Babyface returns to Malaysia with hits, heart — and a hunt for a magical ‘grilled and sweet fish'

Malay Mail

2 days ago

R&B icon and multi-award winning artist Babyface will be performing in Malaysia at the Idea Live Arena in PJ this October 30. — Picture courtesy of Live Nation Malaysia/Lenzy Kravitz
KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 15 — It's been more than a decade, but R&B legend Babyface is finally returning to Malaysia, and he's just as thrilled as his fans.
The 66-year-old, who has shaped a generation of artistes with his music, will perform at the Idea Live Arena in Petaling Jaya on October 30 as part of his 'Babyface Greatest Hits' Asia tour.
Speaking to Malay Mail ahead of his show, Kenneth 'Babyface' Edmonds opened up about his love for timeless ballads, the instant gratification of hearing thousands sing his lyrics back to him, and why he's on a mission to find a certain Malaysian fish dish he hasn't tasted since 2010.
The deal with AI in music
The music industry, like any other, is adapting to the use of artificial intelligence (AI) with mixed responses.
Oscar-winning composer AR Rahman has openly declared his support of AI and has widely been reported to have met OpenAI CEO Sam Altman for a potential AI-powered musical metaverse project called 'Secret Mountain'.
Another high-profile supporter is DJ David Guetta who used AI to analyse crow feedback in his live performances so he can adjust his sets in real time.
But Guetta has also been in hot water after generating an AI voice of rapper Eminem during one of his live sets.
To Babyface, AI is a tool.
'It's the same with anything, if you use it the right way, it will always be helpful,' he said.
With growing concern on the misuse of technology in music, Babyface thinks that it's okay to use AI as long as the artistes involved are getting fairly compensated, even as he acknowledged that it 'will be another long battle'.
'But the truth is, with where AI can potentially go, the music part is the least of our problems, hypothetically speaking,' he said.
Babyface has won a total of 13 Grammy awards throughout his career. — Picture courtesy of Live Nation Malaysia/Lenzy Kravitz
Time travel and instant gratification
Babyface began songwriting at the early age of 12 years old before making his debut in the music industry as a guitarist and songwriter for famous 1980s R&B band The Deele.
He has since sold over 800 million records worldwide and has won a total of 13 Grammy Awards throughout his career with the most recent one being last year where he won his 13th Grammy award for Best R&B Song for 'Snooze' by SZA where he co-produced the track.
While he has largely been working behind the scenes for a long while now, Babyface still managed to put out a new album 'Girls Night Out' back in 2022, which was also nominated at last year's Grammy for Best R&B Album.
With a long track record, you might be surprised to know that Babyface has never tired of making love songs.
'I think it's why people still come out to concerts, because they want to feel that kind of love again.
'They don't get that much of a chance in today's music as much. It's not the same sentiment and I'm happy to bring that,' he said.
The 'Tender Lover' singer said performing live is like entering a time travel capsule, not just for his fans but personally too.
'Some songs might bring them back to their first boyfriend or girlfriend, or some songs might remind them of their first or last kiss.
'And it's not just romantically, you could even connect to the music with your mom and dad because for some fans, they were introduced to my music through their parents and that (my music) could take them back to the living room or their car ride when they first heard of it,' he said.
For him, every time he performs live and the audience sings along, he feels very touched.
'Because you've touched so many people, so many lives at that point and it's just crazy to think that was something that I did.
'Whenever I go on stage, it makes me feel like I'm doing it for a reason. It felt like it was part of my purpose, to touch that many people from all over the world and to be able to see them relate to the songs by singing those words and melodies.
'It was instant gratification and I was fortunate enough to experience it,' he said.
Malaysia's magical fish dish
While talking about his upcoming show in Malaysia, Babyface said he remembers having a good time with local fans back in 2010 and he hopes to create an even better memory with fans at his October concert this year.
He also shared that he has been yearning for a very particular fish dish he had 15 years ago, but never had since.
'It was like a grilled and sweet fish. It blew my mind when I first tried it and I've been trying to find something like it everywhere else ever since.
'I will try to find that place when I come back there. I remember it was inside a mall but then again, there's like a million malls there,' Babyface said.