Kevon Edmonds’ high tenor was a trademark of ‘90s R&B trio After 7’s hit singles. After the group disbanded in the latter half of that decade, Edmonds, somewhat unexpectedly, took some time away from the industry. He wasn’t sure when he was going to return, but soon, his life demanded that he get back to expressing himself creatively.
“I did take a break, [but] I didn’t know that I was going to take a break at the time,” Edmonds explains. “Life happens along the way and you have some twists and turns. It afforded me an opportunity to grow in different ways.”
And in that period of growth, Edmonds found love. His current relationship served as the impetus and inspiration behind his new album, Who Knew. “This relationship is probably a culmination of things. I didn’t know that this was going to happen, but I always felt that there would be a time when I would come back and make music again,’ he says.
“It speaks to being at that point in life where you’re blessed enough and fortunate enough to find that one individual who makes all of it make sense,” says Edmonds of the title track. “… Relationships are key and I was really blessed to have found this young lady. I’ve been around for a minute and I’ve had some ups and downs and love is a tricky thing, but when you find it, you’re going to want to hold onto it. Little did I know this person would enter my life.”
That romantic sentiment is quietly making a return to mainstream R&B after a decade of raunchy bumpin’ and grindin.’
“I think that music is finding its way back to love and romance. … I think it speaks to a maturation of some of the younger listeners, as they’ve evolved and grown, they get to a point where they want something that speaks to substance and positivity. To me, it’s just good old-fashioned R&B. … It’s an opportunity for me to educate and re-educate on why this music touches you the way that it does.”
–todd williams
