NEW YORK, NY. (Top40 Charts/ Atlantic Records) - Atlantic recording artist
Musiq Soulchild has announced a range of promotional activities surrounding the release of his eagerly anticipated new album, entitled "ONMYRADIO." The collection - which follows last year's chart-topping Atlantic label debut, "LUVANMUSIQ" - arrives in stores and at all online retailers today, December 9th.
Among the schedule's highlights is a day-of-release concert performance at New York City's world famous Apollo Theater. Today will also see Musiq appearing live on BET's "106 & Park," where he is slated to perform a medley of his latest and greatest hits (check local listings).
What's more, the multi-platinum Musiq is making a series of in-store appearances in a number of major markets across the country. The itinerary began with a Friday, December 5th visit to a Chicago FYE. Today, Musiq will meet his fans at New York City's J&R Music World (located at 23 Park Row), set for 12:30pm. Tomorrow, December 10th, sees Soulchild hitting his hometown of Philadelphia for a 12:30pm performance and autographing session at FYE's 100 South Broad Street store. From there, he will head south to Alexandria, Virginia for a Thursday, December 11th in-store at Best Buy's 3041 Jefferson Davis Highway location, starting at 7pm. On Saturday, December 13th, Musiq will wrap up the schedule with a signing session at Borders Books & Music in Lithonia, Georgia's The Mall at Stonecrest, set for 5pm.
"IfULeave (Feat. Mary J. Blige)," the first single from "ONMYRADIO," is looking like another major hit for Musiq. The track is blowing up at multi-format radio outlets across the country, including Urban and Urban AC, where it is currently No 3 with-a-bullet. In addition, "IfULeave" has scored the week's third Most Increased Plays at the format. The single has also just arrived on Billboard's "Hot 100," while also ascending the "Hot 100 Airplay" and "Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop" charts.
"Musiq teamed up with some of his past hit making partners Warryn Campbell and Karma Productions (Carvin and Ivan) to ensure that his new sound still retained the musical integrity that launched his career and cemented his place as a soul music superstar, " says Office of Kevin Liles executive Jojo Brim.
Furthermore, the "IfULeave" companion video - which recently premiered with a behind-the-scenes documentary on BET's "Access Granted" - is now in rotation at BET, BET J, and VH1 Soul.
"ONMYRADIO" is Musiq Soulchild's most populist and provocative work to date. As ever, tracks like "Beautiful" see Musiq presenting an individualistic and distinctly modern take on classic soul, imbuing it with his own special brand of urban energy, attitude and creativity.
The album has just received a major rave from Entertainment Weekly, which hails Musiq for his "new confidence," noting that "he hasn't abandoned his romantic roots, but he... (has enriched) them with Southern charm." An additional array of national press has already greeted the innovative Atlanta-based artist's return, including recent features in Ebony, Vibe, Jewel, Jet, Upscale, and Black Enterprise. Further features and reviews will appear in the coming weeks.
As if all that weren't enough, Musiq has just released "A PHILLY SOUL XMAS," a 7-track EP available exclusively at Target stores nationwide. The collection includes soulful renditions of such holiday classics as "Jingle Bells," "'O Holy Night," and "Deck The Halls," all performed in the inimitable Soulchild style.
"ONMYRADIO" arrives little more than a year after Musiq's RIAA gold-certified fourth album, "LUVANMUSIQ," which debuted at No 1 on the Billboard 200. The set earned three Grammy nominations: "Best R&B Album," "Best Male R&B Vocal Performance" for "B.U.D.D.Y.," and "Best R&B Song" for "Teachme."
Inspired by such icons as Stevie Wonder, James Brown, and Ray Charles, Musiq made a blockbuster debut right out of the gate with 2000's acclaimed "AIJUSWANASEING." Fueled by the breakthrough singles, "Just Friends (Sunny)" and "Love," the album went on to earn RIAA platinum. In addition, Musiq was honored with a number of awards, including Billboard Music Awards for "Best New Artist," "Top R&B Artist," "Top R&B Male," and "Top R&B Single" (for "Love"); the Soul Train Music Award for "Best R&B/Soul Single" (for "Love"); and the ASCAP Rhythm & Soul Award for "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Song" (for "Love"). Further nominations came from the Grammy Awards, American Music Awards, The Source Awards, BET Awards, and NAACP Awards.
In May 2002, Musiq unveiled his second album, "JUSLISEN," which entered both the Billboard 200 and Billboard's "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums" chart at No 1. The collection, which featured a pair of hits in "Dontchange" and "Halfcrazy," was soon certified RIAA platinum and again earned Musiq a variety of prestigious awards. Among the trophies were Soul Train Awards for "Best R&B/Soul Album" and "Best R&B/Soul Single" (for "Dontchange"); an ASCAP Rhythm & Soul Award for "Award Winning Song" (for "Dontchange"); and a BMI "Urban" Award (for "Halfcrazy"). What's more, Musiq received nominations from the Grammy Awards, MTV Video Music Awards, BET Awards, NAACP Awards, and Billboard Music Awards.
"SOULSTAR," Musiq's third album, arrived one short year later and he was once again greeted with both critical and popular success. Hailed as one of the year's finest collections of contemporary R&B, the album featured two radio smashes, "Forthenight" and "Whoknows." The winner of the Soul Train Awards' "Best R&B/Soul Album," "SOULSTAR" also reaped nods from the Grammy Awards and BET Awards.
In addition to the many honors he has received for his solo albums, Musiq also scored a 2004 Grammy Award nomination in the "Best Urban Alternative Performance" category, acknowledging his take on the classic "Are You Experienced?," found on the "POWER OF SOUL: A TRIBUTE TO JIMI HENDRIX" collection. Other extracurricular efforts include contributing guest vocals to the Roots' "Break You Off" (found on 2002's "PHRENOLOGY") and Carlos Santana's 2002 "SHAMEN."
For further news and information, please visit www.musiqsoulchild.com, www.myspace.com/musiqsoulchild, or www.youtube.com/user/SoulchildTube08.
