Musiq Soulchild Preps “MUSIQINTHEMAGIQ” | May 3rd

Musiq’s sixth album will be heralded by the first single, “Anything (Feat. Swizz Beatz).” The track — produced by Jerry “Wonda” Duplessis (Wyclef Jean, Justin Bieber, T.I.) — is now available via iTunes. “Anything” is already looking like another major hit for Musiq, having just made a bulleted debut on Billboard’s “R&B/Hip-Hop Songs” chart based on radio airplay audience as measured by Nielsen BDS.

The iconic soul superstar — who recently earned a Grammy Award nomination in the “Best Male R&B Vocal Performance” category for his featured role on Kirk Whalum’s “We’re Still Friends (Feat. Musiq Soulchild)” — is also among the top artists featured on Atlantic/Elektra’s upcoming “THE LOVE EP.” The five-song celebration of Valentine’s Day — which includes Musiq’s hit “sobeautiful” alongside music from Bruno Mars, Cee Lo Green, Tank, and Trey Songz — is now available at all DSPs.

Inspired by such icons as Stevie Wonder, James Brown, and Ray Charles, Musiq made a blockbuster debut right out of the gate with 2000’s acclaimed “AIJUSWANASEING.” Fueled by the breakthrough singles, “Just Friends (Sunny)” and “Love,” the album went on to earn RIAA platinum for sales exceeding 1 million. In addition, Musiq — who has been in the music industry for ten years — was honored with a number of awards, including Billboard Music Awards for “Best New Artist,” “Top R&B Artist,” “Top R&B Male,” and “Top R&B Single” (for “Love”); the Soul Train Music Award for “Best R&B/Soul Single” (for “Love”); and the ASCAP Rhythm & Soul Award for “Top R&B/Hip-Hop Song” (for “Love”). Further nominations came from the Grammy Awards, American Music Awards, The Source Awards, BET Awards, and NAACP Awards.

In May 2002, Musiq unveiled his second album, “JUSLISEN,” which entered both the Billboard 200 and Billboard’s “Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums” chart at #1. The collection, which featured a pair of hits in “Dontchange” and “Halfcrazy,” was soon certified RIAA platinum and again earned Musiq a variety of prestigious awards. Among the trophies were Soul Train Awards for “Best R&B/Soul Album” and “Best R&B/Soul Single” (for “Dontchange”); an ASCAP Rhythm & Soul Award for “Award Winning Song” (for “Dontchange”); and a BMI “Urban” Award (for “Halfcrazy”). What’s more, Musiq received nominations from the Grammy Awards, MTV Video Music Awards, BET Awards, NAACP Awards, and Billboard Music Awards.

“SOULSTAR,” Musiq’s third album, arrived one short year later and he was once again greeted with both critical and popular success. Hailed as one of the year’s finest collections of contemporary R&B, the album featured two radio smashes, “Forthenight” and “Whoknows.” The winner of the Soul Train Awards’ “Best R&B/Soul Album,” “SOULSTAR” also reaped nods from the Grammy Awards and BET Awards.

Musiq made a stellar Atlantic debut with “LUVANMUSIQ,” earning a trio of Grammy nominations as well as sales in excess of 700,000. The album — which debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 — featured a streak of major hit singles, including “b.u.d.d.y,” “Makeyouhappy,” and the #1 smash, “Teachme,” which spent 15 weeks atop Billboard’s Urban AC airplay chart.

“ONMYRADIO” followed in 2008, reaching the #1 spot on Billboard’s “Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums” chart in its second week out. The album received considerable critical praise, with special attention paid to the smash singles, “sobeautiful” and “IfULeave (Feat. Mary J. Blige).”

In addition to the many honors he has received for his solo albums, Musiq also scored a 2004 Grammy Award nomination in the “Best Urban Alternative Performance” category, acknowledging his take on the classic “Are You Experienced?,” found on the “POWER OF SOUL: A TRIBUTE TO JIMI HENDRIX” collection. Other extracurricular efforts include contributing guest vocals to the Roots’ “Break You Off” (found on 2002’s “PHRENOLOGY”), Carlos Santana’s 2002 “SHAMEN,” Ice Cube’s 2008 “Why Me (Feat. Musiq Soulchild),” India.Arie’s 2008 Top 20 R&B hit, “Chocolate High (Feat. Musiq Soulchild),” The Floacist’s 2010 single, “Forever (Feat. Musiq Soulchild),” and Kirk Whalum’s aforementioned 2010 hit, “We’re Still Friends (Feat. Musiq Soulchild).” What’s more, Musiq has contributed songs to a number of Tyler Perry film soundtracks, including a stunning take on Arrested Development’s “People Everyday” featured on 2008’s Music From And Inspired By The Motion Picture Tyler Perry’s Meet The Browns.