Avant Discusses His New Album "Can We Fall in Love" and Longevity in the Music Industry

Avant, one of the music industry's greatest crooners, is back like he never left. Today he releases his ninth studio album Can We Fall In Love, an album that he describes as " something fun and an album for everyone who loves R&B." I got the chance to speak to this award-winning singer, who just so happens to hail from my hometown of Cleveland, Ohio, about his career and his legacy.

"My work has made a difference for people in their lives, and that's what matters to me. It's about the music". These are the words spoken by the Nothing in this World singer as he mentions that he recently found out his music has been streamed over 1.8 Billion times.

When asked, how has he managed to remain true to his brand while continuing to evolve?

I think one of the main things is being true to yourself. The first time that I did my first album, I thought that was all people wanted. I thought it was perfect and they were like no six months later, we need another album. I had to learn how to work hard but also remain true to myself as a writer. I started taking ideas from other people's relationships and making it feel like it's all about me but at the end of the day, it was all about the music. I was putting an album out every six months, for a minute. I was giving so much so I was like let me fall back and see if the love is still there. So I took a little time off but here I am. I'm back!

One of the things that Avant wants people to take away from this album is honesty.

Be honest with yourself. Everybody is dealing with relationships if you have one. It's very relationship-driven whether good or bad. You have the "I Love You" songs and you have the "I Don't Care For You" songs. One thing about relationships, there are a lot of people making love but not in love. That's why I named the album Can We Fall In Love. A lot of people don't know the difference between making love and being in love. When you're in love, you're showing a vulnerable side. It's a scary thing but if you have the right person who can treat you right and you can treat them right, it'll work. You'll get all of that from the album.

When asked about which album he enjoyed the most, the Making Good Love singer says it's hard to pick one.

It's hard to say because it's about moments. I like to tell this Kobe story. I had a show in Denver and across the TV, I saw Kobe Bryant on a press conference talking about what he did. As I'm watching the TV, I'm getting inspired so I wrote Don't Take Your Love Away. Kobe was that cocky dude. It's hard for me to pick a song because there are so many memories. When you look at Read Your Mind, I was in a club shooting pool and this girl walked past like she wanted to eat me up and I was like "I can read your mind" and that's just how it comes to me.

Check out the full interview below.

Check out his new album Can We Fall in Love below.