Kenny "Babyface" Edmonds

Kenny “Babyface” Edmonds is a 12-time Grammy Award-winning recording artist, songwriter, producer, and one of the most celebrated creative forces in music history. He is the only producer to win the ‘Producer of the Year’ category four times, three times of which was in consecutive years (1995-1997); a record he holds to this day. Kenny is also co-founder of the legendary record label LaFace, which launched the careers of artists like Usher, Toni Braxton, TLC, Outkast, and Pink.

From humble beginnings in Indianapolis, Kenny developed his love for music early on when he began songwriting at the age of 12. Upon graduating high school, he got signed to his first record deal after joining the band, Manchild. In the 1980s, he broke into the music world as guitarist and songwriter for the R&B band, The Deele, where he met future LaFace co-founder LA Reid.

Artistry: Over the past five decades, he released three consecutive multi-platinum albums: Tender Lover (1989), featuring the #1 “Tender Lover”; For the Cool in You (1993), which included “Never Keeping Secrets” and “When Can I See You”; and The Day (1996) featuring “Every Time I Close My Eyes.” In 2014, he collaborated with Toni Braxton and released the Grammy Award-winning album Love, Marriage & Divorce. Babyface has written and produced hits for artists like Bobby Brown, Boyz II Men, Eric Clapton, Madonna, Beyonce, Ariana Grande, Mary J Blige, Celine Dion, Aretha Franklin, George Michael, Michael Jackson, Justin Bieber, Phil Collins, Janet Jackson, Chaka Khan, Anita Baker, Faith Evans, Jay Z, Stevie Wonder, Chris Brown, John Mayer, Lionel Richie, Michael Bolton, Kenny G, Lil Wayne, Luther Vandross, Barbara Streisand, Puff Daddy, Bruno Mars, and countless others.

Awards: Babyface has contributed to over 800 million records sold and over a billion streams. He has produced and written 125 Top 10 Hits, 42 number 1 R&B hits, and 16 number 1 pop hits. In addition to winning a total of 12 Grammys, he has been nominated 79 times. Throughout his career, Babyface has won the BMI Pop Songwriter of the Year trophy seven times, received a total of 51 BMI Awards, as well as 4 American Music Awards, 5 Soul Train Awards, and 5 NAACP Image awards. He also produced and co-wrote the Oscar winning song ‘When You Believe,’ sung by Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey.

Achievements: In 1999, Kenny’s home state Indiana named a highway after him, and in 2013, he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In 2017, he was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.

Charity: Babyface is a passionate philanthropist, actively supporting the Carousel of Hope, which benefits the Children’s Diabetes Foundation, the Barbara Davis Center for Childhood Diabetes, Larry Ruvo’s “Keep Memory Alive,” and Stand Up for Cancer. In the past, he has also lent his support to FasterCures, VH-1 Save the Music, United Negro College Fund, the David Foster Foundation, and the Mike Milken Prostate Cancer Foundation.