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Avant | |
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 Avant in 2021 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Myron Lavell Avant |
| Born | April 26, 1978 Cleveland, Ohio, U.S. |
| Genres | R&B |
| Occupation(s) |
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| Years active | 1999–present |
| Labels | |
| Website | avantlivemusic |
Myron Lavell Avant (born April 26, 1978), [1] mononymously known as Avant, is an American R&B singer. He is known for his songs "Separated", "Read Your Mind", and "Makin' Good Love". [1] [2] He has produced three Platinum-selling albums. [3] [4] He has released 15 singles and 9 albums. [4] [5]
Avant was born in Cleveland, Ohio, [1] [3] [6] [7] the youngest of five siblings. [1] He did not belong to a wealthy family and grew up watching his mother struggle to provide the best to her children. [1] His mother encouraged him to improve his music skills by playing classic R&B artists like Smokey Robinson, The Supremes, and Marvin Gaye. [1] He was passionate about music since his childhood. [5] He pursued acting during his high school education at Cleveland School of the Arts. [8] After graduating from high school, he worked a few factory jobs. [1] [5]
Avant began writing songs at the age of 14. He independently released his debut single "Separated" in 2000. It was a song based on a failed romantic relationship. The single created a buzz and was played on the radio. It helped him land a deal at Magic Johnson Music. [1] In 2000, he released his debut album, My Thoughts , which sold more than 1.3 million copies in the United States and 4.4 million worldwide. It was released by MCA Records. His debut album featured a remake with fellow R&B singer Keke Wyatt of the 1983 René & Angela ballad "My First Love". It reached the top 5 of the R&B chart and helped boost Wyatt's career. [1] He released his second album, Ecstasy , in 2002. It featured another of his top ten hits, "Makin' Good Love". His third album, Private Room , was released in 2003, and reached number four on Billboard's R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. A track from the album, "Read Your Mind", was ranked 13th on the Hot 100. [1] A remix featuring Snoop Dogg appeared on the promotional vinyl and was released on September 30, 2003.
In 2006, Avant released his fourth album Director , which topped the R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and debuted at number four on the Billboard 200. Its lead single, "When It Hurts", reached number 91 on the Hot 100. [1]
Avant was featured in the remix of Lloyd Banks' song "Karma" from the 2004 album The Hunger for More . He also made a cameo appearance in the 2004 feature film BarberShop 2: Back in Business .
In 2009, Avant collaborated with Maze on a cover of "Joy and Pain" as a tribute to the band for an album called Silky Soul Music: An All Star Tribute to Maze Featuring Frankie Beverly.
His self-titled fifth album, Avant , was released on December 9, 2008. Avant later signed to Verve Forecast and released his sixth studio album The Letter (formerly titled Wake Up) on December 21, 2010, [9] [ non-primary source needed ] featuring production from the likes of The Pentagon; Mike City; Marshall Leathers; and Kajun. [3] His eighth album The VIII was released on September 25, 2015. [10]
In 2019, Avant returned with the single "Not Gone Lose" and signed a label deal [11] to release the album Can We Fall in Love, which was released in July 2020.
Although successful, Avant began drawing comparisons to fellow R&B singer R. Kelly and even faced some backlash from music critics. [12]
Avant has cited Kelly as his biggest influence and inspiration. "Being compared to R. Kelly is a compliment in itself. He's been in the game for about twelve years. He is Mr. R&B. To be in the game, and to be named in the same sentence as that man is truly a privilege", Avant said. [13] [14]
Avant suffers from lupus and has taken up a vegan diet to help manage its effects. [15] [16]
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Separated | Best R&B/Soul Single – Male | Nominated |
| 2007 | 4 Minutes | Best R&B/Soul Single – Male | Nominated |
| 2015 | Himself | Centric Certified Award | Nominated |
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Can We Fall in Love | Best Independent R&B Album | Nominated |
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Ke'Tara Shavon "Keke" Wyatt is an American singer-songwriter and television personality. After performing in a number of girl bands and working as a songwriter during her teenage years, in 2000 she garnered national attention after her successful collaboration with fellow R&B singer Avant, In 2001 her rendition of "Nothing in This World" led to a nomination for the Best New R&B/Soul/Rap Artist award at the Soul Train Lady of Soul Awards. After a number of charting collaborations and solo releases, in 2012 she starred as a cast member in TV One's R&B Divas: Atlanta, which featured the lives of five 1990s chart-topping R&B singers. She was featured in all 3 seasons of the show. She also performed with the group at events such as Essence Music Festival.
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My Thoughts is the debut studio album by American singer Avant. It was released on May 9, 2000 by MCA Records and Magic Johnson's Magic Johnson Music. Avant worked with Steve "Stone" Huff on the majority of the album. It debuted at number 45 on the US Billboard 200 and number 8 on the Top R&B Albums, selling 41,675 copies in the opening week. Certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), My Thoughts sold more than one million copies in the United States and received generally mixed to positive reviews by critics. The album spawned three singles that became top ten hits; including "Separated", "My First Love" featuring Keke Wyatt, a cover to its classic René & Angela hit, and "This Time". Both songs, "My First Love" and "This Time", were certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
Ecstasy is the second studio album by American singer Avant. It was released by MCA Records and Magic Johnson Music on March 26, 2002 in the United States. The singer reteamed with Steve "Stone" Huff to produce the majority of the album. It debuted and peaked at number six on the US Billboard 200 and number two on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, selling more than 713,000 copies. Ecstasy produced three singles, including "Makin' Good Love", "Don't Say No, Just Say Yes" and "You Ain't Right".
Baby Makin' Music is the thirtieth studio album by the American Ohio musical soul group, the Isley Brothers. It was released under the short-lived Def Soul Classics imprint on May 9, 2006.
"Separated" is a song by American R&B singer Avant. It was written by Avant and Steve "Stone" Huff for his debut album My Thoughts (2000), while production was helmed by Huff. MCA Records and Magic Johnson Music released the song as the album's lead single in April 2000. "Separated" spent one week atop the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, also peaking at number 23 on the US Billboard Hot 100. A remix version of the song, co-written by Sparkle, features singer Kelly Rowland, formerly of Destiny's Child. A different remix features rapper Foxy Brown.
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"You & I" is the lead single by American R&B singer Avant featuring American R&B singer Keke Wyatt taken from the seventh studio album Face the Music (2013). The song was released in August 2012 through MO-B Entertainment. The song was written by Kriss "Kajun" Johnson, Myron Avant and Andre Henry. The song marks Avant and Keke's fifth collaboration "My First Love" (2000), "Nothing in This World", "I Can't Wait" (2001) and Your Precious Love (2004).
This is the discography documenting albums and singles released by American R&B singer Avant.
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