After taking a break from singing to undergo emergency throat surgery last year, R. Kelly is making an official return with his 11th studio album, Write Me Back, set for release on June 26.
"Share My Love," the lead single from Write Me Back, was released in February and has already made waves on radio. The latest cut, "Feelin' Single" will be available digitally on May 29. The new LP is a follow-up to R. Kelly's 2010 release Love Letter, which was an ode to music from the '50s and '60s.
Back in December, Kells shocked fans when he announced that he would be adding 32 chapters to his popular "Trapped in the Closet" series, and in March it was confirmed that the series would be aired on IFC later this year. Twenty-two chapters exist thus far in the soap opera series that begins with a one-night stand and weaves into an extended tale of sex and lies, starring Kelly's alter ego, Sylvester.
"When I first began experiencing the unknown journey of writing 'Trapped in the Closet,' I knew after the first chapter that I had tapped into something that was not of this earth," R. Kelly said in a statement at the time of the IFC announcement. "Being the nosy person that I am, I more than anyone wanted to know what the second chapter would be. And now here we are at chapter 23, trapped in the million dollar question — what the hell is the package? Well, ladies and gentlemen, not only am I ready to reveal what the package is, but I have many more chapters to share."
It's set to be a pretty eventful year for the Pied Piper. In February, he was one of the entertainers at Whitney Houston's funeral, performing a moving rendition of the late singer's hit "I Look to You," which he also wrote.