NEED TO KNOW
Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds considers himself a writer before anything else. And he’s got the catalog to prove it.
There’s his early stuff with The Deele, “Body Talk” and “Two Occasions.” There’s the beloved solo hits, too, such as “Every Time I Close My Eyes” and “Whip Appeal.” And of course, Babyface has a seemingly never-ending list of songwriting and production credits — ranging from some of the most significant ballads of the ‘90s to an unexpected ‘00s pop-punk hit to a chart-topping SZA smash that scored him his latest Grammy win in 2024.
So with such an extensive catalog, the odds are Babyface fans may be surprised to hear at least something when they catch the medley of throwbacks he incorporates in his live show. To be fair, he can get surprised by it all, too.
“I think they’re surprised about how much actual music there has been over the years that I’ve been involved with. I’m surprised myself when I look at it. I say, ‘What was I doing? Did I not have a life?'” Babyface, 67, jokingly tells PEOPLE.
“It’s hard to believe that so much music was coming out. But I guess it was a different time. And I guess amongst everything else, in general, I’ve always been a writer first. And that’s been my passion, and I never really strayed away from it too much,” he adds. “That’s how that happens. When you wake up each day and you write something else and somebody calls you and they want something, and then you put the time into it.”
Over the last 40-plus years of his storied career, few have put the time in quite like Babyface. To celebrate this summer and fall, he’s joining the all-star lineup of the Uncle Charlie’s R&B Cookout tour with Charlie Wilson, K-Ci Hailey and El DeBarge for a run that kicks off on Aug. 27 in Los Angeles and continues through early October.
Ahead of the performances, the musician caught up with PEOPLE about some of the most memorable tracks that he wrote, co-wrote, produced or co-produced — as well as a couple standouts that sparked his love of music early on in life.
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The Jackson 5, “I Want You Back” (Childhood Favorite)
The first time I heard it, that was crazy. That was also the very first concert I ever went to. It was kind of life changing in a sense. I had a terrible seat. It was at the back of the stage. They don’t even sell those tickets anymore. But when they used to sell those tickets, that’s where I was. I remember every song. But the fact that when they came out on the stage, it was just mind-blowing that these kids were up there performing… They had to stop the concert for about 30 minutes because they had to get off the stage, because [fans] were rushing the stage. It was definitely close to Beatlemania at that point and it was life-changing for me. After seeing that, it was something that I knew I wanted to have something to do with.
Stevie Wonder, “Superwoman (Where Were You When I Needed You)” (Childhood Favorite)
I was in ninth grade. I listened to that constantly. A girl I had a crush on then, she was going out of town for the summer. So, I just kept listening. And just kept on playing that song again and again. When I hear that, it takes me right back to my house [in Indiana]. It takes me back to the bedroom. It takes me back to Riviera Street, where I can still look outside and see it being in the middle of summer in July and people cutting grass, the smell of fresh cut grass and this kind of a lonely feeling of having a whole summer of nothing to do… It was that music that can take me right back there to that room and to that moment, which is something I say all the time: How music has this ability to allow you to time travel.
The Deele, “Two Occasions”
That song was kind of the birth of Babyface, so to say. Because it was that song where I sang on the bridge. And I think when we started performing it live… that was the one part that hit everybody and everybody needs that one thing that brings you out. That was the song that did it for me. It wasn’t just about The Deele at the point, it became as much about Babyface. Because prior to that, I hadn’t really broken as a solo artist, wasn’t even pushing to be a solo artist. That was just the one song that just made the difference. And so, to this day when we play that song, it takes everybody back there. We’re time traveling back to 1988 basically.
Whitney Houston, “I’m Your Baby Tonight”
It was such a different song. There was nothing typical about that. I don’t even know how I came up with that one to be honest. It was just really unlike anything else on radio. And it wasn’t typical with Whitney Houston whatsoever, but it felt good. And fortunately, Clive [Davis] felt the same way and Whitney felt the same way. That became my first No. 1 pop hit.
Tevin Campbell, “Can We Talk”
When we did our first song with Tevin, [“I’m Ready”], Quincy Jones was so excited about it, he said, “We’ve got to do more songs.” And that’s how “Can We Talk” ended up happening…. I’d already heard him sing before and I knew that he could sing. But to bring those things to life, it was fun in the studio.
I [would write from childhood experiences] a lot. I don’t do it as much, because that’s not the sentiment anymore. But I did it a lot then. I always tried to go for that real emotion, that raw emotion that you would have as a kid. Puppy love is the strongest love that you can have. Because it’s everything. And you’ll die for it and the whole bit. At least you think you will. But the passion behind that was amazing and that’s the kind of mode that I get into every time I try to write something like that.
Boyz II Men, “I’ll Make Love to You”
I’d have the basic harmonies but then they’ll come in and they’ll add on top of it. And it would just become Boyz II Men. You’d watch it become Boyz II Men in real time. That’s probably the best joy of being a writer, a songwriter and even a writer that can also sing a little bit and you can do demos: You know when they take it to the next level. Then that’s when you think, “Okay, maybe this might be something.” Because they just took it to that emotional level that I couldn’t take it to.
Babyface, “Every Time I Close My Eyes”
That song was originally written for Luther [Vandross] and Kenny G, so I kind of did it by default. I didn’t really have any idea [it would be a hit]. But when Mariah [Carey] sang on it, it was crazy that she even wanted to. I’ve always been not knowing which songs are really going to take off or [which are] really going to happen. And when they do happen, it’s great. But I was never one to predict like, “Okay, this is going to be the one.” It was always a surprise for me… [Mariah and I] did a couple things, but I don’t know that we really hit it. I still feel like that best song for us is still in the future.
Fall Out Boy, “Thnks Fr Th Mmrs”
You don’t want to get to a point where they just think of you as an R&B dude, because then that’s your limitations. You’re limited immediately and you’re not going to get a lot of calls to do anything. So with this, it allows me to still be able to work with a number of people, and to this day, still be getting calls to work with people. Had I just stuck on just doing just “Babyface” and just “Babyface music,” then that would not be. That wouldn’t be an open door at all.
SZA, “Snooze”
We did two songs in the studio. The other song we didn’t completely finish, but I thought it was a great song. But she leaned towards “Snooze” on this one. Then she took it and did her magic on it. It was amazing.
I give out high marks on SZA because I think she is an incredible writer. She’s an incredible singer. She’s got one of the most commercial voices I’ve heard in forever. You know her voice immediately. You know her turns, you know her vibe. No one else has it. And there are some people that try to copy it a little bit, but no one can get it quite like SZA. She’s truly got her own thing and I feel like she’s one of the artists that are out today that will be remembered, because she is that much just her own thing. She’s not copying anyone. She’s just herself. And I felt that before we were in the studio together. But when I got in the studio and then saw her work, I said, “Okay, it’s no question about it. This girl’s crazy, crazy good.”
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