Kenyon Dixon, a Los Angeles native, has steadily carved a distinct segment within the R&B panorama, incomes popularity of his genuine sound and heartfelt songwriting. His dedication to the style’s roots has culminated in a 2025 GRAMMY nomination for Finest Conventional R&B Efficiency along with his observe “Can I Have This Groove.” This recognition underscores Dixon’s dedication to preserving and evolving the essence of R&B.
Dixon’s artistic course of is deeply natural, drawing from private experiences and a real connection to the music. He emphasizes the significance of permitting his life experiences and musical pursuits to circulation naturally into his work, avoiding inflexible boundaries. This method permits him to create music that resonates with authenticity, reflecting a melting pot of influences that outline his distinctive sound.
In crafting his songs, Dixon usually begins with manufacturing, letting the music information his lyrical expression. He believes that the manufacturing itself tells a narrative, and his function is to articulate the feelings embedded throughout the melodies. This methodology ensures that his lyrics align seamlessly with the music’s inherent feeling, making a cohesive and impactful listening expertise.
Reflecting on his songwriting, Dixon notes that whereas his work is rooted in private experiences, he permits time for reflection earlier than translating these moments into music. This deliberate course of ensures that his songs convey a matured perspective, providing listeners a nuanced and introspective tackle love and life. His considerate method to songwriting continues to captivate audiences, solidifying his place within the up to date R&B scene.
EBONY: For lots of people after they take heed to your music, they discuss how genuine it’s and the way a lot is rooted in R&B. How do you navigate bringing all of your totally different pursuits and inspirations from totally different genres but staying so stable in R&B?
Kenyon Dixon: Man, it’s fairly pure for me. I method music from a really trustworthy place, and so simply my life experiences and my music curiosity and every little thing sort of comes out based mostly on what I really feel. So yeah, in how I create, it’s a fairly pure method. I attempt to not manipulate it and be too explicit or particular. Though it’s R&B, I feel my kind of R&B works as a result of I enable what I do know and what I’ve skilled to circulation in that area. I don’t essentially filter it by way of having this difficult boundary of what R&B looks like. Being myself and a giant melting pot of all my experiences, it simply sort of works out.
You simply talked about that your artistic course of is fairly like natural. What does that course of appear like for you? Are you usually impressed by lyricism first after which it’s the beat? Or do you hear a beat after which simply concepts come?
Yeah, so I often go from manufacturing first. I very seldom get concepts. I’m not the kind of author the place I’ve an thought and attempt to discover the music to suit the thought. I often simply let the music transfer me. I’ve this concept that manufacturing is already a music, and all I’m making an attempt to do is put lyrics to the sensation. I feel that’s what makes a terrific file—with the ability to convey what persons are possible feeling from the music, which is similar factor that you simply really feel. So I have a tendency to start out by making a beat and producing it, after which based mostly on how that makes me really feel, I write with regard to that.
On the subject of your songwriting, do you attempt to inform a narrative or look by way of another person’s perspective. Or is it extra private for you and extra of your individual experiences that you simply’re simply being susceptible with sharing?
It’s attention-grabbing as a result of, whereas I do really feel like I write from my private experiences, it’s by no means in that second. I’ve observed that I course of a whole lot of stuff and stay with it first, which I feel is essential. Particularly once you’re going by way of relational experiences, which is a giant theme in R&B music, you by no means need to create from an unhealed place and make information you must stay with, solely to alter your thoughts about how you are feeling. So I at all times attempt to let my experiences set in first. Naturally, I pull from them as I create information, however I rarely write about what’s taking place when it’s taking place. Subconsciously, after I really feel the music, I’m capable of pull from similar areas and issues I’ve already skilled that I’m feeling in that second.
With R&B, particularly throughout the final like yr or two, there’s been a whole lot of controversy or commotion across the thought of the state of R&B. The place do you see the style headed and the place do you end up inside that pocket?
I feel first we’d must accurately establish what R&B is as a result of a whole lot of the dialog comes from the misidentification of R&B. We prefer to put all Black melodic music within the R&B area, and that has develop into very difficult for pure R&B artists since you’re in a aggressive area with individuals who don’t essentially do R&B. I feel there are unbelievable Black rock artists, pop artists, and melodic rap artists—that’s an precise style—however all of us get grouped into the R&B area. I feel that’s the place a whole lot of the dialog comes from as a result of after I hear individuals title the artists they take heed to within the R&B area, typically they’re genuinely not R&B artists. That has sophisticated the dialog, however I do assume R&B is prospering.
You resonate quite a bit with the R&B GRAMMY committee particularly relating to the Finest Conventional R&B Efficiency. You acquired your third nomination within the class this yr. Given the truth that the Recording Academy and the GRAMMYs are actually like a set of your friends, how does it really feel to be acknowledged for the wealthy R&B you create?
It’s an incredible feeling, particularly with the intentionality of the music I’ve put out that has gotten nominated in that discipline. The intention of these information was to be conventional R&B and to faucet into that feeling of the R&B we love. So it was a little bit of affirmation to get recognition in that area. I’ll say, I make the music as a result of I find it irresistible, so the accolades don’t decide how I really feel about it, however they’re a terrific plus within the area. It’s at all times significant to be acknowledged by your friends that you simply respect, who truly do that. A variety of artists really feel a sure approach about criticism from people who find themselves not artistic, so this can be a nice method to offset that—having individuals who perceive what you place into the artwork acknowledge it.
I feel it’s an unbelievable class, and it’s insane that almost all of my nominations have been in that class. Coming from the area of really subscribing to basic R&B and R&B Soul, it’s in all probability essentially the most becoming class for the kind of music I make. Hopefully, subsequent yr we will get into another ones as properly.
While you discovered, “Can I Have This Groove” bought nominated, Who did you name first?
So loopy. I used to be within the automotive in an Uber in London. I used to be doing the Europe leg of my tour, and my man Frank Rose, who produced the file, was with me. We had been heading to a radio interview, and the GRAMMYs had simply began—it was round 9:00 PM in London. We had been watching, they usually do that factor now the place they introduce everyone, and you may click on to observe the fields you need to see. However I feel you possibly can solely actually try this when you’re on YouTube or a pc. So we didn’t know, they usually began saying classes. We solely noticed a few R&B classes and hadn’t even gotten to the Finest Conventional R&B Efficiency class.
I bought a textual content saying, “Congrats,” and I appeared on the textual content after which at Frank and mentioned, “Y’all assume we bought a nomination for one thing?” I replied, “Congrats on what?” they usually mentioned, “Yeah, ‘Can’t Have His Groove.’” Frank and I had been like, “What?” Touring from the States and never being on Wi-Fi is tough—service was horrible. We spent the subsequent 45 minutes within the experience looking for the video that introduced the class. Lastly, once we bought to Wi-Fi, my supervisor had texted me a video of the nomination. That’s actually how I discovered.
We had this complete plan to file whereas watching it, and it had already occurred earlier than we might even determine it out. Nonetheless, it was superb to be in London enjoying a sold-out present.
That’s unbelievable. I like that you simply talked about exploring totally different generations and eras of R&B music, increasing past simply the ’90s and 2000s. Such as you mentioned, there are such a lot of gems and wealthy influences from these earlier durations that may encourage and form your music in the present day. Fascinated about that, and contemplating your inspirations, each residing and from the previous, who’re one or two individuals you’d like to collaborate with—one at present alive and one from the previous?
My primary is Anita Baker always. I’m in all probability the most important Anita Baker fan on the planet. I’ve this factor the place I really feel like I understand how to carry legacy artists into the trendy area whereas nonetheless honoring and acknowledging their legacy and discovering a steadiness. I feel I might create an unbelievable album—not only a file, however an album—that resonates with trendy listeners and R&B followers whereas staying true to Anita’s artistry. I’ve studied her tone, her method to executing music and emotion, and the way in which her voice evokes such deep feeling. That’s the primary factor I examine.
The opposite, for me, is hard. You mentioned lifeless or alive? I’d must go along with Marvin Gaye. Marvin has a sure finesse that I really feel R&B is actually modeled after. When you concentrate on the smoothness of R&B and have a look at Marvin, all of it is sensible. There’s a video of him singing “I Need You” throughout a rehearsal—he’s laying on the sofa, utterly relaxed, however nonetheless so deeply in his factor. That, to me, is precisely what embodies Marvin. He wasn’t simply an artist; he was a complete expertise. So yeah, these are my high two for positive.
What can we simply anticipate from you in 2025? Are there any issues that we should always maintain you out for when it comes to new music tour? Some other aspect initiatives?
Tons of music—tons of recent music. After I got here off tour towards the tip of this yr, I mentioned I used to be going to take a break, nevertheless it by no means actually occurs. I don’t combat in opposition to being artistic, so I’ve already began engaged on one other album. I don’t assume I’ve ever shared the title earlier than, however the title of the subsequent album I’m engaged on is Ego Ruins Every part. It’s actually introspective and affords a special perspective on love. There are nonetheless love songs, however love is a spectrum, and I needed to problem myself to have a look at these experiences and the way I might need approached them otherwise with out ego in the way in which.
I’m additionally engaged on a whole lot of collaborations that I can’t actually share particulars about but. However I’ve some unbelievable ones popping out, together with a file dropping on the high of the yr with my producer buddy Steve Octave. It’s a extremely dope file, very a lot in that conventional R&B area. It simply feels nice—I referred to as it my GRAMMY music after I previewed it as a result of I needed one thing new to experience to the GRAMMYs with. It looks like that second. And I’ll be again on the highway too. So, simply extra of all of the superb issues taking place that I can’t wait to share and be in the midst of.
