Kenyon Dixon has earned five Grammy nominations in as many years, and with most of those nods coming from the best traditional R&B performance category, the acclaimed singer-songwriter hopes his new Ego Ruins Everything LP cements him as an unignorable force in the genre’s contemporary wing.
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Released independently last month (July 24), Ego Ruins Everything finds the Los Angeles-born artist delivering a nuanced take on modern masculinity through semi-autobiographical vignettes that build an immersive concept album, tied together by an ever-evolving series of “Running” interludes. From the gospel-inflected “Real Good” and the swaggering, cavalier “The Man” to the scene-setting pre-release singles “Talk You Through It” and “No Jodeci,” Ego fuses pieces of all of Dixon’s past efforts. But this specific convergence of his penchant for ‘90s/early ‘00s R&B nostalgia with emotional self-awareness reminiscent of Comeback Season-era Drake makes Ego a particularly ambitious project for Dixon.
“Instead of going right into the ego of it all, I wanted this to be a journey,” he tells Billboard. “I wanted to talk about how we got here, so I start with a good memory and use the sonics to warp that feeling and take us into [the world] of Ego Ruins Everything. And tone-wise, this is very different from the rest of my music. My fans are used to love songs, so I thought it was important to start [in a familiar] place and then go somewhere else.”
Between releases like 2022’s Closer and last year’s Come as You Are collaborative album with Terrace Martin, Dixon has established himself as the go-to guy for smooth, traditional R&B that transports you to backseat car rides and Saturday morning house cleaning sessions. The 21-track set finds Dixon embarking on an emotional odyssey through ego, its construction and keeping it under control.
The new LP also marks a conscious step into a more contemporary, hip-hop-inflected space, complete with flashes of a rap-sung cadence and relatively murkier production. Nonetheless, he navigates his expanded sound with enviable ease. By positioning the “Running” interludes as a recurring sonic motif, Dixon doesn’t just elevate the LP’s cinematic feel; he also offers a built-in throughline for the album’s lyrical narrative, which finds him exploring more fraught, morally ambiguous territory on standouts like “FHOMM.”
Below, Dixon walks Billboard through his artistry-evolving new album, teases a few potential remixes and reflects on navigating the modern R&B landscape as an independent artist.
Why was now the time for a new solo project?
Ego Ruins Everything was going to come first. I was already working on it when Terrace [Martin] approached me about doing a collaborative album together. I put Ego Ruins Everything to the side to finish that album, but I was already in that headspace. And I technically hadn’t released a full solo project since The R&B You Love, which was in 2023, so it was time.
What was the first song you knew was going to be on the album?
“Show & Prove.” I teased that one over a year ago and [my fans] have been on me ever since. That was one of the ones I did early on that shaped the energy and sound I wanted for this album.
The “Running” interludes are almost like a film score.
That was literally my mindset. I was gonna go [the] traditional [route] and have G.G. Townson [who played Sheryl “Salt” James in Lifetime’s 2021 Salt-N-Pepa biopic] voice the interludes and make them conversations between her and me. But we kind of did that on the last album, so I wanted to do something new with “Running” being this recurring sonic motif, just like how you constantly get familiar images in movies.
How much of your concept album is fiction? How much of it is autobiographical?
All of this is truth in some aspect, whether it’s my truth, your truth, the truth of my friends, or the truth of other people listening. A lot of this album came out of personal experience, just not necessarily in real time. I’m big on working through feelings before putting them in songs because music lives forever. You don’t want to create from an unhealed place and get triggered every time you hear it. I made sure that I did the work to get to that place.
You worked with Frank Rose for most of this record. How has your creative partnership with him evolved over the years?
Frank is one of the main producers I’ve worked with ever since [2022’s] Closer. I haven’t done a record without Frank since. And we’ve toured together, so he can consider that energy when we make records. When it comes to the song “Blah,” that’s a real voice memo at the beginning. I got a random idea while driving, sent him a voice memo of the melody I was hearing, and he sent me back the song with that same voice memo at the top.
The perfectionist in me almost didn’t like it because I was singing casually, but it was an honest take, so we kept it. Sometimes I’ll bring production ideas to Frank or just tell him what I’m thinking, and he’s always open to proper collaboration. Between him, Chris Blakk and Marqus Cutis, that’s my team. “The Light” was the only song I did without them — I worked with Chase Wav and Jay Century — and that was the first record I did for the album in an impromptu session.
Where did you record this album? Do you feel physical location impacts your productivity?
I record all of my solo music at home. “Running Away” was the only song that I didn’t record at home. When I sent the sessions to my engineer, I noticed some vocals were missing, and I couldn’t find the most updated session. I drove out to San Diego to sit with my mixing engineer, and I had to pull out the mic to add the vocals we were missing. And I was so mad about it because I love the way that I [initially] laid [those vocals].
I feel most comfortable to fail and to not execute things right the first time when I’m recording at home. Nobody can judge me, and I get to take my time. I also notice that when I’m in the studio, especially when I’m writing for other people, I’m racing against the clock because it’s a job.
You’ve always been really good at evoking nostalgia without making 1:1 copies of the ‘90s and ‘00s classics. How did “No Jodeci” come together?
I love nostalgia, but I don’t need to recreate the records. I like to recreate the feeling. I wanted to figure out how I could pay homage to Jodeci and that era without incorporating their actual music. When I came up with the line, “Girl, I can’t cry for you/ This ain’t no Jodeci,” I knew I wanted to call the song “No Jodeci.” It just felt like a dope concept that could go anywhere because I could have picked any Jodeci song to riff off of. But considering the concept of “No Jodeci” being about being performative, “Cry for Me” made sense.
What else was on the mood board for this album?
I knew I wanted hip-hop influence on this album, and where that intersects [with R&B] for me is Comeback Season-era Drake. That’s the era of Drake I became a fan of, because he was still able to present as a tough guy, but with emotion. That’s a space that I thrive in.
When did you decide that this was going to be a featureless album?
A month before I put it out. I was really dedicated to letting the music tell the story this time; it felt more powerful from solely my perspective. We’ll use the deluxe for the features. I also wanted to prove that it’s possible to make an album that people like without having a million features. I think a lot of artists are starting to feel like you have to have 50 features on an album to get people’s attention, and I’m going against that. As an independent artist, you always gotta find a different angle anyway.
How has your creative process evolved since your very first project?
On a more tangible level, I think I’m quicker, and I trust myself more. For a lot of these songs, I’m now able to sit down, freestyle and go back in and fix certain stuff.
Before, I used to be so like just meticulous with every little thing, but if something doesn’t feel perfect, I’m okay with that now. I know what my capability is, and I’ve realized that me not liking something doesn’t necessarily mean it’s bad. It’s all about getting more efficient while maintaining what makes it magical.
How do you strike the balance of honesty and empathy in your songwriting?
I think navigating through friendships in life is probably what has helped me. I really do put that into my music. I’m always exercising that duality when talking to my friends and trying to figure out where I can be better, if I could offer them anything that may help them be better, where I can champion them, or where they’re taking responsibility for things that may not be their fault.
When was the last time your ego helped you and the last time your ego hurt you?
The last time my ego helped me was to put this album out. I second-guessed it because I felt it was different than what everybody expected of me. When did my ego hurt me last? I don’t know. I gotta think on that. But to be clear, there’s for sure an answer!
What did you think people expected of you?
I think fans come to me expecting a certain type of R&B, and they don’t expect me to ever make music that’s comparable to my “mainstream” contemporaries. I don’t think they realize how much that limits me. I almost didn’t put out this album and changed the concept because I wasn’t sure how my fans were going to feel hearing me talk about these things over these types of beats. I had to trust myself and understand that even if what you’re presenting is different, it’s still coming from your mind. Ultimately, the album is out because I said, “Cool, I’m great at what I do.”
You’ve been Grammy-nominated almost every year since 2022. What does that kind of consistent peer recognition mean to you, especially as an independent artist?
It’s great because, as an independent artist, these aren’t things that you would imagine becoming your norm. A lot of indie artists don’t even think these are realistic goals. I appreciate the recognition, but I don’t let it control how I make music. I know a lot of people make music specifically to get that recognition, and I refuse to do that because I don’t ever want to not love what I do.
Is the door closed on remixes?
My ideal feature for a “Real Good” remix — because it’s a churchy one! — is Jazmine Sullivan. Tank and I also talked about a remix for “Talk You Through It.”
What’s your biggest hope for this record?
I wanted Ego Ruins Everything to disrupt my normal catalog, and I’m seeing people like it, so that’s success to me. I don’t want this to be just another Kenyon Dixon album. I want you to remember that I put this album out.
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