Avant, a Cleveland Ohio native who still lives in his hometown, learned how to appreciate and admire the strength and resilience of women who are mothers, sisters and lovers from the most important woman in his life, his mother. ?One of the most valuable things my mother taught me is that you can love someone and not expect anything back.? As the youngest son in a family of six, he watched his mom sacrifice mightily to provide the best for her children. Money might have been tight, but her affection never faltered. She encouraged Avant to develop his musical gifts and played classic R&B artists like Smokey Robinson, The Supremes and Marvin Gaye who later influenced his creative direction.
Avant loved the great ones, but to him, his uncle, the late Andrew Pittman was the ultimate performer. ?My uncle was the inspiration for me to be in the music game doing what I do,? he says simply. ?I would watch him perform with his group when I was 5 years old and I wanted to be like him.? Avant?s uncle never made it in the record business, but Pittman?s experience played a huge part in teaching Avant valuable lessons about discipline and hard work.
At 14, an age when most teen boys are preoccupied with sports, video games and girls, Avant began penning his own songs. ?I started writing songs when I realized the different ways a person can approach love. I had just begun to understand what love is, and I wanted people to hear my voice and see my vision as an artist.? Avant honed both his vision and his voice at the Cleveland School of the Arts, where he learned to integrate his smooth tenor, songwriting ability and dramatic flair into a sultry stage persona. Avant entered and won innumerable talent shows, but unfortunately, Cleveland just couldn?t provide any professional outlets for his budding talent.
After graduation, Avant worked a few factory jobs holding fast to his dreams of music industry success. ?I would sometimes get discouraged,? he admits. ?But, I recognized that this was a stepping stone to the next phase in my life.? Avant continued to make music, using downtime at work to write material and a friend?s studio to record after hours. ?I had a bunch of sleepless nights,? laughs Avant, who would often bring a change of clothes and head directly back to work.
His big break came in 1998 when Avant made his professional debut with the independent release of his first single ?Separated?. Radio embraced the song and the resulting buzz helped the singer land a deal at the now defunct label, Magic Johnson Music. His debut album, My Thoughts, sold over a million copies and garnered the singer legions of devoted fans. His subsequent releases Ecstasy and Private Room were also well received, earning gold plaques, but his career has not been without its share of controversy.
The singer had to contend with critical backlash that much of his style was borrowed from other crooners. And though his music was unquestionably well received, even the singer acknowledges that his distinctive musical gifts weren?t always showcased in his earlier material. This time around, Avant assumed more control over his sound and the key people supporting him. He signed with new management and collaborated with a bunch of A-list producers like Jermaine Dupri and Rodney Jerkins to take his sound to the next level.
