Draft:Kenyon Dixon

Kenyon Dixon (born July 7, 1989) is an American Grammy-nominated R&B singer-songwriter, musician, and producer.

Early Life
Dixon, the youngest of seven children, was born in Watts, Los Angeles, California, and was raised in the Jordan Downs public housing projects. His upbringing in public housing was contrasted by his parents' roles as pastors and his roots in the Church of God in Christ. During his early years, he was only permitted to listen to gospel music, which his parents both performed—his mother as a gospel singer and his father as a quartet singer. Despite the heavy musical influence of his family, Dixon initially rejected the musical path and instead pursued dance, becoming a member of the esteemed Kennedy Tap Company and then the Debbie Allen Dance Academy.

As he grew older, Dixon was introduced to R&B-influenced gospel music, such as Dawkins & Dawkins, which he has stated has been his "biggest vocal influence." This eventually led him to discover artists like Anita Baker, fueling his passion for R&B and shaping his musical journey.

Not until high school did Dixon really explore his musical gifts, getting ushered into various talent shows by friends and teachers.

Career
Dixon got his start in the early 2010's with his first big writing placement on Tyrese's "Open Invitation." He has also worked with artists such as Beyonce, Mary J. Blige, PJ Morton, Tank, Ginuwine, Kirk Franklin, Coco Jones (ICU Remix), and Justin Timberlake (Perfect For Me from Trolls World Tour) and co-wrote 11 songs on Timberlake's "Everything I Thought It Was."

As a vocalist, he has worked with, 2 Chainz, Kelly Rowland,Nick Jonas, Jill Scott, Kanye West, the BBC’s That’s My Jam House Band, and performed at the Oscars in 2017. Dixon was also featured at the 55th NAACP Image Awards Gala's Frankie Beverly tribute alongside Kenny Lattimore, Lalah Hathaway, and Luke James.

While racking up credits on other artists’ projects, Dixon began independently releasing his own solo projects such as Higher Ground, We Should Talk, Niggas Get Emotional Too, and R&B Kenny. Dixon was catapulted into the R&B spotlight with his release of Expectations in 2021, followed by Closer in 2022, and most recently, The R&B You Love. He received a nomination for Best Traditional R&B Performance at the 66th Annual Grammy Awards for the song "Lucky," and has previously been nominated for Bring it Home to Me at the 64th Annual Grammy Award s, alongside PJ Morton, BJ the Chicago Kid, and Charlie Bereal.

He has quickly gained recognition for his contributions to R&B in major music outlets such as having his album "Closer" be named as one of the top R&B albums of 2022 in Revolt, a 'Day in the Life' artist profile in Okay Player, and Uproxx.

Albums

 * Higher Ground (2015)
 * We Should Talk (2017)
 * Niggas Get Emotional Too (2018)
 * R&B Kenny (2019)
 * Expectations (2021)
 * Closer (2022)
 * The R&B You Love (2023)

EPs

 * Higher Ground (2014)
 * Switch (2018)
 * The R&B You Love: Soul of the 70's (2024)

Singles

 * "Freak" (2019)
 * "Switch" (2020)
 * "Escape" (2021)
 * "Morning After" (2021)
 * "Love on Replay" (2022)
 * "Get High, Get By" (2022)
 * "Getting Late" (2022)
 * "Slow Dancing" (2023)
 * '98 Vibes (Do You Right) (2023)
 * "Lucky" (2023)
 * "Still" (2024)
 * "Far Away" (2024)

Compilation Albums

 * Closer (Deluxe) (2022)
 * The R&B You Love (Deluxe) (2024)

Personal life
Dixon resides in Los Angeles, CA and shares a daughter (b. 2017) with Alex Isley.