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It’s come to the end of May, which can only mean one thing: Summertime has arrived. And with it, we have a new crop of songs by a slew of African artists that are set to dominate playlists across several continents for the next few months.
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Whether it’s amapiano, Afropop, R&B, neo-soul, highlife or just uncategorizably beautiful music, there’s more that’s come out this month that we could include here. But to try to help you cut through that flood of feel-good vibes, there are a few songs that have particularly caught our ears — by the likes of Teni, Tyla & Ayra Starr, Asake & Olamide, Kizz Daniel, Kwesi Arthur and Oxlade & Flavour.
We’ve highlighted 10 of our favorite new Afrobeats (and related) songs that have come out roughly within the last month. Check out our latest Fresh Picks, and catch a vibe with us by listening to our Spotify playlist below.
Tyla & Ayra Starr, “Girl Next Door”
Africa’s Gen-Z It-girls Tyla and Ayra Starr come together to caution their wandering lovers not to leave them for the “Girl Next Door” in their first collaboration. Both artists somehow keep their cool, as Tyla touts her many options and Ayra warns, “And you know I won’t waste no time/ I can have another you by 9.” But their passionate plea in the repeating chorus (“Don’t you leave me for the girl next door, girl next door”) revs up the sizzling amapiano-meets-R&B beat (courtesy of producer P.Priime) that’s prime for getting any party started this summer.
Tay Iwar & Twelve XII, “Undercover Lover”
Tay Iwar injects his silver-tongued, neo-soul sound into “Undercover Lover,” which finds him and fellow Nigerian artist Twelve XII detailing their dalliance with a beautiful woman. Lyrics like “Somethin’ good for the moment/ Just for the moment” and “Her personality no matter at all/ ‘Cause she’s lookin’ so fine” make it crystal clear they’re not looking for anything serious, and the groovy, atmospheric production further emphasizes the chill vibes.
Teni, “No Days Off”
Teni has taken “No Days Off,” as evident by her latest single. The Nigerian artist raps about her homies (Tobi, Bunmi, Brenda and Wale), hometowns (Lagos and Atlanta) and everything else in her life that she’s had to leave to the sidelines for her career. In a press release, Teni explains that “No Days Off” started as a freestyle and “was made everywhere in the world – that’s why it really is called ‘No Days Off.’ It was made in Lagos, it was made in LA, some parts of it were also made in Cape Town.” She invites listeners to her own world by enveloping them in a kaleidoscopic sound comprised of airy synth melodies and frenetic Afropop percussion that will have anyone yelling, “Motherf–ker, will you come on play that sh– back!” by the end of the track.
Asake & Olamide, “Amapiano”
Asake links up with his YBNL Nation boss Olamide on this scorching “Amapiano” club banger. He salutes the South African house genre for being a “big vibe” while adding his own spin to it, from the lively violin and saxophone to the larger-than-life crowd vocals. Meanwhile, Olamide flexes his mesmerizing flow when he raps, “One thing I know, I’m happy I know/ Amapiano, all of my P I know.” “Amapiano” will accompany Asake’s previously released singles “Yoga” and “2:30” on his upcoming sophomore album, Work of Art, due June 16 via YBNL Nation and EMPIRE.
Nonso Amadi, “Paper”
Amadi reflects on his personal and artistic growth “from seeds to a flower, uncoiling naturally for you,” according to a press release, on his debut album When It Blooms. On the highlight track “Paper,” the Canadian-based Nigerian singer makes the case for why he deserves a bigger bag. And regardless of renowned Nigerian producer London’s scintillating, playful percussion, Amadi’s clearly not playing when it comes to his paper as he sings, “Tell me why the hell you calling/ I don’t wanna know what you’re talking/ When I see the cash am all in.”
Iyanya & BNXN, “Sinner”
A seductive song in both lyric and feel, this collab between Iyanya and BNXN has an alluring aspect to it that is hard to get out of your head — and a falsetto hook that is somehow even more of an earworm than the verses, perfect for a late night vibe that still keeps you moving. Also check out BNXN’s single “Pray” — its choral and orchestral feel fills the soul, and it just barely missed out on inclusion here.
Oxlade & Flavour, “OVAMI”
Oxlade already landed a huge hit this year with “Ku Lo Sa,” and “OVAMI” is in a similar vein, with his soulful vocals soaring above the production. Bringing in veteran vocalist Flavour to add a different element to the second verse was another smart move; Flavour had another great song in the last two years with “Levels,” and he fits in seamlessly here. Essentially a love song, it transcends with its irresistible melodies.
Kwesi Arthur, “Penny”
This one from the Ghanaian rapper is a laid back groove about the come up, thinking back to the days when he didn’t have any cash and now looking around and realizing that not only are those distant memories, but that there isn’t really a limit to how far things can go. What makes this one stand out is that the sentiment doesn’t feel flamboyant or boastful, but more matter-of-fact — this is going to happen, but let’s just keep in mind how far we’ve come.
King Promise, “Terminator”
An ode to finding peace in life — despite what the title may imply — “Terminator” is a melting pot of styles and languages, with a simple overriding message clearly articulated in the second verse: “And my happiness comes first/ I never come life to stress, yeah.” The Ghanaian nails the mix of production and lyricism that gets the feel across almost effortlessly — that being the goal, in the end, of course.
Kizz Daniel, “Shu-Peru”
The perennially upbeat Nigerian Afropop singer came through with another fun groove for the summertime, flipping Salt-N-Pepa’s “Shoop” in the process. As a thesis statement for an artist, does it get more appropriate than Kizz singing: “We are the happy people / We are the world”? It fits him perfectly.
Like so many fans, celebrities and fellow artists paying tribute to Queen of Rock N’ Roll Tina Turner, Cher thought her friend was simply the best. The singer paid tribute to Turner, who died on Wednesday (May 24) at age 83, during a call in to MSNBC’s The Beat with Ari Melber just hours after the news broke that the Grammy-winner and two-time Rock and Roll Hall of Famer had passed following a long illness.
“I started going to visit her because I thought, ‘I need to put this time into our friendship, so she knows we haven’t forgotten her,’” Cher told Melber. “So we all took turns going and spending time with her and it made her happy.” She noted that a friend said it was always a scene when they were together because they would crack each other up and laugh their “distinct” laughs.
Cher said the first time she went to visit Turner at her home in Switzerland the singer was laying on a chaise lounge she had positioned in front of a window overlooking a lake and warned that she didn’t have much time to hang out. “Then five hours later we were laughing like crazy and she wanted to get up and show everything that she’d bought in the house,” Cher said. “She was having a good time in spite of the fact that she was really sick and not wanting people to know about it.”
Though no cause of death was given, Cher said that Turner had “her dialysis machine in her house,” hinting that the “What’s Love Got to Do With It” star may have been employing the device typically used by people with kidney failure or end-stage renal disease. Turner was known to suffer from kidney issues and got a kidney transplant from her husband, Erwin Bach, in 2017.
“She fought this sickness for such a long time and she was so strong as you think she would be, but I know towards the end, she told me once, she said, ‘I’m really ready. I just don’t want to put up with this anymore,’” Cher said.
Cher called Turner “one of the great artists” in rock history, saying there was no one else like her. “As a woman, she gave you lots of strength and I’m sure she’s encouraged so many young people… she gave me lots of strength sometimes and I gave her lots of strength, too. I think we were perfect friends for each other truthfully.”
Calling her a “force,” Cher said Turner always approached life “head-on… She wasn’t about to stop. She might not have won every battle, but she fought every war. She was there fighting for all the things she believed in.”
Thinking about the last time they hung out, Cher — who first met Turner when she was in the midst of her abusive marriage to ex-husband Ike Turner — said Tina sent her home with a very memorable gift. “She gave me a pair of shoes the last time I saw her. What kind of shoes? Tina Turner shoes!” Cher laughed. “The big high heels that she just [walked] around in like they were nothing.”
Listen to Cher’s tribute to Turner below.
WATCH: Cher reflects on her close friend Tina Turner’s legendary life.”There was no other person like her. There was no other person who could come close to who she was.” pic.twitter.com/lqhuCeobwt— MSNBC (@MSNBC) May 25, 2023
Despite what appears to be the kind of supreme self-confidence that has taken him to the top of the charts, as well as the 2021 Super Bowl halftime show and, soon, his acting debut in the HBO series The Idol, The Weeknd (who now goes by his birth name, Abel Tesfaye), still assumes his next project could be a total failure.
“I thought ‘Blinding Lights’ was gonna be a flop,” he told Vanity Fair in a new profile that chronicles both the stratospheric highs — such as his the $69 million L.A. mansion he barely lived in — and his ever-present lows, like when he was sure the propulsive Max Martin/Oscar Holter single from his diamond-selling 2020 After Hours album would tank.
Instead, a combination of the song’s grabby hook and a silly TikTok dance challenge pushed the song into Billboard chart history after it spent four weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and then logged the most weeks in the top five and top 10 on its way to being the charts No. 1 song of all-time.
At best, Abel figured the song would be a good way for younger fans to dive deeper into his turbulent earlier catalog. “It’s a new generation of angsty teens discovering all the dark music like when I was 14. Kurt Cobain, Wu-Tang, and all these songs that as a kid I probably shouldn’t be listening to, and 50 Cent,” he said. “This f–king dark and amazing escape.”
Even as The Weeknd’s songs have trafficked in endless tales of an easily bruised heart and what sounds like a sure-footedness on stage and in the studio, the singer told the magazine that when it comes to believing in his talents he learned a crucial lesson early on.
“I’ve always had to bet on myself. Even before I was The Weeknd, just in life,” he said. “As soon as I got out of my mother’s womb, it’s been, ‘Bet on yourself. It’s not gonna be easy, you know?’ And I’m fine with that.” That said, this new phase of his career, which he just announced will be conducted under his birth name, is definitely “nerve-racking.”
And, despite his many successes, his firm spot in the pop universe as an instantly recognizable one-named superstar and the Dawn FM album’s narrative arc that bloodily sent up the very notion of global superstardom, Tesfaye seems still not totally ready to fully embrace his spot in the pop firmament. “I don’t blame people,” he said when talk turned to comparisons to other icons. “Because if I was them, I’d be betting on Beyoncé too. I’m not gonna bet on me.”
Check out the VF cover below.
The annual Celebration gathering at Prince‘s Paisley Park is back this year with the promise of another trove of unreleased music from the late rock icon’s vault. The party will take place from June 8-11 and a release announcing the lineup promises appearances and conversations with Public Enemy’s Chuck D, Chaka Khan, as well as DJ D-Nice and Doug E. Fresh and performances from Minnesota gospel groups Sounds of Blackness and The Steeles.
Also on tap for the event are Mint Condition’s Stokley, DJ Rashina, members of Prince’s NPG band, his backup singer and solo artist Shelby J and the Minneapolis youth choir Known MPLS. The gathering at the “Purple Rain” star’s iconic studio in Chanhassen, Minnesota will also include a Prince Legacy Tribute show honoring one of the New Power Generation’s founding members, Rosie Gaines.
But perhaps the high point for any Prince fanatic is the annual opportunity to get exclusive access to the singer’s vault of unreleased recordings and live tapes, with attendees, as usual, split into two groups, “Diamond” and “Pearl,” for their intimate tours of the 65,000 square foot complex.
At press time organizers had not revealed which recordings would be pulled from the legendarily packed vault, but they did say that this year’s theme is tied to the number 7, which was very significant to the singer, who was born on June 7, 1958. He frequently referenced the number, including on the song “7” from his 1992 Love Symbol album.
“This year marks 7 years of uplifting Prince’s legacy and carefully preserving his prolific artistic output and his creative sanctuary,” read a statement. “At Celebration 2023, guests will take a deep dive into understanding the cultural significance of 7 and how it has been reflected throughout history. Click here for more information on tickets.
The final day of Pharrell’s Something in the Water 2023 festival in Virginia Beach was canceled on Sunday (April 30) due to severe weather. “We are disappointed to share that under the advisement of the city of Virginia Beach and the local authorities we have to cancel day three of SOMETHING IN THE WATER due to significant impacts to the festival site caused by severe weather,” read a statement from festival organizers around 6 p.m. about the forecasted storms approaching the area, as well as a tornado warning and damage from earlier weather.
“We did not make this decision easily but everyone’s safety is our top priority. We will be refunding 33% of the base price from admission passes,” they added, with refunds slated to be automatically processed beginning Monday (April 1).
The cancelation resulted in the scotching of scheduled sets by Grace Jones, the Clipse, Wu-Tang Clan, Nile Rodgers & Chic, Lil Uzi Vert, 100 Gecs, Aminé, Flo Milli and Lil Durk.
“No one wants to make this call, but we cannot predict nor negotiate with the weather tonight. It is our responsibility to ensure public safety above all else,” City Manager Patrick Duhaney said, according to the Virginian-Pilot. “The City thanks the Something in the Water team, our public safety teams and City staff for their hard work this weekend under fluctuating weather conditions, and we appreciate everyone’s understanding of this difficult decision.”
Founder Pharrell Williams posted a heartfelt note to fellow Virginians and attendees, writing, “We are the best. These past few days @sitw have been the best. Even during this Tornado Watch and Lightning Storm right now as I type, we are the best. Thank you for giving the folks that travel here that energy and that LOVE that only we can give. Thank you to our partners, the vendors, production, policemen, firemen, the city council, the mayor and all who volunteered. The spirit here was felt everywhere!”
Williams promised that 2024’s SITW dates will be shifted in an attempt to avoid inclement spring weather, as well as teasing “more acts, more merch, more food… just more!” next year. WAVY reported that the first two days of this year’s event were also impacted by weather, with some acts slated for Friday bumped to Saturday and Sunday and Saturday’s start time pushed back after weather caused issues on site the night before.
Friday’s lineup featured performances by Babyface Ray, Arcade Fire, Maren Morris, Skrillex Kehlani, Mumford & Sons and Kid Cudi, while day 2 saw sets from the Kid Laroi, Wet Leg, the Jonas Brothers, Lil Yachty, Machine Gun Kelly, Lil Wayne and Pharrell’s Phriends, which included guests A$AP Rocky, De La Soul, M.I.A., Diddy, Chris Brown Latto and more.
The first day of 2019’s inaugural edition of SITW in Williams’ hometown was canceled due to weather, throwing a wrench into planned sets from Dave Matthews Band, Migos, Pharrell & Friends, Diplo and more. The 2022 edition was moved to Washington, D.C. after Williams got involved in a dispute with city officials over what he called a “toxic” environment following the fatal police shooting of his cousin, Donovon Lynch.
See the announcements below.
Dearest Virginia,We are the best.These past few days @sitw #sitwfest have been the best.Even during this Tornado Watch and Lightning Storm right now as I type, we are the best.Thank you for giving the folks that travel here that energy and that LOVE that only we can give.… pic.twitter.com/pTGwbUY562— Pharrell Williams (@Pharrell) April 30, 2023
We are disappointed to share that under the advisement of the city of Virginia Beach and the local authorities we have to cancel day three of SOMETHING IN THE WATER due to significant impacts to the festival site caused by severe weather… (1/3) pic.twitter.com/cj4kQgiufl— SOMETHING IN THE WATER (@sitw) April 30, 2023
…passes. Refunds will be automatically processed beginning tomorrow, and take approximately 14 days. (3/3)— SOMETHING IN THE WATER (@sitw) April 30, 2023
“Voulez-vous coucher avec moi, ce soir?/ Voulez-vous coucher avec moi?” Those two lascivious French language come-on lines are among the most definitive lyrics in the 1974 Labelle Billboard Hot 100 hit “Lady Marmalade.” They appear in a song that has some equally inscrutable couplets including, “Gitchie, gitchie, ya-ya, da-da (hey, hey, hey)/ Gitchie, gitchie, ya-ya, here (here)/ Mocha Chocolata, ya-ya (ooh, yeah)/ Creole Lady Marmalade.
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All you need to know is that the song slaps. And that Labelle lead singer Patti LaBelle had absolutely no idea what she was saying when she sang those sweet French nothings into our ears half a century ago. During an appearance on Sherri Shepherd’s syndicated daytime talker earlier this week, LaBelle, 78, made a startling admission when Shepherd asked if she knew it would be such a big hit at the time.
“For once, I can say yes and really mean yes,” she said of her certainty that she needed to immediately record the song with band mates Sarah Dash and Nona Hendryx. “I said, ‘We have to record this because it’s a hit,’ and it was,” she recalled telling late producer Allen Toussaint as the group headed to New Orleans to record with the legendary singer/writer/producer. “I had no clue it meant ‘will you sleep with me tonight.’ I didn’t know no French. I knew it was a hit… Yeah, that’s what that song was all about. And it was a hit,” she added about not knowing at the time that the refrain had such a saucy translation.
In addition to it being a smash for Labelle, the song hit No. 1 on the Hot 100 again in 2001 when Pink, Mya, Christina Aguilera and Lil Kim re-recorded it for the soundtrack to Baz Luhrmann’s Moulin Rouge!
Watch LaBelle’s interview below.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Global Citizen Ambassador John Legend have been added to the long list of world leaders and activists who will gather in New York next week for the Global Citizen Now summit.
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According to a release, the gathering will bring together “government leaders, private sector executives, grassroots activists, cultural innovators, philanthropic experts, and leading journalists across two dynamic days to make progress on the systemic challenges our world is facing.”
Actresses Katie Holmes and Busy Philipps will also be on hand, along with CBS Mornings co-host Gayle King, who join a long list of expected attendees including: Dubai Cares CEO/Vice-Chairman H.E. Dr. Tariq Al Gurg, New York Times best-selling author Tiffany “The Budgetnista” Aliche, artist Alok Vaid-Menon, model and activist Maria Borges, Nightline co-anchor Juju Chang, restaurateur/author/philanthropist Pinky Cole, Girl Effect country lead – Etheopia Liya Haile, Bloomberg Markets: The Close co-host Caroline Hyde, actress Nomzamo Mbatha, Canadian ambassador for women, peace, and security Jacqueline O’Neill, Morning Joe co-host Joe Scarborough, Dot Dot Dot founder Laurie Segall, special envoy for the human rights of LGBTI persons, U.S. government Jessica Stern and WEConnect International CEO/co-founder Elizabeth Vazquez.
“Building a future that is fair, equal, and peaceful, with clean air and clean water for everyone, is at the heart of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and reflects the vision of the Global Citizen NOW summit,” said Trudeau in a statement about the summit that will have attendees talking about next steps for immediate action on climate change, the global food crisis, gender inequality, protecting activists and more.
“In New York City, I look forward to advancing our shared progress and advocating for strong global commitments to support gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls everywhere,” he added.
Others slated to participate include: Hugh Jackman, Coldplay’s Chris Martin, Bridget Moynahan and Tamron Hall.
Global Citizen NOW will take place on April 27-28 at the Glasshouse in New York City; it can be livestreamed globally on Reuters on Thursday, April 27 at 3 p.m. ET.
After flying his flannel and dipping into some country funk vibes on 2018’s Man of the Woods, Justin Timberlake is ready to dance, dance, dance on his next album. Longtime pal and producer Timbaland recently spoke to Variety about the just-wrapped sessions for JT’s sixth solo album.
Last week, Tim said he’d just left the studio where he and Timberlake were finishing things up and he said “everything sounds great. Now it’s really on him how he plans to wrap it up and how and when he envisions it to come out. With an artist of his caliber, everything has to be aligned, but it’s done and it’s coming.”
At press time a spokesperson for Timberlake had not returned Billboard‘s request for comment on the status of his next album.
The great news according to Timbaland is that the as-yet-untitled collection is a definitive return to “fun Justin.” The producer who has worked on some of JT’s most iconic tracks said the collection hearkens back to Justin’s beloved 2006 FutureSex/LoveSounds album, which featured the hits “SexyBack,” “My Love,” “What Goes Around… Comes Around” and “Summer Love.”
“But nothing too heavy, just giving you what you’d expect from us: not overthought, the lyrics are not so deep, it’s bob-your-head, dance-to-it music,” Timbaland said. “Music is a young sport, and you have to keep it fun — fun and young. We’ve both seen a lot of life, but you can’t overthink it because of that, you have to bring out the 13-year-old, 18-year-old again, you know? If not, you can get into the old-fogey stage real quick.[Laughs] That’s just the world we live in.”
He said the pair took them time on this one in order to make sure they were being “authentic and true to the art,” so when songs came up that were “too complicated” they picked tracks that were more along the lines of “‘FutureSex’ part two.”
As for the mixed response to Man of the Woods — which folded in folksy Americana vibes on songs such as the rural funk “Supplies” and country pop “Say Something” with country singer Chris Stapleton — Timbaland said the LP was part of a “statement” that JT wanted to make at the time. “When artists have a personal things that they want to do, I kind of back myself away. Because if I have a personal thing that I’m trying to get across, I have to at least try to get it out and deal with whatever happens from that point,” he said.
So as Justin’s friend, Tim said he tried to help make the best album they could together, teaming with another frequent sonic associate, Pharrell, to help execute the singer’s vision for the project. “I guess it’s kind of an autobiography album, ‘I’m from Memphis, I came from nothing, this is how I used to live my life in the South,’” he said of the album’s theme.
Understanding that without risk there is no reward, Tim said after Justin got what he needed to off his chest, “now were’ back to the essence.” At press time a title and release date for Timberlake’s sixth album have not been announced.
Beyoncé rocks a rhinestone-covered black velvet hat and and matching curve-hugging black bodysuit on the cover of Vogue France in a story celebrating the new couture collection she’s co-created with Balmain creative director Olivier Rousteing.
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As the accompanying story explains, instead of working to finalize Balmain’s spring 2023 collection last July, Rousteing was obsessing over Bey’s then-new album Renaissance album. “I was sketching and sketching as I listened, and sometimes you can’t control the emotion of your sketch,” he told the magazine about his priorities at the time (which also included preparing for holiday). “And I started to imagine the sketches inside her album, how they would relate to the songs and the lyrics — it wasn’t something I was supposed to be doing but I was just inspired by the music to do it. And that’s how this started.”
Rousteing did eventually get to that vacation, but he told Vogue he couldn’t stop sketching Renaissance-inspired ideas, so when he returned to Paris in August he reached out to Bey’s stylist, Marni Senofonte, and pitched her team on a couture collection. “My hope was that she would be up for something even beyond the work we have done together before… I wanted us to be co-designers,” he said, noting that to his joy, Beyoncé was totally on board.
That kicked off a five-month collaboration between the designer, Senofonte and Bey that included cutting down the 50 looks Rousteing had amassed to a “playlist” of 17 final ones that eventually became the Balmain x Beyoncé couture collection. “The result is a suite of A-side looks that honor both the history of the house and the musical heritage of the performer,” the magazine explained, noting that two of the pieces have already been seen in the real world at this year’s Grammy Awards and the BRIT Awards.
“I can’t help but be thrilled by the history-making aspects of this collaboration,” Rousteing said of the 17 items inspired by a track, or lyric, from the album. “This appears to be the first time that a Black woman has overseen the couture offering from an historic Parisian house. And those designs were created in partnership with the first Black man to ever oversee all the collections at an historic Parisian house. Let’s hope those two firsts help inspire plenty of others…Thank you, Beyoncé for creating the infectious, joyous music that launched this journey—and for partnering with me to ensure that we designed the collection that perfectly reflected the power of those compositions.”
The accompanying story breaks down 12 of the looks — with notes from Rousteing on their inspiration and formatio — from the opening one, an “I’m That Girl” bustier in hammered metal by sculptor Elie Hirsch covered in spikes, with matching spiked bracelets, to a stunning “Plastic Off the Couch” dress that took inspiration from the song’s disco vibe by melding three different concepts.
“The first is an extremely sensual silhouette that relies on impressively curved front-and-back boning to create that impeccably fitted, body-con tulle bustier. The second is a dazzlingly lustrous shine achieved by galvanized, pink-chrome fabric (allowing us to channel the slippery and slick title material),” reads the description. “And the third is an unexpected combo of two iconic Parisian couture signatures: the bow and le smoking. Beyoncé and I were very inspired by the Balmain archive’s many mid-century examples of the founder’s brilliance in creating surprising couture silhouettes via new twists on bow sizing, shape, and placements. Building on that legacy, we decided to flip our glossy pink bow 180 degrees… this transformed what normally would have been a bow’s hanging fabric edges into the most reduced version possible of a classic smoking’s lapels.”
In an Instagram post with Rousteing celebrating the collaboration, Bey wrote, “Thank you @olivier_rousteing and @balmain for bringing RENAISSANCE to life in couture. Designing alongside you was freeing—thank you for allowing me to celebrate the human form, to take artistic risks, to push boundaries and to freely express myself. To the @voguefrance team, thank you for trusting in our vision and sharing it with the world.”
Click here to see the looks and descriptions and check out the cover images in Beyoncé’s Instagram post below.
Soul singer/songwriter Bobby Caldwell, best known for his 1978 hit “What You Won’t Do For Love,” has died at 71. His wife, Mary Caldwell, announced the news in a tweet on Wednesday morning (March 15), writing that, “Bobby passed away here at home. I held him tight in my arms as he left us. I am forever heartbroken. Thanks to all of you for your many prayers over the years. He had been ‘FLOXED,’ it took his health over the last 6 years and 2 months. Rest with God, my Love.”
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While Mary Caldwell didn’t specify what ailment the singer suffered from, “Floxed” generally refers to a condition the Regenerative Medicine L.A. treatment center says arises from the adverse effects of consuming fluoroquinolone antibiotics such as Ciprofloxacin, Levaquin or Avelox; no additional information on the cause of Caldwell’s death was available at press time.
Robert Hunter Caldwell was born on April 15, 1951 in New York City and got his first big break serving as the rhythm guitarist for Little Richard in the early 1970s before going solo later in the decade and scoring a hit out of the box on his TK Records debut with the No. 9 Billboard Hot 100 single “What You Won’t Do For Love.”
In a 2005 interview with NPR, Caldwell said the Miami-based label with a largely Black, R&B roster didn’t “want it to be well-known that I was white,” which explains why his picture was left off the cover of his self-titled debut. Additionally, he said the record was initially completed without the smooth, jazzy ballad “Love,” which Caldwell wrote and cut in a hurry to please TK boss Henry Stone. The song went on to cement Caldwell’s reputation as a “blue-eyed soul” star and it has been covered since by everyone from Boyz II Men to Michael Bolton, Roy Ayers and Snoh Aalegra; it was also sampled by Tupac Shakur on “Do For Love.”
He scored again in 1980 with the gentle piano pop tune “Open Your Eyes” from that year’s Cat in the Hat album, which was later sampled by producer J Dilla for the song “The Light” from Common’s Like Water for Chocolate album.
Describing his sound, which mixed pop with smooth jazz, R&B and a Brazilian/island vibe, Caldwell told NPR that his time growing up in Miami soaking up all kinds of music — “Haitian, reggae, Latin, pop, R&B” — as well as befriending his real estate mom’s client, reggae icon Bob Marley, helped him find his signature groove.
Caldwell continued to release albums throughout the 1980s, 1990s and into the mid-2010’s, all the way through his final collection, 2015’s Cool Uncle. He also wrote the hit 1986 duet “The Next Time I Fall” for Amy Grant and Chicago’s Peter Cetera, as well as songs for Neil Diamond, Boz Scaggs, Ayers, Chicago and Natalie Cole, among others.
See Mary Caldwell’s tweet and listen to “What You Won’t Do For Love” below.
Bobby passed away here at home. I held him tight in my arms as he left us. I am forever heartbroken. Thanks to all of you for your many prayers over the years. He had been “FLOXED,” it took his health over the last 6 years and 2 months. Rest with God, my Love. -Mary Caldwell— Bobby Caldwell (@bobbycaldwell) March 15, 2023
