed]
In September 2014, Babyface collaborated withBarbra Streisand on her albumPartners, performing a duet on the track "Evergreen" and background vocals for other album tracks.[citation needed]
Babyface also collaborated withFoxes on her second album,All I Need (2016), producing and co-writing "Scar".[citation needed]
In July 2016, Babyface along withBruce Roberts andCarole Bayer Sager helped write the song "Stronger Together" sung byJessica Sanchez.[23] The song was played afterHillary Clinton's speech at the2016 Democratic National Convention. The song's title is named after the slogan that theClinton campaign used as a show of uniting behind the Democratic nominee. The song was one of the top trending songs onShazam that week.[24] The song was widely perceived as positive by the listeners, and received praise by celebrities likeJennifer Lopez[25] andKim Kardashian.[26]
In 1994, he appeared and performed on an episode ofBeverly Hills, 90210, entitled "Mr. Walsh Goes to Washington (Part 2)".[citation needed]
In the mid-1990s, Edmonds and his then-wifeTracey Edmonds expanded into the business of motion pictures. Upon setting up Edmonds Entertainment Group, the company producing the filmsSoul Food (1997),Josie and the Pussycats (2001), and also the soundtrack for the filmThe Prince of Egypt (1998), which included contributions from numerous artists, includingMariah Carey andWhitney Houston.[citation needed] They also executive produced theBET reality seriesCollege Hill (2004–2009).[citation needed] Edmonds also worked withDavid Foster to compose "The Power of the Dream", the official song of the1996 Summer Olympics, performed by Céline Dion.Linda Thompson provided the lyrics.[citation needed]
Babyface also participated as a duet partner on theFox reality showCelebrity Duets (2006).[citation needed]
He was portrayed byWesley Jonathan in the 2015 Lifetime biopicWhitney and is portrayed by actorGavin Houston in the Lifetime biopic based onToni Braxton entitledUn-Break My Heart, which premiered on the network in early 2016.[27]
In 2016, Babyface competed onseason 23 ofDancing with the Stars. He was partnered with professional dancerAllison Holker.[28] He and Holker were eliminated on the fourth week of competition and finished in 11th place along with Vanilla Ice and Witney Carson.[29]
Edmonds founded his record labelSoda Pop Records in 2009. He has signed theR&B duoK-Ci & JoJo, who released their fifth album,My Brother's Keeper (2013), as the label's first project. In 2013, Babyface secured a distribution deal withE1 Music for the label.[citation needed]
In 2007, Babyface began dating his backup dancer Nicole "Nikki" Pantenburg (former backup dancer for and personal friend of Janet Jackson). Babyface and Pantenburg have a daughter born in 2008.[30] The pair married on May 17, 2014. In July 2021, they announced that their marriage would be ending after seven years.[31]
In 1999, a 25-mile (40 km) stretch ofInterstate 65 that runs through Indianapolis was renamed the Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds Highway.[32]
Babyface was placed at number 20 onNME's "50 of the Greatest Producers Ever" list.NME wrote of his impact:
One of the founding fathers of all the best bits of modern US R&B. And so you can't hate him if some of the schlock can be traced back to him also. Babyface was a pioneer ofNew Jack Swing in the 80s, before setting up LaFace with old mucker Antonio 'LA' Reid to give the world TLC, Usher and Toni Braxton under their guiding hand. There's barely a prominent artist in the genre hehasn't worked with, and as a result he's clocked up a mammoth 26 R&B number ones.[33]
In 1999, Babyface received the Golden Plate Award of theAmerican Academy of Achievement presented by Awards Council memberCoretta Scott King at a ceremony in Washington, D.C.[35]
On August 30, 2006, Babyface was honored as aBMI Icon at the 6th annual BMI Urban Awards.[36] Throughout his career, Babyface has won the BMI Pop Songwriter of the Year trophy 7 times, and a total of 51 BMI Awards, which includes Song of the Year for his Toni Braxton hit, "Breathe Again", in 1994.[37]
Babyface was honored with the 2,508th star of theHollywood Walk of Fame on October 10, 2013. The star is located at 6270 Hollywood Boulevard.[38]
On October 18, 2018, he was conferred with an honorary doctorate degree from Indiana University Bloomington in recognition of his illustrious career in music.[39]
