Brandon Howard is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer from

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

. He began his career as a producer and songwriter for other artists in 2003. He received his first formal credits doing so on

Ne-Yo Shaffer Chimere Smith (born October 18, 1979), known professionally as Ne-Yo ( ), is an American singer and songwriter. Regarded as a leading figure of Contemporary R&B#2000s, 2000s R&B music, he is the recipient of numerous accolades, includi ...

's album ''

In My Own Words ''In My Own Words'' is the debut studio album of American singer-songwriter Ne-Yo. It was released by Def Jam Recordings on February 28, 2006. Conceived following his songwriting breakthrough with " Let Me Love You" for fellow R&B singer Mario in ...

'' (2006)—which topped the ''Billboard'' 200—as well as

Omarion Omari Ishmael Grandberry (born November 12, 1984), better known by his stage name Omarion, is an American R&B singer, dancer and actor. He rose to prominence as lead vocalist of the boy band B2K, which was formed in 1998 and managed by record e ...

and Bow Wow's collaborative album '' Face Off'' (2007)—which peaked at number 11 on the chart. 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 Hot Dance/Electronic Songs (formerly Dance/Electronic Songs) is a record chart has been published weekly by ''Billboard'' since January 2013. It is their first chart to be published that ranks the most popular dance and electronic songs according ...

chart.

Early life

B. Howard was born Brandon Howard in Los Angeles. He was raised between Los Angeles and Chicago. Howard's mother,

Miki Howard Alicia Michelle "Miki" Howard (born September 30, 1960) is an American R&B singer who had top 10 hit songs in the mid-1980s and early 1990s, including "Baby, Be Mine" (1987), "Come Share My Love" (1986) and "Love Under New Management" (1990). ...

is also a successful singer-songwriter. Joe Jackson, the patriarch of the Jackson family, was Miki's manager in the '80s. His grandmother was Josephine Howard of

The Caravans The Caravans were an American gospel music group that was started in 1947 by Robert Anderson. It reached its peak popularity during the 1950s and 1960s, launching the careers of a number of artists, including: Delores Washington, Albertina ...

, the first group to have a gospel song played on secular radio and his grandfather was Clay Graham (1936–2018) of

Pilgrim Jubilees The Pilgrim Jubilees, also known as The Pilgrim Jubilee Singers, was an American traditional black gospel music group originally from the cities of Jackson, Mississippi and Chicago, Illinois, where they were established by Elgie Graham and Willi ...

. B. Howard said he first considered working in finance. He was inspired by

MTV MTV (an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on ...

videos of

A-ha A-ha (often stylised as ''a''-h''a''; ) is a Norwegian synth-pop band formed in Oslo in 1982. Founded by Paul Waaktaar-Savoy (guitars and vocals), Magne Furuholmen (keyboards, guitars and vocals), and Morten Harket (lead vocals), the band ros ...

and

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, instead choosing a career in music. He adopted the artist name "Sonik" and first worked with

Gerald Levert Gerald Edward Levert (July 13, 1966 – November 10, 2006) was an Americans, American singer-songwriter and Music Producer, producer. Levert performed with his brother, Sean Levert, and friend Marc Gordon with the R&B vocal group, LeVert. Le ...

Cleveland Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–U.S. maritime border and approximately west of the Ohio-Pennsylvania st ...

, Ohio.

Music career

Howard has been working as a record producer since 2003. B. Howard started a solo career in 2010 following the success of his single, "Dancefloor." In 2010, B Howard collaborated with Wyclef Jean and Jazmine Sullivan to revamp the song "Ke Nako" as a homage to

Nelson Mandela Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela ( , ; born Rolihlahla Mandela; 18 July 1918 – 5 December 2013) was a South African Internal resistance to apartheid, anti-apartheid activist and politician who served as the first president of South Africa f ...

. The first single from ''Genesis'', "Super Model", was released via iTunes on February 8, 2011. The second single, "Dancefloor" made its US premiere on Wednesday, June 8 (2011) on iTunes and across all digital platforms. Howard performed in Japan to support this release. Howard is currently working on his upcoming American EP, ''Official''. His single "I Do It" and released in 2013. Howard's single, ''Don't Say You Love Me'', hit number 11 on Billboard's Top Dance charts in January 2016. In 2018, Howard joined China's virtual star festival in Beijing.

Michael Jackson comparisons

Howard's similarities to the late pop icon

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Michael Jackson, one of the most culturally significan ...

have been a source of speculation, and in 2014 FilmOn.com claimed to have evidence that proved paternity. The tests were subsequently proven to be inconclusive. In March 2014, singer

Akon Aliaune Damala Bouga Time Puru Nacka Lu Lu Lu Badara Akon Thiam (born April 16, 1973), known mononymously as Akon (), is a Senegalese-United States, American singer, songwriter, rapper, record producer, businessman, and philanthropist. An influ ...

gave an interview with

Larry King Larry King (born Lawrence Harvey Zeiger; November 19, 1933 – January 23, 2021) was an American TV and radio host presenter, author, and former spokesman. He was a WMBM radio interviewer in the Miami area in the 1950s and 1960s and beginning in ...

in which he, as a recording artist who has worked with both Howard and Jackson, claimed to believe Howard was Michael Jackson's son. 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.

Discography

Production and songwriting

Artist

''Genesis'' (released 2010)

* 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

Guest vocalist

Singles

Film

References

External links

Official site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Howard, B. 20th-century African-American male singers 20th-century American male singers 20th-century American singers African-American songwriters Record producers from California Singers from Los Angeles 1981 births Living people Singer-songwriters from California 21st-century American singer-songwriters 21st-century African-American musicians American male singer-songwriters