Donell Jones Talks Being ‘100 Percent Free’
The R&B legend has turned his trials into triumphs and is here to talk about it!
DONELL JONES is an American Music Award winner, a masterful songwriter, music producer and an R&B legend! The gifted singer started his career over 20 years ago when he signed with the then coveted LaFace Records headed up by Antonio “L.A.” Reid and one of the best songwriters of all time, Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds. Jones released his first album, ‘My Heart‘ in 1996 and would later go on to release several chart-topping hits, including unforgettable classic ballads that are fan favorites like, “Where I Wanna Be,” “You Know What’s Up” ft. TLC’s Left Eye and “Knocks Me Off My Feet.”
The Southside Chicago native not only wrote and performed music for himself, but he also wrote for other artists. Donell penned Usher‘s “Think of You,” Drea‘s “Not Gonna Letcha” and 702’s hit “Get It Together.” Additionally, he contributed songs to movie soundtracks for ‘Shaft‘ and 90’s cult classic, ‘Love and Basketball‘ starring Sanaa Lathan and Omar Epps.
” I needed that time away to work on me. And now, I’m free of it all — self-sabotage, self-doubt and all negativity. I’m 100 percent free.”
It’s been seven years since Donell‘s last album 2013’s ‘Forever.‘ Now 25 years and six studio albums later, he’s back after taking some necessary time to himself with a hot new single titled, ‘Karma (Payback)’ that samples the Stylistics 1973 song, “Payback is a Dog.” The handsome CEO of his own Candyman Records took a break from finishing up his forthcoming album to chat with AMN Magazine about why it was important to him to give the gift of free music, how he became free of self-sabotage and self-doubt and is now…free!
Photo credit: Demetrious “Rious” Williams