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Maxwell music biography continued...

for his family's privacy. He sang in his church choir as a youngster, and started composing songs as a teen, becoming well-known on the New York club circuit. Word-of-mouth about the soulful young man spread and he was offered a record contract with Columbia in 1994. His debut album, Urban Hang Suite, was released in 1996. A celebration of monogamy, (in contrast to the popular hip hop songs of the day), the album scored with the singles, "...Til the Cops Come Knockin'" and "Ascension (Never Wonder)," and went platinum, even earning a Grammy nod. Now a sex symbol, Maxwell capitalized with his next effort, the MTV Unplugged EP, taken from a live MTV performance. The EP saw Maxwell taking on some unusual cover choices, including "Whenever, Wherever, Whatever," which earned him another Grammy nomination (for Best Male Pop Vocal). Hopes for Maxwell's sophomore studio album were running high and when Embrya was released in 1998, it entered the charts at number three. Despite mixed reviews, this album also went platinum. Maxwell, however, would enjoy his biggest hit with the 1999 single, "Fortunate," an R. Kelly composition he recorded for the soundtrack of the film Life; a huge hit, it was named the number one R&B hit of the year by Billboard magazine, and made Maxwell a superstar.



In August 2001, Maxwell came back with his third full-length album, Now, which was touted as a return to the more straightforwardly romantic tone of his debut. It entered the album charts at number one and quickly spawned the hit single "Lifetime." Maxwell didn't emerge with his next album, BLACKsummers'night (the first installment in a promised trilogy of albums), until 2009, with the first single off the album, "Pretty Wings," landing in the Top Twenty on the Billboard/R&B chart. Clearly, Maxwell has still retained the sex appeal of his youth.