Marc Nelson (singer) facts for kids

Marc Nelson, born on January 23, 1971, is an American singer and songwriter. He was one of the first members of the famous group Boyz II Men. Marc was still in high school at the Philadelphia High School for the Creative and Performing Arts when he joined. However, due to a management agreement, Marc had to leave the group. This happened before Boyz II Men released their first album, Cooleyhighharmony. He then started his own solo music career.

Early Days with Boyz II Men

The group changed their name to Boyz II Men after hearing a song called "Boys to Men" by New Edition. In 1989, the group met Michael Bivins, a famous music producer. They started making plans to sign with a major record label and record their first album.

Before meeting Bivins, the group had signed a management deal with a local company in Philadelphia. Marc Nelson was 18 years old at the time. This made it hard for him to break his contract because of his age. The other members were younger, which made their contracts easier to change. Even after Boyz II Men signed with Motown, Marc could not be released from his old management. This meant he had to choose to start a solo career instead of staying with the group. His first solo album, I Want You, came out in September 1991. This was just a few months after Boyz II Men's first album.

Solo Career and Other Groups

I Want You Album

After signing a solo deal with Capitol Records, Marc Nelson had a hit song. It was a cover of Marvin Gaye's song, "I Want You". This song reached number 26 on the R&B music charts. His next song, "Count On Me", reached number 48 on the R&B charts. Marc released his first solo album, I Want You, in 1991.

After his first album, Marc started focusing on writing songs for other artists. He caught the attention of Babyface, a very famous songwriter and producer. Marc wrote songs for popular singers like Toni Braxton, Brandy, Tamia, Tyrese, and Jon B. Through Babyface, Marc met the members of the group Az Yet. He joined them as a second lead singer, and the group signed with LaFace Records.

Success with Az Yet

Marc Nelson found a lot of success as a member of Az Yet. The group's first album, also called Az Yet, came out in 1996 and sold over a million copies, earning a platinum award. One song from the album, "Last Night", sold over 500,000 copies and reached number 9 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Their second song, "Hard To Say I'm Sorry", did even better. It sold over a million copies and reached number 8 on the Hot 100 chart.

Chocolate Mood Album

Marc Nelson later left Az Yet and spent a lot of time writing new songs. He then released his second solo album, Chocolate Mood, in 1999. This album included Marc's biggest solo hit, "15 Minutes". This song reached number 4 on the R&B charts and number 27 on the Billboard Hot 100. Marc also sang a duet with Beyoncé called "After All is Said and Done". This song was on the soundtrack for the movie The Best Man (1999).

In 2007, Marc was honored by SESAC, a music rights organization. He was recognized for writing "It's On Tonight" by Brian Culbertson. This song was one of the top 5 jazz songs of 2006.

Marc: My Words Album

On July 24, 2007, Marc Nelson released his first independent album, Marc: My Words. This means he released it without a major record label. Marc wrote or helped write the lyrics for all 15 songs on the album. He also produced or helped produce all the songs. He used songs he had written between 2001 and 2007 for this album. One song, "I Don't Wanna Be In Love", was co-written with jazz artist Brian Culbertson. An original version of this song also appeared on Andre Ward's 2007 album, Crystal City.

Blayse Group

Marc Nelson was also a founding member of an R&B super-group called Blayse. This group included other well-known R&B singers: Tony Grant from Az Yet, Gary "Lil G" Jenkins from Silk (group), and Terrell Phillips from Blackstreet. Although the group recorded several songs, they were never officially released. The album was never finished, and the group broke up in December 2007.

Other Projects

Marc Nelson released a new R&B/Soul song called "Wishing You The Worst" on July 24, 2017. He released this song on his own through his company, Focused Artist Entertainment.

Marc was also nominated for an Emmy Award! He wrote the theme song for the 2016 animated Christmas TV movie Snowy Day. The song was performed by his old group, Boyz II Men.

Music Albums

Studio Albums

Songs Marc Contributed To

Singles (Individual Songs)

• "I Want You" (1991)
• "Count on Me" (1992)
• "Last Night" with Az Yet (1996)
• "Hard To Say I'm Sorry" with Az Yet & featuring Peter Cetera (1996)
• "15 Minutes" (1999)
• "Wishing You The Worst" (2017)

Stage Plays

Marc Nelson has also acted in several stage plays:

• Love Ain't Supposed to Hurt - Part II: The Wedding
• Tell Hell I Ain't Coming
• King Solomon Lives
• Men Cry in the Dark
• In-Laws From Hell

See also

In Spanish: Marc Nelson para niños