SELF-PRODUCED ALBUM MIXES NEW ORIGINAL COMPOSITIONS WITH TRADITIONAL CHRISTMAS CLASSICS 

DUET WITH LEDISI ON NEW COMPOSITION, “BE MINE FOR CHRISTMAS”

Two-time Grammy Award®-nominated Motown Records artist KEM has completed his first holiday album, WHAT CHRISTMAS MEANS, set for October 16th release, it was announced today by Ethiopia Habtemariam, SVP of Motown Records.  The album is highlighted by a duet with Verve recording artist Ledisi on “Be Mine For Christmas,” co-written by KEM and new collaborator Melanie Rutherford. 

WHAT CHRISTMAS MEANS is the fourth Motown release by lifelong Detroit favorite son KEM, who produced his album at state-of-the-art Studio A Recording in nearby Dearborn Heights.  The 10-song album weaves new original Christmas compositions co-written by KEM and Melanie Rutherford, with traditional holiday classics. 

The final sequence for WHAT CHRISTMAS MEANS is as follows: * 1. Glorify The King * 2. What Christmas Means * 3. A Christmas Song For You * 4. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas * 5. Christmas Time Is Here * 6. The Christmas Song * 7. Be Mine For Christmasfeaturing Ledisi * 8. Merry Christmas Baby * 9. We Three Kings * 10. Doo Wop Christmas (That’s What Christmas Is All About).

KEM (who appears in the new movie Sparkle) played his most recent sold-out headlining Intimacy Tour of the U.S. with special guestsMusiq Soulchild and Ledisi.  Earlier this year, KEM made his second trip to South Africa, his biggest international territory outside the U.S., for a pair of sold-out concerts at Standard Bank Arena in Johannesburg.  While visiting, he was presented with gold record plaques by Universal Music South Africa for his first two Motown albums, Kemistry (released 2002) and Album II (2005).

After his indie debut album of 2002, Kemistry,  sold nearly 15,000 copies, KEM was signed to Universal Motown, who re-released the album and saw it rise to #14 on the Billboard Top R&B Albums chart in 2003.  In 2005, KEM previewed music from Album II on a 20-city underground tour, and the album hit RIAA gold sales within two weeks of its release. Album II peaked at #1 R&B/ #5 pop, and one of its tracks, KEM’s original “I Can't Stop Loving You,” won the 2005 Billboard Music Award for Top Adult R&B Single of the Year.

Intimacy: Album III, which debuted at #2 Soundscan in August 2010, went on to garner national critical and commercial acclaim, including two Grammy Award® nominations, a Soul Train award nomination, and a BET Centric Award nomination.  Kemistry, Album II, and Intimacy: Album III have each been certified RIAA gold, and worldwide sales are in excess of 2.2 million copies.

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