BABYFACE'S TOWERING RETURN

"Babyface" Edmonds has inked a deal with Michelle Jubelirer's Capitol Records, the first fruit of which will be his 10/29 album Girls' Night Out, featuring an array of rising female R&B artists.

The longtime hitmaker is producing the set with Babyface Entertainment's Rika Tischendorf. First single "Keeps on Fallin'" f/Ella Mai got a nice look at the BET Awards over the weekend; view it below. Other guest vocalists include Queen Naija, Ari Lennox, Kehlani and Doechii.

Babyface, the "Face" of LaFace Records, which he co-founded with L.A. Reid in 1989, has been a massive force in pop music over the years, writing and producing 16 Pop #1s, 42 R&B #1s and 125 Top 10 hits. The man born Kenneth Brian Edmonds has won 12 Grammys and is the only person to win Producer of the Year four times. His shelf is groaning with tons of other awards we don't have room to list, and his resume features projects created with some of the biggest stars you can name.

"I am extremely honored and humbled to be signing to a legacy label like Capitol," reads his quote. "They have welcomed me with open arms and treat me like family. And, in the end, that is what it’s all about—doing what you love with people who have the same love for music as you do. I am very excited about the upcoming album and everyone on it. The process for it reminded me of when I did [the 1995 #1 septuple-platinum soundtrack] Waiting to Exhale and I’m excited for the world to hear. The best part of all is that I won't have to appear in HITS ever again, and... What????"

Noted Jubelirer, "Babyface’s return to the studio is long overdue, and I couldn’t be happier that he’s chosen Capitol as the home for such a wonderful new album. To hear his one-of-a-kind voice paired with some of music’s most impressive female artists is a joy that we can’t wait to share."

He's pictured in the middle of the cozy trade pic above with CMG SVP Marketing Ray Alba, Tischendorf, Jubelirer and CMG Senior Director of A&R Chris Turner. It's said that Babyface's mere proximity will cause people to fall in love with each other everywhere within a quarter-mile radius.

Photo: Lester Cohen