On his 62nd birthday in April 2020, Edmonds announced on social media that he and his members of his family tested positive for COVID-19.Īfter he recovered, he appeared on Swizz Beatz & Timbaland's Verzuz Beat Producer Battle series, an Instagram series which invites two musicians go head-to-head, highlighting music in their discographies. What has he been up to during the pandemic?
After 7, now composed of Keith Mitchell, Kevon Edmonds and Danny "SkyHigh" McClain, played their first live show since the pandemic began at Indiana Black Expo Summer Celebration in July. In 2019, Melvin Edmonds died following a short illness. Babyface has collaborated with the group. The group has been nominated for both a Grammy and an American Music Award. His brothers Melvin and Kevon Edmonds founded After 7, a R&B group, along with Keith Mitchell, in the late '80s. More recently, his 2014 album with Toni Braxton, "Love, Marriage & Divorce," won a Grammy for best R&B album. In 2017, he was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame FamilyĮdmonds comes from a musical family. He's written and produced songs for many artists, including Madonna’s “Take a Bow,” Ariana Grande's "Baby I," and Boyz II Men’s “I’ll Make Love to You.” The record label worked with artists and groups like Usher, OutKast and TLC. In 1989, he cofounded LaFace Records with Antonio "L.A." Reid. His hits include: “When Can I See You,” "Every Time I Close My Eyes" and "For the Cool in You." Throughout his career, he's won multiple Grammys for his music producing, his original R&B music and more. "Suddenly, at the end of the show, I had girls coming up asking where Babyface was," Edmonds told the Cincinnati Enquirer in 2014. "They never asked where Kenny Edmonds was." Babyface's hitsĮdmonds released three consecutive multi-platinum albums: "Tender Lover" (1989), "For the Cool in You" (1993) and "The Day" (1996). Though he resisted the nickname at first, he embraced it during a 1985 tour after his bandmate, Darnell "Dee" Bristol, called him by his nickname on stage after he sang "Sweet November." Edmonds has said in multiple interviews that Edmonds was given the nickname by funk musician, William Earl "Bootsy" Collins, while playing in his band in the 1980s. The nickname “Babyface” is a nod to the fact that Edmonds looks young for his age.