Babyface’s new album, Girls Night Out, lands this October, but it might not have ever arrived without the iconic Verzuz between him and Teddy Riley. During peak Verzuz, the “Whip Appeal” crooner and New Jack Swing pioneer were among the first to take the virtual stage on Instagram in April 2020.
“Verzuz was just so powerful […] I went to Walgreens or something like that, and a young girl said she saw it and said she was a fan. She didn’t know my stuff before that, but she was a fan. I just realized I started reaching a younger crowd and I thought I should start doing music that touches them as well,” the 64-year-old shared while speaking to Gillie Da Kid and Wallo267 of the Million Dollaz Worth Of Game podcast.
The Verzuz matchup became one of the most meme-worthy and trending events in music’s history. After the popular night of chaos, the artists returned for a more structured battle (see below). As a result, Face’s Instagram audience grew from 300,000 to over one million overnight. It was a factor that fueled his decision to gift fans with Girls Night Out—a modern spin in the same vein as the Waiting To Exhale soundtrack.
So far, he’s released two singles from the upcoming album, “Keeps On Fallin’” featuring Ella Mai and “Seamless” featuring Kehlani. He is also featured on the historic single “No Stoppin’ Us,” alongside Charlie Wilson, K-Ci Hailey of Jodeci, and Johnny Gill.
Though many are unable to relive the classic first “showdown” between Babyface and Teddy Riley, one can watch the second face-off below.