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SINGAPORE: Grammy award-winning music producer and singer Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds, the creative force behind hit songs such as "Take a Bow" by Madonna and "Change the World" with guitar legend Eric Clapton, had been on hiatus since the release of his 2007 album "Playlist".
But Babyface is now back from his break and will be the opening act for the sixth Mosaic Music Festival in Singapore on Friday.
Despite also being a singer and having released a number of popular albums, Babyface is still a reluctant performer. He preferred to work behind the scenes writing and producing than singing in front of an audience, but admitted that he does enjoy himself once he actually gets on stage and starts preforming.
Babyface is now working on a brand new album that will see him go back to writing original music, unlike his previous album "Playlist", which mainly consisted of his renditions of songs that have inspired his writing.
The 51-year-old father of three has even started a new music label called Soda Pop and has signed a few promising artistes.
However the question on everyone's minds is why he decided to take a break in the first place.
"For a good while, I think, especially in America, where the music was going wasn't very interesting," said Babyface. "It all became one sound, one thing and I wasn't interested."
"It's not like I don't like anybody," explained the soft-spoken, reticent singer before going on to name Beyonce and Lady Gaga among his favourite contemporary artistes.
Babyface's affinity for music had been evident since he was a child.
Born Kenneth Edmonds in 1958, Babyface was a shy boy who wrote songs to express his emotions.
In his teens, he hopped from band to band and got the moniker Babyface from American funk artiste Bootsy Collins, before going on to become an extraordinary songwriter who wrote hundreds of hits for various stars like Mariah Carey, Phil Collins and even the late Michael Jackson in the 1980s and 1990s.
"I didn't expect for all this to happen. I think I just wanted my music to be heard so the whole 'making it', 'getting big one day', that was more of a word, it wasn't about necessarily getting rich," said Babyface, recalling the early years of his career.
"So I didn't think about getting a big house or anything. We didn't think like that, we just wanted people to listen to the music," he added.
"That was kind of the drive. Fortunately, because of that, it kept me guided and I was kinda always able to stay grounded throughout."
Catch Babyface live as he kicks off the sixth Mosaic Music Festival with a performance at the Esplanade Concert Hall on 12 March. Tickets are available through SISTIC.
- CNA/ha
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