Legend to the Rhythm: BMI Icon Award Recipient Kenny “Babyface” Edmonds
Reflections on a Life Dedicated to Music
Bboyz II Men lead singer Wanya Morris shares the story of how their biggest hit with Babyface “I’ll Make Love To You” Almost Didn’t Happen.
If you asked singer-songwriter Kenneth 'Babyface' Edmonds how he ended up writing 125 Top 10 hits, 45 #1 R&B hits, 16 #1 pop hits, and contributing to more than 800 million records sold and over 800 billion streams he will tell you that he doesn’t even remember writing all of those songs. The only thing he knows for sure is that he loves music and it was the one pure thing he knew that he could do and he did it with all of his heart.
"Do it from the heart, you always do it from the heart. That’s the main thing that keeps you going and I don’t know where and when I wrote all them damn songs - I don’t, I can’t really tell you,&" he shared in a room filled with his musical peers, admirers, and the next generation of musicians that he inspired
The special occasion was the 2024 BMI R&B/Hip-Hop Awards held this past Thursday in Beverly Hills, California. There, legendary singer-songwriter Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds received the 2024 BMI Icon Award.
The Magic of Babyface
Wardell Malloy, BMI Assistant VP of Creative, shared his favorite Babyface song asSunshine. "It’s not about the singing for me, it’s about the B side. For me, what I look for in an artist is timeless talent. I’m not really a trendy kind of guy. I like talent that’s going to be around for a very, very long time… Who’s more deserving of a songwriter award than Babyface? His catalog speaks for itself, not only as an artist but stuff that he’s done for other artists. It’s time, it’s perfect timing,/
A Career Spanning Almost Five Decades
Babyface has been consistent, devoted to his craft, and continues to create music that establishes emotion and connection. He has distinguished himself and his mark is indelible.
The BMI Awards and Legacy
Babyface took the stage to accept his award, preceded by Mario and Tamar Braxton, who performed tracks written and produced by the iconic singer-songwriter himself.
Faithfully carrying a torch for music legends from Aretha Franklin, Michael Jackson, and the greatest-selling artists of all time, Babyface shared some insight on the night “Oh my goodness! We didn’t want to do it [“I’ll Make Love To You”] because we thought it was just like [‘End Of the Road’]… We actually did it and lo and behold, it was the record,”
BMI Stats: Unprecedented Performance Levels
BMI Assistant VP, Mike O’Neill explained“Let me talk about radio for example. You know what it takes to have a million performances on radio? It’s amazing! Babyface has 19 songs with over a million performances on radio. He’s got four songs with two million performances on radio, and his song [‘I’ll make love to you’] has over four million performances”
A brief highlight reel of the accomplishments, including a total of 13 Grammy wins (four times the recipient of Producer of the year). In addition to a strong showing on Billboard, winning a staggering 63 BMI songwriting awards. Over the years, Babyface has received 16 songs that have garnered the "Golden Record status, having more than five million performances, four albums certified 4X plat.
*Cover Photo Credit: Getty Images
…more coming in his exclusive interview! Get behind-the-scenes looks on Grammy winners and red-carpet fashion!