The Evolution of Tevin Campbell

Tevin Jermod Campbell was born on November 12, 1976, in Waxahachie, Texas, to Rhonda Campbell. He has one brother, DeMario, and a sister, Marche. He grew up without a strong relationship with his father, not meeting him until his teenage years. Campbell’s mother was also a singer, encouraging her son to share his gift with the world from a young age. It all started in the church.

When Campbell was a child, his mother’s friend set up a phone audition for American jazz flutist Bobbi Humphrey.

Young Campbell was then flown out to NYC, where one of his performances was videotaped. The tape was sent to Benny Medina of Warner Bros. He was then signed to Quincy Jones’ label, Qwest in 1988.

His debut project was his bright-toned, tenor voice featured on Quincy Jones’ 1989 album, Back on the Block. In 1990, Campbell’s voice was featured in Listen Up: The Lives of Quincy Jones and “Round and Round” for Graffiti Bridge, a movie by Prince. His performance earned a Grammy nomination for the Best Male Rhythm & Blues Vocal Performance.

Shortly after his Graffiti Bridge performance, Campbell appeared on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air in 1991 as Little T, Ashley’s crush.

Campbell’s debut album was released in November 1991 named T.E.V.I.N. The album earned him a Soul Train Music Award nomination and a Grammy nomination for Best Male Rhythm & Blues Vocal Performance.

His second album, I’m Ready, was released in October 1993. This album featured the R&B hit “Can We Talk,” which spent 26 weeks on the Billboard charts, and “I’m Ready,” which made it to the top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100. The I’m Ready album received several Grammy and Soul Train Award nominations.

From 1993 to 1995. Campbell performed alongside other music industry giants such as Usher, Brandy, Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis. He was the opening act for Janet Jackson’s Janet World Tour from 1993-1995.

One of the Grammy-nominated singer’s most remembered roles was his voicing the character Powerline in The Goofy Movie in 1995. He also sang the songs “I 2 I” and “Stand Out” for the soundtrack.

In 1996, he released his third album, Back to the World, and his fourth studio album, Tevin Campbell, in 1999. He also made an appearance on the show Moesha as Kevin in 1999. That same year he was arrested for soliciting and marijuana charges in California.

Campbell kept a low profile from 2000 to 2004, aside from an album release in 2001: The Best of Tevin Campbell. It was announced in December 2005, that he would be playing the character, Seaweed, in the Broadway musical, Hairspray. He continued playing the role non-consecutively through 2011.

In 2008, he released a now-deleted album called 2008, Never Before Heard. The album was deleted after six months. No new albums have been released since, but from 2009-2014 he made appearances on various stages, award shows, and featured on singles. Campbell began to reemerge in the entertainment industry in 2019, joining the cast of OWN’s Queen Sugar.

Tevin Campbell has dodged questions about his sexuality for decades, only hinting at possibly being a part of the LGBTQ community. He also had to shoot down rumors that he was sexually assaulted by Quincy Jones as a child. In August 2022, Campbell officially came out as gay.