Last night, I saw Karyn White at City Winery in New York.
For those too young to remember, there was a moment in the late 80s when Karyn White was right up there with the best of Janet Jackson, Jody Watley, and Miki Howard. She became the first female artist to have her first three solo releases hit #1.
Her iconic R&B singles: “Superwoman,” “Secret Rendezvous,” “The Way You Love Me,” and the Billboard Hot 100 number one single “Romantic” are part of the soundtrack of my life.
I was looking forward to the concert, but I was a bit hesitant. Karyn White disappeared from the music industry as quickly as she arrived.
Her career took off like a rocket after signing to Warner Bros. Records, where she was paired with Babyface and LA Reid on her debut album. Karyn White hit the jackpot.
Her platinum-selling debut made her a star right out of the gate, quickly becoming recognized as one of the best releases of the New Jack Swing era.
She worked with Jimmy Jam and future husband Terry Lewis on her sophomore album, Ritual of Love.
Sadly, lOL reports her absence from the industry was partly due to a terrible divorce from the love of her life and icon, Terry Lewis, and her mother’s death. On the upside, she started an acting career.
Back to seeing the show. I arrived at City Winery feeling a bit apprehensive. Recent lackluster Miki Howard and Regina Belle performances will do that to you.
However, I’m happy to say that from the moment Karyn White stepped on stage, she had me. She was so exuberant and enthusiastic about being in New York and performing. I couldn’t help but feel her joy even though I was sitting in the back row. Her voice was strong, vibrant, and full of emotion, And at 60, “The Queen of New Jack Swing” held her own with two much younger backup vocalists. New Jack music isn’t kind to the knees of people over 50, but she turned it out.
I yelled, “YASS, QUEEN!”
I’d love to restructure her setlist, add a few cover songs, let go of her dancers and dress her in a fabulous gown.
If Karyn. White’s in town, I recommend going to see her!
We’re celebrating Divabetic’s 12th Year Anniversary of Podcasting with musical inspiration from Babyface and music from his A Closer Look album courtesy of SONY Music. Guests include Poet Lorraine Brooks, Susan Weiner MS, RDN, CDCES, FADCES, Ivan Hampden Jr., and Collage Artist Tom Cocotos. Hosted by Max “Mr. Divabetic” Szadek.
Our musical inspiration, Kenneth Edmonds, known professionally as Babyface, has written over 250 top-10 R&B and pop hits, working with Beyoncé, Aretha Franklin, Celine Dion, Luther Vandross, and Whitney Houston.
“The blessing of being able to write music and let the music speak for itself is you let the melodies and the lyrics and the groove talk to people instead of me talking to people,” says Babyface.
What makes Babyface so great? His ability to craft a song that touches our emotions captivates our ears and perfectly harmonizes every word. It’s a rare gift that not many people have in music.
“I would say that I’ve been lucky. Being blessed and not really ever giving up,” says Babyface.
Thank you for allowing us to be part of your diabetes wellness journey! We’re looking forward to sharing more insight and advice on diabetes self-care from experts and peers, along with more great music in the next year!