Tevin Campbell says he never hid who he was, he was just on a journey of self-discovery that included himself and those close to him.
For the first time, the RandB singer – known for his sultry ’90s songs “I’m Ready” and “Can We Talk” – is making it clear that he’s a gay man in the music industry and that he’s making his own .
He burst onto the scene at the age of 12 and forged a successful music career thanks to mentors such as Benny Medina, Quincy Jones.
He entered his late teens atand 20, he said in an interview with the People Every Day podcast. . , “I knew my sexuality, but I didn’t think about the representation, which I didn’t see in business. I haven’t thought about these things.”When I came out to my family and friends when I was 19 or 20, that was it for me. And then I set out on a journey of self-discovery. I didn’t know who he was,” he shared.
The singer performs during the KMEL Summer Jam at Shoreline Amphitheater on August 13, 1994 in Mountain View, California.The singer performs during the KMEL Summer Jam at the Shoreline Amphitheater in Mountain View, California August 13, 1994 Tim Mosenfelder/Getty Images “It was a great moment in my life,” he said.
“LGBTQ+ people who lived normal lives and had partners. I had never seen that before. That made me happy and they were great people. I’ve never been close to it. So that gave me this whole perspective on the world. There have been rumors and speculation about his sexuality over the years.
However, Campbell said it never affected him at the height of his fame because he was “so protected. There was no social media back then.” about me. I was meI didn’t give a shit. I wasn’t trying to act a certain way,” he said, adding, “You just couldn’t be (gay) back then.
“For me, it was a casual thing,” he said, noting that when it wasn’t, people took it as his coming out.”I love my fans, but I don’t care what they think of me or my sexuality.
” That’s the problem for me when we in society, especially black people, can get to a point where someone can just say, ‘You know, yes I’m gay,'” he said.
“All the people in the world are not heterosexual. get over it Don’t care what people think or say about you, it feels so good.With more black queer artists like Frank Ocean and Lil Nas X, Campbell said he hated that it wasn’t like that in the ’90s.
However, he admitted that “as a kid, he wouldn’t have been prepared to be a spokesperson for the LGBTQ+ community” need representation. After a brief hiatus, Campbell returned to music and said what makes him happiest about was “the fact that I hugged.
Because he used to punish me for little things,” he said. “If you’re 45 years old and you’re still punishing yourself for your mistakes… that’s not good. love yourself