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Babyface Lists His Top Influences, Working with Whitney Houston & New Album 'Girls Night Out'
Oct 27, 2022
Babyface stopped by Sway In The Morning to talk about his new album Girls Night Out featuring Ari Lennox, Ella Mai, Queen Naija, Coco Jones, Tink and more
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Exclusive interviews from Sway Calloway and the Sway In The Morning/ SwaysUniverse.com team with some of today's biggest celebrities, like Kevin Hart, Kanye West, Eminem, Usher, Jessica Alba, Steve Aoki, Torey Lanez, Julia Stiles and so much more.
Babyface Lists His Top Influences, Working with Whitney Houston, Kehlani, Tevin Campbell and more
https://youtu.be/iPuAjkuj5d0
Sway’s Universe
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0:00
[Applause]
0:00
oh man that voice right there has been
0:03
man that's been in the soundtrack of Our
0:05
Lives for a long time yes I use lyrics
0:08
from songs he wrote to talk to women oh
0:12
boy I only think of you
0:15
on two occasions
0:17
Tracy say what's that no it's that's
0:20
when not what's up okay
0:23
mess up the lyrics day and nights when I
0:27
look at his accomplishments and I know
0:29
he's not the type of person that brags
0:31
about it um and that's not why he does
0:33
it I think he's truly A Gifted Man of
0:36
music and he makes it because he loves
0:38
it but he contributed over 800 million
0:40
million records sold over a billion
0:42
record streams I believe it's probably
0:44
more than that we couldn't really
0:45
regulate what was being sold back in the
0:47
day pre-sound scan we didn't know what
0:50
Mom and Pops was selling back then have
0:52
the B
0:53
um this man is one over 12 Grammys uh
0:55
five NAACP image Awards the list goes on
0:59
and on but I call him a doctor because
1:02
of the byproduct of what he creates has
1:04
been medicine for us for over the years
1:06
as we as we make it through different
1:09
eras of our life different scenarios
1:12
that we've gone through where there's
1:13
love lost money loss for in loss or wins
1:16
whatever it is he's always had songs out
1:19
at that time that we can identify with
1:22
and I want to thank him for that because
1:24
no matter what goes on in the world
1:27
you could turn on a baby face record and
1:30
feel good about yourself please welcome
1:32
the one and only Kenny baby face
1:38
thank you
1:40
all right let's stop playing man
1:43
hey bro hey you just made me feel real
1:45
important you are to me if there's no
1:48
one else to me
1:50
um you work with Boosie College
1:53
actually I didn't work with him just
1:55
kind of in the studio with them so just
1:57
walked in yeah and it was supposed to be
1:59
doing the demos but I didn't actually
2:01
work on it but I walked in the room and
2:02
that's when he said Babyface that's all
2:05
you got now that's how I got the name
2:06
yeah did you did you like I would
2:09
imagine if I walk in a room
2:11
with Ed Bradley you know or some of the
2:14
legendary correspondents I'm taking
2:16
something from them like I'm learning
2:19
something from them did you was there
2:21
anything from Boosie you got a chance to
2:22
absorb I I think just being around
2:25
Boosie you absorb you know because
2:27
Bootsy has so much flavor and everything
2:29
he does and he's he's just so I don't
2:32
even know the word to put it he's always
2:34
had a Vibe and so if you know if you
2:37
learn nothing is that you know
2:39
presentation is everything
2:41
presentation is everything baby faces
2:43
here so right write that down he's gonna
2:45
say a lot of stuff that's probably going
2:46
to be considered a gym today
2:48
um well you always this person even
2:51
prior to the studio did the music help
2:53
build the image were you cool prior to
2:55
the no I wasn't cool
2:56
[Laughter]
3:02
um shy corny maybe all that the music
3:06
helped you know I just kind of start
3:07
trying to match the music
3:10
you cool today though you think you're
3:12
cool now do I think I'm cool yeah if you
3:14
think I'm cool man you cool as a
3:17
[ __ ] baby face you're the
3:18
coolest there is damn it uh when I when
3:22
I think of you um on two locations
3:27
um I I think of like a lot of the great
3:29
composers and I I'm what I think of what
3:32
I'm trying to get to is who who do you
3:34
admire like when
3:36
when I think of just different composers
3:38
in the past who have done great work
3:40
Quincy Jones comes to mind yeah Lionel
3:43
Richie comes to mind you know Maurice
3:46
White comes to mind
3:48
um now Roger's come to mind who who are
3:51
those people that who was your doc for
3:54
me Dr Dre and these dudes were my ah
3:57
Rakim LL those are my odds I'm sure they
4:00
were your eyes too but who else in the
4:01
music world I mean to start with it was
4:04
Stevie you know Stevie Wonder and Marvin
4:07
Gaye
4:09
um and Smokey Robinson of course then it
4:12
was uh Paul McCartney and and John
4:15
Lennon and uh James Taylor and
4:18
um it was everybody I mean anybody
4:20
anytime I heard a great song you know
4:22
that that inspired me so um it was
4:25
everyone and Quincy is included in that
4:27
as well all the people you mentioned you
4:29
know it doesn't it's not just before
4:31
it's also people you know at your your
4:34
contemporaries you know people that that
4:36
are great writers you know you get
4:38
blessed you know
4:40
you listen to how they write and and you
4:43
you follow them from Teddy Riley to you
4:45
know every everybody from Jimmy Jam and
4:47
Terry Lewis you know I grew up you know
4:50
with them but listening to them being
4:52
inspired by them as well so are are
4:55
there is there a song that you've
4:56
written
4:58
you did tend to love totally different
5:01
from Force MD's Tender Love right but
5:03
it's too different so yeah I wish I
5:05
wrote that one though anyway oh man
5:20
[Laughter]
5:24
I understand
5:29
the whole machine you just throw the
5:32
machine that's that's oh no sometimes
5:33
honesty is the best thing so you know
5:36
you know all the time would just mess it
5:38
up so you know take your face thank you
5:40
face baby face is here man
5:43
um the other thing
5:45
I'm we're trying to squeeze a lot in a
5:47
short amount of time because I know you
5:48
have to go but um
5:50
laface records the face records was uh
5:54
very pivotal
5:55
in the development of sound when it
5:57
comes to hip-hop because what groups
5:59
like TLC uh what groups like Goodie Mob
6:03
even T.I all these different folks you
6:05
guys got to work with we start hearing a
6:07
lot of organized noise Dallas Austin
6:09
these you know did you did you know when
6:13
you met him that they were Talent
6:14
talented or gifted or um the talent was
6:17
just in Atlanta when we went to Atlanta
6:19
it was it was just there just ready to
6:21
be picked
6:23
um and then not just there but when
6:24
people heard that we were there what
6:26
heard that things were going on they
6:28
started coming to Atlanta so it was just
6:31
a it was just a perfect time to for the
6:34
birth of Atlanta music you know the
6:37
rebirth I should say because it had a
6:39
thing once before but you know to expect
6:42
for it to do what it's done and and how
6:45
long it has lasted and it's still going
6:46
strong you know I think it just makes us
6:49
proud that we were there that you were
6:51
there
6:51
yeah when you talk about expectation was
6:55
there song that you wrote that surpassed
6:59
even what you thought like I can't
7:01
believe people still react to this song
7:03
like is there a song that even surpassed
7:05
what you thought well every song I don't
7:11
when when you write a song you hope that
7:13
everybody likes it but you never know
7:15
and because you're like oh this is gonna
7:17
be one and then it's not one right so um
7:20
but then so I just kind of got off of
7:22
thinking of trying to predict period And
7:25
so when something does happen then you
7:28
love it and and but some things go
7:31
beyond like the end of the road who
7:32
would have known that that would have
7:33
done
7:34
and just do that out there it's random
7:37
random end of the world and then
7:40
um more recently just this whole Rebirth
7:43
of uh of can we talk you know how that
7:46
just and even when I do my shows and I
7:48
and I you know I go through media songs
7:51
that I've that I played that are written
7:53
for everybody and every time I hit that
7:55
one it's just like the world sings along
7:57
and they sing along anyway but when that
7:59
pop that one comes they really go in
8:01
hard and so it's you don't know when you
8:04
write that song or how that happens or
8:07
why it happens whether it's timing or
8:09
anything it's it's really hard to call
8:11
so baby first is here y'all yeah
8:14
crazy G have two things I want to kind
8:17
of squeeze in but as I'm staring at you
8:19
just making me think about the power of
8:22
kind of having a signature look and how
8:25
that brings a lot of
8:27
um mystery and someone can just begin to
8:30
have a curiosity about you and also it
8:32
makes your music stand out talk to us
8:34
about your glasses the choice in
8:37
sunglasses like what was the first like
8:39
frames you put on is there a story
8:41
behind
8:43
um how it represents your brand
8:47
they just make me look cooler that's all
8:51
I was deep man penny that was deep
8:54
it is deep there's there's I mean it
8:57
just
8:58
years ago
9:00
um the first time I saw some stars
9:03
wearing glasses was the Jackson 5. and
9:07
they were on their Victory Tour and they
9:09
put those glasses I said that is so cool
9:11
and and I just always wanted to put
9:14
glasses on so I put glasses on and and
9:16
we started way back in the deal days and
9:18
you know and uh and it's just been kind
9:21
of one of those things that I kind of
9:22
always don't always have a moment but
9:24
sometimes just well a lot of times it's
9:26
cool and and you know it's early in the
9:28
morning I might have red eyes right now
9:30
so you know so it helps right now it
9:32
works okay I'm with it yeah the second
9:35
thing I was curious about we've always
9:36
heard
9:37
um I think it's it's Erica Badu who said
9:39
I'm an artist and I'm sensitive about my
9:41
[ __ ] I think that first came from her
9:43
and I was reading an interview did of
9:45
Entertainment Weekly you were talking
9:46
about the song you have of keilani on
9:48
this project girls night out um called
9:50
seamless yes and how initially she said
9:54
I think this is too boring
9:56
it was not that one it was another one
9:58
week okay we were writing another um
10:01
uh uh wedding song she wanted to do a
10:04
wedding song
10:06
um that was different you know and uh as
10:09
she said actually she said I want to
10:11
write a wedding song for lesbians and
10:13
and and and
10:17
um I want to go down that road so she
10:19
said I want to write the first one and
10:20
say okay all right that makes that
10:22
sounds cool let's do that and then as we
10:24
were doing because he said ah this this
10:25
is too this is too Disney it's boring
10:27
let's get out here
10:29
and you know she don't want to do Disney
10:31
so um we escaped Disney and then we went
10:34
to seamless God sure got you thank you
10:37
for sharing that yes okay all right Pam
10:39
okay Lonnie where's she from face some
10:42
uh up north uh California uh Oakland
10:46
there you go you better talk your [ __ ]
10:48
face
10:52
exactly is that how he was set up
11:00
is amazing
11:03
Pastor Dwayne Wiggins from Tony Tony she
11:07
used to be in a group with him wow I
11:09
didn't know that yeah so I watched her
11:10
from
11:12
the toddler to now look what she's doing
11:14
man amazing right uh Mike you want to
11:17
get one in before face got a cut out
11:18
yeah absolutely one of my favorite
11:19
albums of all time and not just because
11:21
it's yours but Justin is the waiting to
11:23
excel soundtrack uh I thought that was
11:25
like a masterpiece and so I know you to
11:29
a question earlier you think every song
11:31
you write you know you just hope it's
11:32
not corny what was your approach to to
11:35
waiting to excel like when you went in
11:37
did you put because you had so many
11:39
talented artists on there did you go in
11:41
with no expectations what was your
11:44
approach to such a
11:45
project like that I was concerned
11:49
initially because I was writing for the
11:52
film so initially it wasn't it was
11:55
really kind of writing for the film
11:56
first before the artist and then we had
11:58
then had to figure out what artists
12:00
would work with the song and so
12:03
um Forrest would give me a scene and say
12:05
okay let's write to this one and then
12:07
and he might give me a a sample track of
12:10
something that he wanted something like
12:11
and then I'd have to kind of get
12:13
something in that Vibe and uh so the
12:16
list we me and Whitney had come up with
12:18
the list of people that she accepted
12:21
there were those that she wasn't
12:22
accepting and uh who she didn't accept I
12:26
I still can't say Okay
12:27
um
12:28
yeah I still can't say okay so um and
12:31
then uh she was um and then we went
12:33
through that and then at that point I
12:34
had to figure out what songs would work
12:35
for who and um it kind of worked out
12:39
that way it was not really something
12:41
that
12:42
every
12:44
as I came up with the track then I
12:46
figured okay this person could probably
12:48
sing on this track and kind of went down
12:51
that road
12:52
when I when I look listen to girls night
12:55
out
12:56
to Mike's Point wait until exhale is
12:59
what came to mind to me for some reason
13:01
because I looked at all of these Airy
13:03
Linux round of applies when I say her
13:05
name Mary Lynn yeah
13:08
Queen naija who's been on this show
13:10
before LMA
13:12
um all of these different amazing r b
13:16
female vocalists
13:18
and I wonder if if it was any spirit in
13:21
the wait until Excel soundtrack uh that
13:23
you were able to co-op into making this
13:25
girls night out and then why did you
13:29
want to make a project featuring all
13:30
girls
13:32
um
13:33
well that's that's something that comes
13:35
natural with me working with girls but
13:37
um I think in general the difference
13:40
with Excel is I wrote that all myself
13:42
and kind of just it was my ideas from my
13:45
head whereas this uh project was we
13:48
wrote together and so it wasn't just my
13:51
ideas it was
13:52
um it was the artist and also the
13:54
producers that I hadn't had them with me
13:56
so it was really a collaboration project
13:59
um and their voices are different today
14:01
than yesterday they they sing about
14:04
different things and then there's a lot
14:06
more confidence as a Independence uh
14:09
it's um it's the 90s say r b girls were
14:15
different than
14:17
the girls today they they
14:20
um they have things to say and aren't
14:22
afraid to say it
14:23
uh and I applaud that and I love the
14:25
fact that
14:27
um they can say anything and use any
14:29
words
14:31
in the English language you can use
14:33
everything and I think that makes it
14:35
that makes for great art
14:37
um it was fun to be a part of that and I
14:41
think that a lot of these girls
14:43
I'm happy to be able to help showcase
14:45
them for people that weren't checking
14:47
paying attention I hope that this helps
14:49
showcase them because there's so much
14:51
talent out there and I'm happy to be a
14:53
part of that when I saw you incorporate
14:55
uh Ari Linux and Coco Jones
15:00
I said your face is in his bag right
15:04
because Coco Jones is one of those
15:06
silent sleepers that people yeah they
15:09
not I don't know if they're not seen as
15:11
oblivious to them what was your
15:13
experience with Coco I heard Coco and I
15:16
heard her voice and um and actually my
15:18
partner in this actually showed me Rica
15:20
told me to check out Coco and I listened
15:23
to her I said well she can really sing
15:25
and then when she came in the studio and
15:27
we wrote and we uh and she started
15:30
singing I was like no she's like really
15:32
good
15:34
um she really deserves to be here and uh
15:37
and I hope that people can you know can
15:40
listen to her and then see exactly what
15:42
that is I was I kept on being surprised
15:44
by a lot of the artists from you know
15:46
Tiana major nine who came in there and
15:48
blew me away everybody kind of stepped
15:51
up to the plate where I was like okay
15:53
this was I'm so glad I did this is there
15:56
oh I'm sorry go ahead is there a female
15:57
artist who you haven't had the
15:59
opportunity to work with yet that you
16:01
want to work with
16:03
um I mean yeah that's probably a number
16:04
of of them still today that I would love
16:07
to get in the studio with one day being
16:09
like Jasmine and
16:11
um
16:12
it's even summer and um summer Walker
16:17
um
16:18
but my like my one person that you know
16:21
for years that I hope one day to get in
16:24
the studio with which I don't know if it
16:26
ever happened but it would be Sade oh oh
16:28
my gosh it's so good goodness gracious
16:32
why wouldn't that happen I don't know
16:35
but I'm just saying that would be the
16:36
we'll put this out we'll work on it I'll
16:39
tag her on it so we got a universe baby
16:41
face yeah yeah everything happens if it
16:44
ever happens if you can sway her to look
16:46
my ways I got you [ __ ] Kitty I got
16:49
you cause she working on her new album
16:50
right now I heard that I heard that she
16:52
is
16:53
how y'all know that by the way come on
16:57
bro I was on the beat on 92.3 of the
17:01
beat in 1993.
17:04
come on man you know what it was like in
17:06
L.A back then y'all used to come up
17:08
there yes to come up there suited and
17:10
booted come on man used to leave the
17:12
hallways and it still smelled like good
17:15
y'all had that cologne on I remember
17:17
that y'all what's man I remember all
17:19
this that wasn't cologne that was like
17:21
hair stuff I think oh okay yeah
17:23
something it was slippery in the
17:24
hallways too I didn't know what that was
17:26
yeah
17:29
we got a couple callers I just gotta let
17:31
them get this off real quick man uh Joel
17:34
is in Indiana what up Joe
17:40
hey hey
17:45
what's up hey how y'all feeling this
17:46
morning everybody blessed yes indeed hey
17:48
Babyface got a new project girls night
17:50
out is out now if you can only ask a
17:52
question if you get the project
17:54
I don't know that bro I I'm I'm I just
17:58
wanted to tell you we love him still in
17:59
Indianapolis man I I I don't know that
18:01
project yet I'm sure I'm gonna get on it
18:03
he from Neptune and what I wanted to ask
18:05
him what what talent would you would you
18:08
ever come back to Indianapolis and get
18:09
any Talent or have you came back or
18:11
would you put a studio here in
18:13
Indianapolis your roots where you come
18:15
from you went to school with my mom and
18:16
them you know all the cushion Barry
18:17
y'all heard me say my mama now you know
18:19
the coach Barry the Landers all the
18:21
people back then but would you would you
18:23
come back and get some Talent from
18:24
Indianapolis I've heard everybody else
18:26
and I respect all of them and love them
18:29
all and and if you ever get on there
18:30
with my wife uh Saturday let me know but
18:33
if you ever come back to Indianapolis
18:34
all right that's the question what's
18:37
your question yeah um yeah I've been
18:39
back many times always looking at uh
18:41
people I've grabbed um worked with a
18:43
number of musicians from there and but
18:46
other than that just you know if
18:47
something ever hits me and hits me right
18:48
there yeah for sure Joelle thank you man
18:50
get the album man will you ever get his
18:52
new album get that all right let's
18:54
citizen blue
18:59
hey what's good what's up what's up
19:03
uh you know I was
19:06
scared every time I hear some of your
19:10
songs I hear that it could possibly be a
19:13
crossover in country given all your
19:16
collaborations have any of your songs
19:19
been thought of by a country singer as a
19:21
crossover for them in that genre
19:26
um not yet I've talked to a couple
19:28
country artists that have talked about
19:29
doing it but we haven't done it quite
19:31
yet but you know good point good point
19:34
hey thanks let me ask you this man I
19:36
Lionel Richie this this is just a moment
19:39
about another person individual who I I
19:41
don't feel like has received I don't
19:44
know if we know all that he's
19:46
accomplished
19:48
um as a song as a well we as a business
19:51
Mogul mm-hmm
19:53
um as a singer-songwriter producer what
19:56
are your thoughts if if you had to write
19:58
something about Lionel Richie and who he
20:00
who he's been as a musician what would
20:02
you say as an artist
20:04
interesting thing about Lionel is
20:06
Lionel's one of those few artists that
20:08
that come and hit not just r b but hit
20:11
the world in general so his so he
20:13
expands but just r b it's also pop as
20:16
well but r b is pop uh to me in many
20:19
ways but it just
20:21
um his um his reach is goes far beyond
20:26
um and he uh has had this ability to
20:29
have when you you speak of Lionel
20:32
because you speak of someone that
20:33
actually hits country the songs that
20:35
he's written they'd certainly you know
20:37
feel like he's he was a country artist
20:38
himself and uh and all honesty he's from
20:42
Alabama so he's really just it's just
20:44
country r b and that's really where it
20:46
all comes from and that's why there's a
20:49
similarity between country music and
20:51
um and R B because a lot of southern
20:54
people think when you come from there
20:56
you tell the stories the same way and
20:58
Lionel's been an amazing Storyteller in
21:00
his music and his music and not just a
21:03
Storyteller but he's also an Entertainer
21:06
and uh he knows how to I don't know make
21:10
you feel good when you go to one of his
21:11
shows you you don't leave not feeling
21:13
good that's right Lionel's uh I would
21:16
agree I don't I think he's not
21:17
appreciated as much as he should be for
21:20
what he accomplished in the time they
21:22
accomplished it uh the the records that
21:24
he sold the tours that he did and and
21:27
also the fact of that he's still here
21:29
still relevant is still doing and
21:30
kicking heart to this day so I give him
21:33
I got number 11. Lionel Richie come on
21:34
man one last person who's a contemporary
21:37
and I see this man working hard in Vegas
21:39
and I gotta take my hat off to him
21:42
because I've known him as a young man as
21:44
Usher I met him when he was 12. yeah yo
21:47
guy when y'all used to bring him to the
21:49
bay to came here I worked on 106 came
21:52
here when Keith Napoli was there yeah
21:54
that's in Joey arbinger that's who hired
21:56
me Keith hired me the radio right come
21:58
on come on
22:00
we run deep baby
22:03
um but Usher is really
22:06
you know holding on his shoulders a lot
22:09
right now when it comes to r b and he's
22:12
steadily proving to folks that r b isn't
22:14
dead with that narrative that um was
22:16
floating around I'm not even gonna go
22:18
into that with you because you are here
22:19
so r b is alive
22:22
um
22:22
but he's taking it to a different level
22:27
you know him from the beginning of his
22:28
career right you guys signed him right
22:31
yes I mean Usher is
22:34
um he's amazing artists and he's just
22:36
kind of like just standing up and say we
22:38
are here I am here and uh and he's
22:41
proving in Vegas uh that how how much r
22:45
b is alive because he's selling out that
22:47
place every time he steps on that stage
22:49
come on it's not easy to step on that
22:52
particular stage he's on the stage that
22:53
Bruno steps on right and so
22:56
um normally uh it's you don't see uh one
23:00
of us get in there and hold it down like
23:02
that he's holding it down he's proven
23:04
that you know it is alive and it's well
23:07
and he proves it every weekend that he
23:09
does it
23:10
um and not only that but just usher in
23:13
general as a person as a as a kid as a
23:16
person I was he's always going to be a
23:17
kid to me but he's an amazing spirit and
23:22
um
23:23
and that is not
23:25
that's not the norm well you can we can
23:27
find someone that has success like that
23:29
and to still be able to uh have that
23:32
same spirit and and he's had it
23:33
throughout his career and and throughout
23:36
his life and I'm I can be nothing but
23:38
proud of him and who is who he has
23:40
become and who he who he will become in
23:43
the future we it's the sky's the limit
23:46
for Usher yeah and I uh I always applaud
23:49
him and and always happy to see what
23:50
he's doing and how he's doing it he's
23:52
amazing man salute to us that dude is
23:54
amazing
23:56
man
23:58
baby face citizens man give this man a
24:01
big round of applause for real Kenny
24:03
baby face happens
24:06
thank you brother thank you please come
24:09
back
24:10
good I got you on record all right good
24:15
to new album girls night out we're about
24:18
to play this
24:20
keeps on falling
24:22
Kalani let's take them to the Bay
24:25
you don't got that one
24:27
huh what do you say replay we played it
24:31
already yeah
24:32
let's do it
24:34
because you love Ari liquor liquor do
24:37
you got liquor
24:39
string some liquor with Ari
24:41
I was on our IG Live this past weekend
24:44
[Music]
#Arts & Entertainment