Kenneth Edmonds was born on April 10, 1958, in Indianapolis, Indiana, to Marvin and Barbara Edmonds. Barbara was a pharmaceutical plant manager. Edmonds, who is the fifth of six brothers (including future After 7 band members Melvin and Kevon Edmonds, the latter of whom went on to have a modestly successful solo career), attended North Central High School in Indianapolis, Indiana, and as a shy youth, wrote songs to express his emotions.
When he was in eighth grade, Edmonds's father died of lung cancer, leaving his mother to raise her sons alone. At this stage, Edmonds became determined to have a career in music.
Edmonds later played with funk performer Bootsy Collins, who tagged him "Babyface" because of his cute face while he was still a teen.
He also played in the groups Manchild (which had a 1976 hit "Especially for You" with band member Daryl Simmons), as he was a guitarist for the band. Then, as a keyboardist in the light-funk and R&B group The Deele (which also included drummer Antonio "L.A." Reid, with whom he would later form a successful writing and producing partnership).
One of his first major credits as a songwriter for outside artists came when he wrote the tune "Slow-Jam" for the R&B band Midnight Star in 1983. The tune was on Midnight Star's double-platinum No Parking on the Dance Floor album, and while it never hit the charts, the song is still played on quiet storm shows. Babyface remained in The Deele until 1988, when both he and Reid left the group.
In the late 1980s, he contributed to the creation of new jack swing, writing and producing music for the likes of Bobby Brown, Karyn White, Pebbles, Paula Abdul and Sheena Easton.
In 1989, Edmonds co-founded LaFace Records with Reid. Three of the label's early artists TLC, Usher, and Toni Braxton were successful, the former becoming one of the best selling female groups in music history.
Braxton's eponymous 1993 debut album went on to sell over eight million copies, and earned her the 1994 Grammy Award Best New Artist. TLC's first two albums on LaFace—1992's Ooooooohhh... On the TLC Tip and 1994's CrazySexyCool—combined to sell more than 15 million copies in the U.S. CrazySexyCool won the 1996 Grammy Award for Best R&B album.
Babyface helped form the popular late-90s R&B group Az Yet.
Edmonds works with many successful performers in contemporary music. “I’m Your Baby Tonight,” produced for Whitney Houston, was his first #1 Top 40 hit in the US.
He also wrote and produced Boyz II Men's "End of the Road" and "I'll Make Love to You," both of which established records for the longest stay at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
He co-wrote, co-produced, and provided backing vocals on Madonna's 1994 Bedtime Stories, which featured the 7-week #1 hit "Take a Bow," and shared billing with Eric Clapton on the chart-topping Grammy winner "Change the World" from the Phenomenon soundtrack.
He also wrote and produced the #1 hit "Exhale (Shoop Shoop)" for Whitney Houston as well as the rest of the critically acclaimed 10 million selling Waiting to Exhale soundtrack in 1995, which spawned additional hits for Houston, Brandy and Mary J. Blige.
Additionally, Edmonds has produced and written music for many artists including Carole King, Patti LaBelle, Chaka Khan, Aretha Franklin, Madonna, Janet Jackson, Faith Evans, Al Green, Beyoncé, Diana Ross, Sheena Easton, Toni Braxton, Michael Jackson, Michael Bolton, Paula Abdul, Pebbles, Tevin Campbell, Bobby Brown, Whitney Houston, Brandy, Mary J. Blige, Tamia, Shola Ama, 3T, Sisqó, Dru Hill, Fall Out Boy, Céline Dion, Honeyz, Katharine McPhee, Mariah Carey, Vanessa L. Williams, Chanté Moore, En Vogue, Kenny G, Kristinia DeBarge, Lil Wayne, Japanese singer Ken Hirai, P!nk, Marc Nelson, TLC, and Phil Collins among others.
He received three consecutive Grammy Awards for Producer of the Year in 1995–1997.
In 1994, he appeared and performed on an episode of Beverly Hills, 90210 entitled "Mr. Walsh Goes to Washington (Part 2)".
In the mid-1990s, Edmonds and his then wife Tracey Edmonds expanded into the business of motion pictures, setting up Edmonds Entertainment Group and producing films such as Soul Food (1997), Josie and the Pussycats (2001), and also the soundtrack for the film The Prince of Egypt, which included contributions from numerous artists, including Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston.
They are the current executive producers of the hit BET reality series College Hill. Edmonds also worked with David Foster to compose "The Power of the Dream," the official song of the 1996 Summer Olympics, performed by superstar Céline Dion. Linda Thompson provided the lyrics.
Babyface also participated as a duet partner on the Fox reality show Celebrity Duets.
Babyface was in the studio for about two years with Ashanti to produce her album The Declaration.
His album Playlist consists of eight cover songs and two original works. It was released on September 18, 2007. It was the first album on the newly re-launched Mercury Records label.
He worked on the Lil Wayne album Tha Carter III, on the Kanye West-produced "Comfortable." He also worked with R&B singer Monica for her sixth studio album Still Standing.
He has written and produced over 26 #1 R&B (many of which hit the pop charts at either #1 or the top ten) hits throughout his career.
When Can I See You
Babyface Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
When does the pain ever end?
When do the tears stop from running over?
When does "you'll get over it" begin?
I hear what you're sayin'
But I swear that it's not making sense
So when can I see you?
When can I see you again?
When can my heart beat again? Yeah
When can I see you again, babe?
And when can I breathe once again?
And when can I see you?
When does my someday begin, yeah
When I'll find someone again?
And what if I still am not truly over?
What am I supposed to do then, baby?
Please, hear what I'm sayin'
Even if, if it's not making sense
So when can I see you?
When can I see you again, babe? Yeah
When can my heart beat again? Yeah
When can I see you again, babe?
And when can I breathe once again? Ayy
And when can I see you again? Yeah
Yeah, baby
Please hear what I'm sayin'
Even if, if it's not making sense, baby
So when can I see you again?
When can I see you again? Yeah
Can my heart beat again, baby? Yeah
When can I see you again, baby?
And when can I breathe once again? Yeah
And when can I see you, yeah, a-again, 'gain?
Ooh, again, yeah
Ohh, you know, you know
Wanna see you again, yeah, oh
Again
The lyrics to "When Can I See You" by Babyface are about the singer's longing to be reunited with a lost love. He is struggling to move on with his life, asking himself when he will ever stop feeling the pain and heartbreak of the separation. The singer questions when he will meet someone new and when he will finally get over the person he lost. He is confused by the mixed messages he is receiving from others, who tell him he will eventually get over it while also acknowledging that the pain may never fully go away. Ultimately, the singer is asking when he will have the chance to see his love again, and whether it will ever be possible for him to truly move on.
Line by Line Meaning
When can my heart beat again?
Asking when my heart will feel alive again after being broken
When does the pain ever end?
Questioning if the hurt will ever go away
When do the tears stop from running over?
Wondering when the sadness will stop overwhelming me
When does 'you'll get over it' begin?
Asking when I will start to move on from the pain
I hear what you're sayin', but I swear that it's not making sense
Acknowledging that people have advice, but it doesn't always help with the grief
When can I see you again?
Expressing the desire to be with the person they miss
And when can I breathe once again?
Emphasizing the extent to which the pain has affected breathing/survival
When does my someday begin?
Questioning when the hope for a future without pain will be realized
When I'll find someone again
Asking when a new romantic relationship will begin
And what if I still am not truly over, what am I supposed to do then?
Expressing anxiety about being unable to move on
Please hear what I'm sayin', even if, if it's not making sense
Asking that the listener hear the sincerity of the emotion, even if it doesn't make logical sense
When can I see you again?
Repeating the desire to see the person they're missing
When can my heart beat again?
Reiterating the question about when life will feel emotionally vibrant again
When can I see you again?
Expressing hope for a reunion
And when can I breathe once again?
Reiterating the question about oxygen/survival
And when can I see you again?
Final plea to see the missed person
oh again, yeah wanna see you again, yeah oh, again
Repeating that ultimate wish to have the person back in their life
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Kenneth B Edmonds
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind