B Howard

B. Howard

Howard in 2014
Background information
Birth name Brandon Alexander Howard
Born (1981-04-02) April 2, 1981
Los Angeles, California. U.S.
Genres
Occupation(s) Singer–songwriter, dancer, producer
Instruments Vocals, piano
Years active 2002–present
Labels
Associated acts
Website bhowardofficial.com

Brandon Alexander Howard, also known as B. Howard (born April 2, 1981), is an American singer, record producer and songwriter. He is the co-founder of the company and record label 6 Point Entertainment.[1][2][3] His album Genesis was released through 6 Point Entertainment in 2010.[3][4][5] Howard was credited as songwriter and producer on the song "I Ain't Gotta Tell You" from Ne-Yo's album In My Own Words, which topped the Billboard 200 chart in 2006.[6] Howard was also credited as a songwriter on "Can't Get Tired of Me" from the album Face Off, a collaborative album by Omarion and Bow Wow, which debuted at number 11 on the Billboard 200 in 2007.[7] In 2016, Howard's single, Don't Say You Love Me, hit number 11 on Billboard's Top Dance charts.[8]

Early life

B. Howard was born Brandon Alexander Howard in Los Angeles.[1][9] He was raised between Los Angeles and Chicago.[1] Howard is the oldest of three children. Howard’s mother, Miki Howard is also a successful singer-songwriter.[10] Joe Jackson, the father of Michael Jackson was Miki’s manager in the '80s, which spawned a long-term relationship between Howard and the Jackson family.[1][9][11][12][13] His grandmother was Josephine Howard of The Caravans, the first group to have a gospel song played on secular radio.[14][15] B. Howard grew up at Hayvenhurst, the Jackson family home. He refers to the Jacksons as "my family." Howard has produced and performed on records with La Toya Jackson. In an interview with Huffington Post, Howard said he remains close to Janet Jackson and the Michael Jackson family.[8] B. Howard said he first considered working in finance. He was inspired by MTV videos of A-ha and Tears for Fears, instead choosing a career in music. He adopted the artist name “Sonik” and first worked with Gerald Levert in Cleveland, Ohio.[8]

Music career

Howard has been working as a record producer since 2003.[1] In the 2000s, Howard worked with multi-platinum producers Teddy Riley, Jordan "Infinity" Suecof, Mario Winans, Jerry "Wonda" (Du Plessis) & Wyclef Jean, Mateo "The Auracle" Laboriel, and Ciara. He also worked with composers and performing artists Lupe Fiasco, Emily King, Jason Derulo, Ne-Yo, Vanessa Hudgens, Miguel, Akon, Marques Houston, Stomy Bugsy, Chief Keef, Luke Christopher, Rich White Ladies, Daniel Skye, and Koda Kumi.[8] In an interview with Huffington Post, Howard explained the turning point in his career: "I was at Quad Studios in New York mixing a song for the LSG project, my first platinum," he mentioned casually of his work with Rufus Blaq and the Grammy Award-winning Prince Charles Alexander. "I met up with these guys who were working with Puff Daddy and Jennifer Lopez, and [hearing our song] they were like, 'Who did this?' Kanye West was in the room having a meeting. He said he was inspired and invited me to be in his photograph of all the hot producers and writers in New York."[8]

B. Howard embarked on a solo career in 2010 following the success of his single, "Dancefloor."[1] He has been compared to Michael Jackson due to his falsetto music style and mannerisms.[16][17] In 2010, B Howard emerged as an artist when he collaborated with Wyclef Jean and Jazmine Sullivan to revamp the song "Ke Nako" as a tribute to Nelson Mandela.[18]

Howard launched 6 Point Entertainment in 2010 with Jonnie Forster.[1][2][3] Howard has produced songs for Wyclef Jean, Ne-Yo, Chris Brown, Ciara, Trey Songz, Omarion, Ginuwine, Marques Houston and others.[5][11][13][19] In 2010, Howard released his album Genesis in Japan through Universal Music International under the 6 Point Entertainment label.[1][3][4][5] The first single from Genesis, "Super Model" was released via iTunes on February 8, 2011.[20] The second single, "Dancefloor" made its US premiere on Wednesday, June 8 (2011) on iTunes and across all digital platforms.[21][22] Howard performed in Japan to support this release.[23] Howard's single "Dancefloor" featured contributions by James Poyser, Benjamin Wright and Questlove.[19] Howard is currently working on his upcoming American EP, Official.[4] His single "I Do It" was co-produced by Remo the Hitmaker and release in 2013.[4][24][25]

Songwriting and Production

Howard was the songwriter for Ginuwine’s 2003 single “Love You More,” which reached number 78 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and number 23 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs.[26][27][28][29] In 2003, he also co-wrote “Good Luck” from the album MH by Marques Houston. In 2004, Howard was a songwriter of “Ya Kiss” on Kevin Lyttle’s eponymous debut album. "Ya Kiss” entered the Billboard 200 at number 8. Howard produced “Cover Girl” And “Taste of Dis” on Brooke Valentine’s 2005 album Chain Letter. Later that year, Houston served as the songwriter and producer for “Marriage” and “Cheat” on Marques Houston’s album Naked.[26][27]

In 2006, Howard was a songwriter and producer for Ne-Yo’s “I Ain’t Gotta Tell You” from the album In My Own Words which topped the Billboard 200.[26][27] He also was the songwriter and producer for the songs “Kick Push II” and “What It Do” for Lupe Fiasco’s Food and Liquor, which debuted at number 8 on the Billboard 200 in 2006.[26][27][30] Howard worked on vocal arrangement for Emily King’s “Never be Lonely” from East Side Story released in 2006.[26][27] Omarion and Bow Wow released a collaborative album, Face Off, in 2007 which debuted at number 11 on the Billboard 200 and included Howard as a songwriter for the song “Can’t Get Tired of Me.”[26] Howard worked with Marques Houston again in 2007 as producer for the song “Favorite Girl” on Houston’s album Veteran. Vanessa Hudgens released the album Identified in 2008 which included the song “Gone With The Wind,” which Howard co-wrote.[26][27] In 2011, Howard was a vocalist, producer and songwriter for Koda Kumi’s song “Passing By” on the album Dejavu. La Toya Jackson released single “Feels Like Love” in 2014 with Howard as producer.[27] In 2015, Howard released his debut North American album, "Nothing To Prove".[31] Howard's single, Don't Say You Love Me, hit number 11 on Billboard's Top Dance charts in January 2016.[32]

Michael Jackson comparisons

Howard’s similarities to the late pop icon Michael Jackson have been a source of speculation, and in 2014 FilmOn.com[33] claimed to have evidence that proved paternity. However, Howard released his own video via Facebook reporting that he:

  1. "did not put out a story"
  2. "has never self-proclaimed to be Michael Jackson’s son"
  3. "makes his own cash"
  4. "is not suing the Michael Jackson estate" and
  5. "had a DNA test which had nothing to do with 'the media craze.'"[34]

The tests have subsequently proven to be inconclusive.[35] In March 2014, singer Akon gave an interview with Larry King in which he, as a recording artist who has worked with both Howard and Jackson, claimed to believe Howard was Michael Jackson's son.[36]

Discography

Production and songwriting

Song Title Artist Album Release Date Credit
"Pass me by" Dru Hill Dru World Order 2002 Producer
"Good Luck" Marques Houston MH 2003 Songwriter
"Love You More" Ginuwine Single 2003 Songwriter
"Wide Open" LSG LSG2 2003 Producer
"Lesson Learned" LSG LSG2 2003 Producer
"Ya Kiss" Kevin Lyttle Kevin Lyttle 2004 Songwriter
"Taste of Dis" Brooke Valentine Chain Letter 2005 Writer and Arrangement
"Marriage" Marques Houston Naked 2005 Producer
"Covergirl" Brooke Valentine Chain Letter 2005 Producer
"Cheat" Marques Houston Naked 2005 Songwriter and Producer
"What it Do" Lupe Fiasco Food & Liquor 2006 Songwriter and Producer
Real Lyfe "Say Boo" Young Lyfe 2006 Songwriter and Producer
"Kick Push II" Lupe Fiasco Food and Liquor 2006 Songwriter and Producer
"I Ain't Gotta Tell Ya" Ne-Yo In My Own Words 2006 Songwriter and Producer
"Enough" Howard Hewett If Only 2007 Composer
"Favorite Girl" Marques Houston Veteran 2007 Producer, Songwriter and Instruments
"Never Be Lonely" Emily King East Story 2007 Songwriter and Vocal Arranger
"Can't Get Tired of Me" Bow Wow Face Off 2007 Songwriter
"Gone With the Wind" Vanessa Hudgens Identified 2008 Songwriter
"Bedroom" Donnie Klang Just a Rolling Stone 2008 Writer
"Dr. Love" Donnie Klang Just a Rolling Stone 2008 Co-writer
"Portrait of Love" Cheri Denis In and Out of Love 2008 Songwriter
"Tonight" Marques Houston Mr. Houston 2009 Songwriter
"Now that I'm here" Jackie Boys Love and Beyond 2009 Songwriter and Producer
"Truth" W-inds Single 2009 Songwriter and Producer
"Let it Go" Double Single 2009 Songwriter
"Ke Nako" Various Listen Up! The Official 2010 Fifa World Cup Album 2010 Producer
"Back to life" Olivia Ong Romance 2011 Co-Producer
"Eventually" Double Woman 2011 Producer
"Passing By" Koda Kumi Dejavu 2011 Songwriter and Producer
"Demon" Jay Park Single 2011 Songwriter[26][27]
"Fly" 2Face Idiba The Unstoppable 2011 Songwriter and Producer
"One Night" Keita Tachibana Slide 'n' Step 2013 Producer
"Searching" Keita Tachibana Slide 'n' Step 2013 Producer
"Pretty Girl" Keita Tachibana Slide 'n' Step 2013 Producer
"Feels Like Love" Latoya Jackson Single 2014 Producer
"Ain't Missing you" Chief Keef Ain't Missing you - Single 2015 Producer
"Champagne" Charisse Mills ft. French Montana Single 2015 Songwriter
"Blown Away" Joe EL Timeless 2015 Songwriter & ft. Artist
"DSLYM" self Nothing to Prove 2015 Songwriter & Artist

Artist

Genesis (released 2010)

Guest vocalist

Song Title Main Artist Album Release Date
"Let it Go" Double Single 2009
"Ke Nako"[39] Various Listen Up! The Official 2010 Fifa World Cup Album 2010
"Demon" Jay Park Single 2011
"Passing By"[40] Koda Kumi Dejavu 2011
"Necesito tu Armor" Fabio Legarda Single 2014
"In Love" Patrick Toussaint Single 2014
"I'm Fly"[41] Stomy Bugsy Single 2015

Singles

Title Release Date Album Billboard rank
"Super Model" 2011 Genesis -
"Dancefloor" 2011 Genesis -
"I Do It" 2013 Single -
"DSYLM", "Don't Say You Love Me" 2015 Nothing to Prove #11

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "International Sensation B. Howard Releases 'Dancefloor' Single & Video". Top40 Charts. August 6, 2011. Retrieved January 20, 2015.
  2. 1 2 Aaron Robinson (December 14, 2012). "Child of Industry". Consciousness Magazine.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "6 Point Entertainment / Bio". ReverbNation. Retrieved January 20, 2015.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "B. Howard Releases New Single, "I Do It"". The Source. November 14, 2013. Retrieved 4 February 2015.
  5. 1 2 3 "Artist Bio". B.Howard. Retrieved 4 February 2015.
  6. "Billboard 200". billboard. Retrieved 4 February 2015.
  7. Katie Hasty (December 19, 2007). "Groban Remains No. 1, Becomes '07's Best-Seller". Billboard. Retrieved 4 February 2015.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 "Don't Say Michael Jackson. "Don't Say You Love Me" is B. Howard's Hit". Huffington Post. Retrieved 23 December 2015.
  9. 1 2 Nadine DeNinno (March 7, 2014). "Who Is Miki Howard And Is She The Mother Of Michael Jackson's Alleged Love Child, Brandon Howard?". International Business Times. Retrieved 3 February 2015.
  10. "Fred discusses Clay Aiken, Miki Howard and more.". Billboard.com. Retrieved 11 March 2014.
  11. 1 2 Jeff Timmons (October 13, 2014). "Interview with B. Howard". The Celebrity Cafe. Archived from the original on 4 February 2015. Retrieved 3 February 2015.
  12. Yolanda Sangweni (March 14, 2014). "Exclusive: Miki Howard Denies Having a Son with Michael Jackson, Says 'I Am Brandon Howard's Father'". Essence. Retrieved 3 February 2015.
  13. 1 2 "Interview: Jackson Family Protege B. Howard "Here I Am. Listen With Your Heart, Not Your Eyes"". You Know I Got Soul. September 2, 2011. Retrieved 3 February 2015.
  14. Anthony, Heilbut (1997). The Gospel Sound: Good News and Bad Times. Limelight Editions. ISBN 0-87910-034-6.
  15. "Black Gospel Blog". Retrieved 9 March 2014.
  16. Jake Rohn (March 11, 2014). "Akon Opens Up About B. Howard Being Michael Jackson's Son". BET. Retrieved 4 February 2015.
  17. "Will Miki Howard's Son Ever Escape the Michael Jackson Comparisons?". Eurweb. July 1, 2011. Retrieved 4 February 2015.
  18. Martin Myers (June 29, 2010). "It's time for Ke Nako as jpre collaborates with international superstars". Martin Myers. Retrieved 4 February 2015.
  19. 1 2 "Sound Check: B. Howard – Taking It to the Dance Floor". Soul Train. August 12, 2011. Retrieved 4 February 2015.
  20. "Super Model (U.S. Single) - Single". iTunes. Retrieved 4 February 2015.
  21. "International Sensation B. Howard with 'Dancefloor'". The Sop. June 11, 2011. Retrieved 4 February 2015.
  22. "Dancefloor - Single". iTunes. Retrieved 4 February 2015.
  23. "MTV Live Wire - B.Howard". MTV. October 14, 2010. Retrieved 4 February 2015.
  24. "B. Howard Official, B. Howard I Do It". Soundcloud. Retrieved 4 February 2015.
  25. "Interview with King Empire Entertainment's B. Howard". Shift Magazine. Retrieved 8 September 2015.
  26. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Brandon Howard". Discogs. Retrieved 4 February 2015.
  27. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Brandon Howard". AllMusic. Retrieved 4 February 2015.
  28. "The Hot 100 Week of December 13, 2003". billboard. Retrieved 4 February 2015.
  29. "Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs". billboard. Retrieved 4 February 2015.
  30. Brooke Foster; Paul Friswold; Roy Kasten; Dan LeRoy; Andrea Noble; Randall Roberts; Christian Schaeffer; Annie Zaleski (December 27, 2006). "2006: The Year in Music". Riverfront Times. Retrieved 4 February 2015.
  31. "B. Howard's Ottawa Connection". The Epoch Times. Retrieved 8 September 2015.
  32. "B.Howard Exclusive Interview". One West Magazine. Retrieved 26 January 2016.
  33. "Cleveland Native Michael Jackson's Son? TMZ Calls DNA Results 'Bogus'". Fox8.com. Retrieved 9 March 2014.
  34. "Singer praised as the 'reincarnation of Michael Jackson' claims he has DNA evidence that could prove he is the dead star's SON". MailOnline.com. Retrieved 9 March 2014.
  35. "Cleveland Native Michael Jackson's Son? TMZ Calls DNA Results 'Bogus'".
  36. "Akon Tells Larry King Brandon Howard Is Michael Jackson's Son, Interview This Week". TheGlobalDispatch.com. Retrieved 12 March 2014.
  37. "Genesis". Last.fm. Retrieved 4 February 2015.
  38. "Genesis (U.S.)". iTunes. Archived from the original on 17 August 2014. Retrieved 4 February 2015.
  39. "Various – Listen Up: The Official 2010 Fifa World Cup Album". Discogs. Retrieved 4 February 2015.
  40. "Koda Kumi* – Dejavu". Discogs. Retrieved 4 February 2015.
  41. Louis Ritot (17 February 2015). "Stomy Bugsy Duet with the Alleged Son of Michael Jackson" (in French). Closer Magazine. Retrieved 23 February 2015.

External links

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