Biography

White was born in Los Angeles to Vivian and Clarence White. She is the youngest of five children. She sang in a church choir and worked as a backing singer, then sang on Jeff Lorber's 1986 "Private Passion" single "Facts of Love", "True Confessions" and "Back in Love" before signing to Warner Bros. Records.

White married Terry Lewis in 1992 and together they had a daughter, Ashley Nicole and adopted son Brandon. Lewis brought to the marriage children Trey and Chloe. They eventually divorced in 1999, and she later married producer/musician Bobby G.

Music career

White's self-titled debut album Karyn White was released in 1988. It was produced by L.A. Reid and Babyface and achieved platinum status. Karyn White contained the hit singles "The Way You Love Me", "Secret Rendezvous" (#6 in the U.S., her biggest hit at the time), "Superwoman" and "Love Saw It" a duet with Babyface. White was nominated in the Best R&B/Urban Contemporary New Artist category for the 1989 Soul Train Music Awards. She was also nominated for two Grammy Awards. She became the first female artist to have their first three solo releases hit #1 on the R&B charts.

Her follow-up album was Ritual of Love in 1991. It had songs produced by Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis and featured the hit single "Romantic", which hit number one on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. Other singles from the album include "The Way I Feel About You" (U.S. #12), "Walkin' the Dog," and "Do Unto Me" (the last two did not chart). The photographer and director Matthew Rolston directed the video for the hit single "Romantic". Michael Walls, who was credited as stylist on Ritual of Love, worked with White on the look for the Ritual of Love album sleeve, and three of the music videos released for the album. Walls had the idea for the Chanel inspired pearls and black dress used on the album cover, the french maid look and multiple wardrobe changes for video of "The Way I Feel About You", and the "Walkin' the Dog" video, which was based on a scene from the film Sweet Charity.

Her next album was Make Him Do Right in 1994. The album did not sell well, although she did chart with the singles "Hungah" and the Babyface-penned "Can I Stay With You", which became her final U.S. R&B Top 10 hit in early 1995. "I'd Rather Be Alone", her last chart single to date, peaked at #50 on the same chart later that year.

White left Warner Bros. Records in 1999, and dropped out of the music public eye for many years to start a family.

Recent times

White resides in Rocklin, California, a suburb of Sacramento, and runs a successful interior design and real estate business. In 2006 she recorded a new album, titled Sista Sista; which was slated for release in 2006, but was shelved. Two tracks, "All I Do" and "Disconnected", were later released on the best of compilation album, Superwoman: The Best of Karyn White. She was also slated to appear on the Soul Train Music Awards in 2009 as a tribute to Babyface Edmonds. However, this performance was canceled when Edmonds and Reid withdrew from the Soul Train ceremony, declining the honor. White released her first album after a seventeen-year break, Carpe Diem, in March 2012.

Discography

Studio albums

Year	Album details	Peak chart positions						Certifications
		US	US R&B	CAN	JPN	NLD	UK
1988	Karyn White Release Date: September 6, 1988 Label: Warner Bros.	19	1	20	—	—	20	US: Platinum UK: Gold
1991	Ritual of Love Release Date: September 10, 1991 Label: Warner Bros.	53	7	—	18	62	31	US: Gold
1994	Make Him Do Right Release Date: September 27, 1994 Label: Warner Bros.	99	22	—	17	—	—
2012	Carpe Diem Release Date: March 24, 2012 Label: KW Enterprise / Lightyear	—	—	—	—	—	—
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

Compilation albums

Year	Album details	Peak positions
		JPN
1995	Sweet & Sensual Release Date: April 10, 1995 Label: WEA Japan	29
2007	Superwoman: The Best of Karyn White Release Date: April 3, 2007 Label: Shout! Factory	—
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

Singles

Year	Title	Peak chart positions										Album
		US	US R&B	US Dan	US A/C	AUS	CAN	IRE	NLD	NZ	UK
1988	"The Way You Love Me"	7	1	5	38	—	—	—	22	48	42	Karyn White
	"Superwoman"	8	1	—	12	—	16	20	—	—	11
1989	"Love Saw It"	—	1	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
	"Secret Rendezvous"	6	4	1	—	—	14	—	83	—	52
	"Slow Down"	—	36	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
	"Secret Rendezvous"	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	22
	"The Way You Love Me"	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	82
1991	"Romantic"	1	1	6	37	50	16	29	52	—	23	Ritual of Love
	"The Way I Feel About You"	12	5	—	35	—	13	—	—	47	65
1992	"Walkin' the Dog"	—	34	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
	"Do Unto Me"	—	24	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
1994	"Hungah"	78	18	10	—	—	—	—	—	—	69	Make Him Do Right
	"Can I Stay with You"	81	10	—	—	—	—	—	—	34	—
1995	"I'd Rather Be Alone"	120	50	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
2012	"Sista, Sista"	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	Carpe Diem
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

As featured performer

Year	Title	Artist	Peak chart positions				Album
			US	US R&B	US Dan	UK
1986	"Facts of Love"	Jeff Lorber	27	17	9	95	Private Passion
	"Back in Love"	Jeff Lorber w/	—	—	—	—
1987	"True Confessions"	Jeff Lorber	—	88	—	—
	"We Never Called It Love"	Pauli Carman	—	—	—	—	It's TIme
1989	"Not Thru Being with You"	Michael Jeffries	—	32	—	99	Michael Jeffries
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

Awards and nominations

Year	Award
1989	American Music Award nomination for Favorite Soul/R&B New Artist
1989	Soul Train Music Award nomination for Best New Artist, Best R&B/Urban Contemporary Single, Female and Best R&B/Urban Contemporary Album, Female
1989	Billboard Music Award win for No. 1 R&B Single of the Year ("Superwoman").
1989	Grammy Award nomination for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance ("The Way You Love Me").
1990	Grammy Award nomination for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance ("Superwoman").
1990	American Music Award nomination for Favorite Soul/R&B Album - (Karyn White).

[ Source: Wikipedia ]