Brandon Alexander Howard (born April 4, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer from Los Angeles.[1][2][3] He began his career as a producer and songwriter for other artists in 2003.[3][4] He received his first formal credits doing so on Ne-Yo's album In My Own Words (2006)—which topped the Billboard 200—as well as Omarion and Bow Wow's collaborative album Face Off (2007)—which peaked at number 11 on the chart.[5] His debut studio album, Genesis was released in 2010. His 2016 single, "Don't Say You Love Me" reached number 11 on the Dance/Electronic Songs chart.[6] [7]
B. Howard | |
|---|---|
 Howard in 2014 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Brandon Alexander Howard |
| Born | April 2, 1981 Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Occupations |
|
| Instrument(s) | Vocals, piano |
| Years active | 2002–present |
| Labels | |
| Website | bhowardofficial |
Early life
editB. Howard was born Brandon Alexander Howard in Los Angeles.[1][8] He was raised between Los Angeles and Chicago.[1] Howard's mother, Miki Howard is also a successful singer-songwriter.[9] Joe Jackson, the patriarch of the Jackson family, was Miki's manager in the '80s.[1][8][10][11][12] His grandmother was Josephine Howard of The Caravans, the first group to have a gospel song played on secular radio.[13][14] 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.[6]
Music career
editHoward has been working as a record producer since 2003.[1]
B. Howard started a solo career in 2010 following the success of his single, "Dancefloor."[1] In 2010, B Howard collaborated with Wyclef Jean and Jazmine Sullivan to revamp the song "Ke Nako" as a homage to Nelson Mandela.[15]
The first single from Genesis, "Super Model", was released via iTunes on February 8, 2011.[citation needed] The second single, "Dancefloor" made its US premiere on Wednesday, June 8 (2011) on iTunes and across all digital platforms.[16] Howard performed in Japan to support this release.[17] Howard is currently working on his upcoming American EP, Official.[4] His single "I Do It" and released in 2013.[4][18]
Howard's single, Don't Say You Love Me, hit number 11 on Billboard's Top Dance charts in January 2016.[19] In 2018, Howard joined China's virtual star festival in Beijing.[citation needed]
Michael Jackson comparisons
editHoward's similarities to the late pop icon Michael Jackson have been a source of speculation, and in 2014 FilmOn.com claimed to have evidence that proved paternity.[20] The tests were subsequently proven to be inconclusive.[20]
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.[21]
In an interview published in 2021, Aaron Carter also gave an interview with Vlad TV in which he states that B Howard is Michael Jackson's son.[22]
Discography
editProduction and songwriting
edit| 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 |
| "You Should've Been Told Me" | Tichina Arnold | Soul Free | 2007 | Songwriter and Vocal Arranger |
| "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 |
| "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 |
| "Addicted" | Melissa B. | Addicted | 2013 | Producer & Songwriter |
| "What You Started" | Melissa B. | What you Started | 2013 | Producer & Songwriter |
| "Pretty Girl" | Keita Tachibana | Slide 'n' Step | 2013 | Producer |
| "Feels Like Love" | La Toya 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 |
| "Starlight" | Melissa B. | Starlight | 2015 | Producer, Songwriter & ft. Artist |
| "DSLYM" | self | Nothing to Prove | 2015 | Songwriter & Artist |
| "Mercy" | Corey Feldman | Angelic 2 the Core | 2016 | Songwriter & Artist |
| "Necessito Tú Amor" | Fabio Legarda ft. B. Howard | Single | 2017 | Songwriter & Artist |
| "You and Me" | Alex To | Single | 2017 | Songwriter & Producer |
| "Crazy" | Bibi Zhou | Single | 2017 | Songwriter |
Artist
editGenesis (released 2010)
edit- Super Model
- Addict
- Electric Lights featuring Kamilah
- Finally
- Once Again
- Take it Slow
- Flashback
- She's Got a Man
- Spend The Night
- Crush
- Ananda
- Killah
- Just Not Giving Up[23][24]
Guest vocalist
edit| Song Title | Main Artist | Album | Release Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| "Let it Go" | Double | Single | 2009 |
| "Ke Nako"[25] | Various | Listen Up! The Official 2010 Fifa World Cup Album | 2010 |
| "Demon" | Jay Park | Single | 2011 |
| "Passing By"[26] | Koda Kumi | Dejavu | 2011 |
| "In Love" | Patrick Toussaint | Single | 2014 |
| "I'm Fly"[27] | Stomy Bugsy | Single | 2015 |
| "Necesito tu Armor" | Fabio Legarda | Single | 2017 |
| "You and Me" | Alex To | Single | 2017 |
Singles
edit| 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 | No. 11 |
| "Necesito tu Amor – Version Trap" | 2017 | Single | No. 3, Latin charts |
Film
edit| Title | Year | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| "A Tale Of Two Coreys" | 2018 | Michael Jackson | TV movie |
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f "International Sensation B. Howard Releases 'Dancefloor' Single & Video". Top40 Charts. August 6, 2011. Retrieved January 20, 2015.
- ^ Aaron Robinson (December 14, 2012). "Child of Industry". Consciousness Magazine.
- ^ a b "B. Howard / Bio". ReverbNation. Retrieved January 20, 2015.
- ^ a b c "B. Howard Releases New Single, "I Do It"". The Source. November 14, 2013. Retrieved February 4, 2015.
- ^ Katie Hasty (December 19, 2007). "Groban Remains No. 1, Becomes '07's Best-Seller". Billboard. Retrieved February 4, 2015.
- ^ a b "Don't Say Michael Jackson. "Don't Say You Love Me" is B. Howard's Hit". Huffington Post. December 16, 2015. Retrieved December 23, 2015.
- ^ "Billboard 200". billboard. Retrieved February 4, 2015.
- ^ a b 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 February 3, 2015.
- ^ "Fred discusses Clay Aiken, Miki Howard and more". Billboard.com. Retrieved March 11, 2014.
- ^ Jeff Timmons (October 13, 2014). "Interview with B. Howard". The Celebrity Cafe. Archived from the original on February 4, 2015. Retrieved February 3, 2015.
- ^ Yolanda Sangweni (March 14, 2014). "Exclusive: Miki Howard Denies Having a Son with Michael Jackson, Says 'I Am Brandon Howard's Father'". Essence. Retrieved February 3, 2015.
- ^ "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 February 3, 2015.
- ^ Anthony, Heilbut (1997). The Gospel Sound: Good News and Bad Times. Limelight Editions. ISBN 0-87910-034-6.
- ^ "Black Gospel Blog". Archived from the original on March 11, 2014. Retrieved March 9, 2014.
- ^ Martin Myers (June 29, 2010). "It's time for Ke Nako as jpre collaborates with international superstars". Martin Myers. Retrieved February 4, 2015.
- ^ "International Sensation B. Howard with 'Dancefloor'". The Sop. June 11, 2011. Retrieved February 4, 2015.
- ^ "MTV Live Wire – B.Howard". MTV. October 14, 2010. Archived from the original on February 9, 2015. Retrieved February 4, 2015.
- ^ "Interview with King Empire Entertainment's B. Howard". Shift Magazine. Archived from the original on May 22, 2015. Retrieved September 8, 2015.
- ^ "B.Howard Exclusive Interview". One West Magazine. January 19, 2016. Retrieved January 26, 2016.
- ^ a b "Cleveland Native Michael Jackson's Son? TMZ Calls DNA Results 'Bogus'". Fox8.com. March 6, 2014. Retrieved March 9, 2014.
- ^ "Akon Tells Larry King Brandon Howard Is Michael Jackson's Son, Interview This Week". TheGlobalDispatch.com. Retrieved March 12, 2014.
- ^ "Aaron Carter on His Mom Attempting a Money Grab Against Michael Jackson (Part 8)". VLADTV. December 19, 2021. Retrieved November 21, 2022.
- ^ "Genesis". Last.fm. Retrieved February 4, 2015.
- ^ "Genesis (U.S.)". iTunes. Archived from the original on August 17, 2014. Retrieved February 4, 2015.
- ^ "Various – Listen Up: The Official 2010 Fifa World Cup Album". Discogs. Retrieved February 4, 2015.
- ^ "Koda Kumi* – Dejavu". Discogs. March 2, 2011. Retrieved February 4, 2015.
- ^ Louis Ritot (February 17, 2015). "Stomy Bugsy Duet with the Alleged Son of Michael Jackson" (in French). Closer Magazine. Retrieved February 23, 2015.