Mark Stefanos
R&B icon Jon B. debuted music from his new album Waiting on You and played some of his classics at Wine Down Wednesdays at Intercrew last week. The 50-year-old crooner looks about 38 and can hit a body roll crispier than most 22-year-olds. More importantly, his voice sounds as smooth as ever, and with the beat pulsing through him, he delivered a magnetic performance that had the crowd hanging on every note, old and new.
“I’m grateful for the blessings I’ve been given — the crowds I’ve been able to sing for that connect with my music,” Jon B. shared after the show. “I’m a songwriter, so I wrote these songs. So, it’s more than just being in front of the crowd and entertaining. These are my babies. And if the songs stand the test of time, that’s the greatest reward.”
Waiting on You is the Grammy-nominated singer’s first new album in ten years, his first new music since the 2019 single “Priceless,” and marks the 30th anniversary of his debut album Bonafide.
“The live shows have really kept me busy for the last ten years, so It’s a pleasure to get back into the studio and feel that sanctuary of — this is what I do, and this is where I feel most comfortable, and this is why I work hard, so I can enjoy these moments — to be able to get the chance to even create another album,” he said.
Jon B. performs at Intercrew March 19, 2025 (Mark Stefanos)
As an independent artist, Jon B. likened the process of putting out his own music to operating his own fully functioning record label. There’s a lot more logistics and financing than just showing up to a studio and having it all taken care of.
“Being an independent artist with no label backing, I just feel like, ‘dang, how did I get all this done?’ It was nothing but God, nothing but the universe just showing me, like, ‘All right, you’ve done a good job at cultivating this love for R&B music. So now it’s here for you, it’s loving you back.’”
Within its 11 tracks, Waiting on You showcases Jon B.’s range, from sexy slow jams like “Pick Me Up” to uptempo tracks like “Hills to the Hood.”
So what’s the secret to longevity?
“Just believing in yourself is really important. Taking interest in your craft in a way that maybe someone else isn’t. Or finding some detail that you can put on your music, or whatever it is that you do artistic-wise, that maybe the next man’s not thinking about,” Jon B. shared. “Because I really feel like it’s about individualism. What do you, as an artist, contribute? What’s your special superpower? Because we all have something to offer, something that’s unusual and that’s unique.”
Jon B. has collaborated with the likes of 2Pac, Babyface, Bootsy Collins, DJ Quik and has written for countless others. The new album features Rick Ross, Donnell Jones and Alex Isley, and the catchy title single “Waiting on You” features Tank.
“I love that part of what I get to do in terms of collaborating with other folks who have something unique to offer,” he added. “There’s so many people I want to collaborate with that are so dope as artists that I would love to hear what it would sound like to have our voices on the same record.”
Jon B. lives in Pasadena with his two daughters and his wife of 18 years Danette, to whom he dedicated the album. He grew up down the street in Altadena, moving there when he was four — a community devastated by the January fires.
“That’s where I was raised, jumping those curbs on my bike and walking my girlfriends home on those streets. Those are the first places of my earliest memories, and it’s the hardest thing to have to think I can’t go back to those memories the same. At least not right now,” the artist reflected. “It just makes you grateful to have what you have in your head. The memory of even the first stage that I even performed on at Eliot [Arts Magnet Middle School] right on Lake Street. It burned up, it’s no longer there, but the memory is there for life.”
Jon B. in his youth in Altadena (David Buck)
But in the face of the tragedy that has consumed his hometown, Jon B. ultimately struck an optimistic note.
“What doesn’t kill us is going to make us stronger. We’re going to have to build back from here, and it’s going to take putting our heads together as a community and figuring it out. I think community is the answer, and you know, maybe this is an incentive for us all to be a little bit better to each other.
“And the opportunity of being able to be of support in any way that I can as a singer, as a public figure, as a songwriter — I’m offering myself in any way, no holds barred.”
You can catch Jon B. performing new hits and the classics on the Pick Me Up Tour:
April 11 – The Filmmore | Silver Spring, MD
April 12 – Soundstage | Baltimore, MD
May 16 – House of Blues | New Orleans, LA
May 17 – House of Blues | Dallas, TX
May 21 – Motor City Casino | Detroit, MI
May 23 & 24 – Ludlow’s | Cincinnati, OH
June 7 – House of Blues | Houston, TX
June 21 – Soboba Casino | San Jacinto, CA
June 28 – House of Blues | Chicago, IL
July 25 – House of Blues | Cleveland, OH
Shae Universe will join as the special guest. Additional dates are forthcoming.
