Kevin Ross (musician)

Last updated
Kevin Ross
Birth nameKevin Ross
Born (1987-12-08) December 8, 1987 (age 36)
Washington, D.C., United States
Genres
Occupation(s)
  • Singer-Songwriter
  • Producer
Instrument(s)
  • Vocals
  • Piano
  • Keyboards
  • Guitar
Years active2009–present
Labels
Website kevinrossmusic.com

Kevin Ross [1] (born December 8, 1987) is an American singer, songwriter and producer. He previously was signed to Motown Records and he released his debut album The Awakening in March 2017. Ross is also an award-winning songwriter, having written songs for artists such as Trey Songz, Nicki Minaj, Jamie Foxx, SWV, Johnny Gill and Toni Braxton. He began to become well known in 2014 after being featured in a Glade holiday campaign [2] that year, charting with his version of the song "This Is My Wish".

Contents

Early life

Born and raised in the DMV area, Ross came from a family full of musicians. As a child, he was heavily influenced by his father's side of the family, who all sang and played musical instruments. He attended the Duke Ellington School of the Arts, a performing arts high school in Washington, D.C. After covering songs from Stevie Wonder in a Motown tribute during his second year, [3] Ross knew he wanted to pursue a career as a musician. Following high school, he accepted a scholarship to the prestigious Berklee College of Music [4] in Boston, where he studied contemporary writing and production.

Career

While attending Berklee, Ross appeared on BET's 106 and Park's as part of the shows Wild Out Wednesday competition. [5] Ross ended up winning the competition and through his win, caught the attention of executive producer and music industry veteran Troy Taylor. After graduating from Berklee College, Ross moved to Atlanta where he began his songwriting career. After successfully landing several songwriting placements [6] with Trey Songz, Jamie Foxx, and other platinum artists, Kevin signed a recording deal with Motown Records.

2014–2017: Motown and The Awakening

Kevin's first solo release on Motown, Dialogue in the Grey, was released in 2014. The 4-track EP, which featured appearances by Ne-Yo and T.I, allowed Kevin the opportunity to tour nationally as the opening act for Maxwell's Summer Soulstice tour [7] and Ne-Yo's One Night With Ne-Yo tour. That same year, Ross became the face of Glade's "This Is My Wish" holiday campaign. After having a breakout year, AOL named Kevin Ross their "Best New Artist" for 2014. In 2015, Kevin announced the release of his long-awaited debut album on Motown, The Awakening however, the project would not be released until 2017. During that time, Kevin held his audience over by creating his 1990s R&B mash up series. The mash-up series ended up becoming popular on social media and introduced Kevin to a whole new audience. In 2016, Ross released his first official single from this debut album entitled "Long Song Away". [8] The single peaked at No.1 on Billboard's Adult R&B Song chart [9] and radio's Urban Adult Contemporary chart, making him the first debut Motown recording artist since 2010 to accomplish that feat. [10] Kevin's debut album, The Awakening, was officially released on March 24, 2017 on the Motown/Verve record label and it features appearances from Chaz French, BJ the Chicago Kid, Lecrae and production from Babyface. On September 17, 2017, Ross announced the release of his third EP, Drive.

2018–present: Motown Exit and Audacity

After the release of Drive, Ross took a brief hiatus from the music industry. In January 2019, he reemerge and announced his exit from his recording label Motown and the creation of his own label, Art Society Music Group. When asked his reason for leaving Motown, Ross says "I wanted to have the freedom to decide who I am doing co-ventures with. It’s just like in any kind of business, when you have too many cooks that’s within the kitchen, sometimes you don’t get the best result, especially when everyone doesn’t have the same end goal in mind. Everyone can have great intentions, but if you’re not on the same page, good intentions are kind of pointless." [11] In addition to the new label, Ross announced that a new single, Thing Called Love, and a new album, Audacity, will be released in the spring of 2019, but the release was postponed. In December 2019, Ross announced the release of the 7-track EP Audacity, Vol. 1 on January 31, 2020.

Discography

Studio albums

TitleAlbum detailsPeak chart positions
US US
Heat
[12]
The Awakening
  • Released: March 24, 2017
  • Label: Motown
  • Formats: Digital download, CD
—16
Drive 2
  • Released: October 29, 2021
  • Label: Art Society Music Group (AMG) / EMPIRE
"—" denotes an album that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

EPs

List of EPs with selected album details
TitleDetails
Dialogue in the Grey
  • Released: September 16, 2014
  • Label: Motown
  • Formats: Digital download
Long Song Away
  • Released: December 9, 2016
  • Label: Motown
  • Formats: Digital download
Drive
  • Released: September 29, 2017
  • Label: Motown
  • Formats: Digital download
Audacity, Vol. 1
  • Released: January 31, 2020
  • Label: Art Society Music Group
  • Formats: Digital download
Audacity, Vol. 2
  • Released: August 14, 2020
  • Label: Art Society Music Group
  • Formats: Digital download

Singles

List of singles as lead artist, with selected chart positions
TitleYearPeak chart positionsAlbum
US US
Adult
R&B
[13] 		US
R&B
[14]
"This is My Wish"2014——16Dialogue in the Grey
"Long Song Away"2016—123The Awakening
"Don't Go"2017—15—
"Thing Called Love"2019—20—Audacity, Vol. 1
"God Is A Genius"2020———Audacity, Vol. 2
"Looking For Love"2021—9—Drive 2
"—" denotes a single that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

Tours

Headlining

Supporting

Writing and Production Discography

This is a list of the songs known to have been written/co-written and produced by Kevin Ross.

TitleAlbumPerformerYearCredits
2nd placeStill WinningJohnny Gill2011Writer
Time to GoI Missed UsSWV2012Co-Writer
Use MeI Missed UsSWV2012Co-Writer
Favorite ThingOriginal Soundtrack: Tyler Perry's A Madea Christmas AlbumKevin Ross2013Co-Writer
Sleigh RideOriginal Soundtrack: Tyler Perry's A Madea Christmas AlbumMPrynt2013Co-Writer
Touchin, LovinTriggaTrey Songz2013Co-Writer
What's Best For YouTriggaTrey Songz2014Co-Writer
Dead WrongTriggaTrey Songz2014Co-Writer
I Know (Can't Get Back)TriggaTrey Songz2014Co-Writer
Blast OffHeaven's DoorCase2015Co-Writer
What Happened ToKevin Hart: What Now? (The Mixtape Presents Chocolate Droppa) [Original Motion Picture Soundtrack]Kevin Hart2016Co-Writer
Way OutTrue ColorsChaz French2017Co-Writer
Young WorldTrue ColorsChaz French2017Co-Writer
You Don't Know MeStar on FoxStar Cast2017Co-Writer
Sex & CigarettesSex & CigarettesToni Braxton2018Writer
Tru ShitTru ShitTrevor Jackson & Jacob Latimore2018Writer
I PromiseElevationTank2019Writer
Happy Without MeSpell My NameToni Braxton2020Writer
SignsLeo SeasonJacob Latimore2020Writer
Black & WhiteZulu Man With Some PowerNasty C ft. Ari Lennox2021Producer
Lessons (Remix)LessonsEric Roberson ft. Anthony Hamilton, Raheem Devaughn and Kevin Ross2021Co-Writer/Performer

Awards and nominations

YearAwardsCategoryWorkResult
2016 ASCAP Rhythm and Soul Awards Top R&B SongTrey Songz ft. Nicki Minaj – Touchin', LovinWon [15]
2017 Soul Train Music Awards Best New ArtistNominated [16]
2017 NAACP Image Awards Outstanding New ArtistThe AwakeningNominated
2017 iHeart Radio Music Awards New R&B ArtistNominated

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References

  1. ↑ "Biography". allmusic.com. Retrieved September 21, 2017.
  2. ↑ "GLADE® PARTNERS WITH MOTOWN ARTIST KEVIN ROSS TO GIVE THE GIFT OF FREE MUSIC THIS HOLIDAY SEASON". SCJohnson.com. Retrieved October 6, 2017.
  3. ↑ "Kevin Ross discusses his musical background, portraying Stevie Wonder, and touring with Ne-Yo". rollingout.com. 13 November 2014. Retrieved September 21, 2017.
  4. ↑ "Alumni Beat". Berklee.edu. Retrieved September 21, 2017.
  5. ↑ "Ladies! Meet the next R&B Great Kevin Ross". Hothiphopdetroit.com. Retrieved September 21, 2017.
  6. ↑ "Kevin Ross Credits". Allmusic.com. Retrieved September 21, 2017.
  7. ↑ "Motown Recording Artist Kevin Ross Confirmed To Join Maxwell On His "Summer Soulstice" Tour" (Press release). PRNewswire.com. Retrieved September 21, 2017.
  8. ↑ "10 New Artists You Need to Know: April 2017". RollingStone.com. 21 April 2017. Retrieved September 21, 2017.
  9. ↑ "Kevin Ross Says First Billboard No. 1 is a 'Gift From God,' as Singer Tops Adult R&B Songs Chart". Billboard.com. Retrieved September 21, 2017.
  10. ↑ "Kevin Ross Reaches No. 1 On Urban Adult Radio Charts". Singersroom.com. Retrieved October 6, 2017.
  11. ↑ "R&B Star Kevin Ross Exits Motown and Announces Plans for New Music". Millbuzz.com. 30 January 2019. Retrieved March 7, 2019.
  12. ↑ "Kevin Ross – Chart History – Heatseekers Albums". Billboard. Retrieved September 29, 2017.
  13. ↑ "Kevin Ross – Chart History – Adult R&B Songs". Billboard. Retrieved September 29, 2017.
  14. ↑ "Kevin Ross – Chart History – Hot R&B Songs". Billboard. Retrieved September 29, 2017.
  15. ↑ "2016 ASCAP Rhythm and Soul Awards". ascap.com. Retrieved September 13, 2017.
  16. ↑ "Solange, Bruno Mars Lead BET Soul Train Award Nominees". Variety.com. 17 October 2017. Retrieved October 17, 2017.
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