“Love Is” Set to Premiere on SiriusXM’s Heart & Soul Today, Thursday, November 7
(November 7, 2024 – New York, NY) – Legacy Recordings, the catalog division of Sony Music Entertainment, in partnership with The Estate of Whitney E. Houston and Primary Wave Music will release Houston’s new studio single, “Love Is,” from her first-ever live concert album, Whitney Houston: The Concert for a New South African (Durban) on Friday, November 8, in celebration of the 30th Anniversary of her historical visit to South Africa.
Written by Carvin Winans and produced by Nat Adderley and Whitney Houston, “Love Is” is the only new studio song on the album performed by Houston, which is set to make its premiere on SiriusXM’s Heart & Soul (Channel 47) at 9:00 a.m. ET today, Thursday, November 7, and will rebroadcast at 12:00 p.m., 6:00 p.m., and 9:00 p.m. Additionally, Winans and Tommy Sims produced the “Love Is (Carvin Winans Remix),” which is featured as a bonus track on the digital album.
“Whitney is undeniably ‘The Voice’ of her generation,” says Dion Summers, Vice President of Music Programming at SiriusXM, who first heard the song 30 years ago. “Her songs continue to inspire, and SiriusXM is honored to continue celebrating her legacy with the exclusive United States premiere of ‘Love Is.’ Through her extraordinary music and amazing spirit, Whitney Houston will always be with us.”
The Houston family and The Winans family have had a tight bond and close relationship through the years. Carvin was the first member of the Winans family to meet Whitney. In August 1986, Whitney performed at Pine Knob Music Theatre near the Detroit Metropolitan area, and she planned to sing “Tomorrow,” a classic hit song that Carvin wrote for him and his brothers, The Winans, a multiple award-winning gospel group. Whitney loved The Winans and the song so much that she wanted to meet Carvin, so he went to the show and was blown away by her performance. When they met backstage, Carvin recalls how much Whitney said she loved the song and the moment marked the start of their long-term professional and family friendship, a moment he said he would cherish forever.
During that same year, Carvin woke up in the wee hours one morning with a soul-stirring melody that he could not get out of his head, so he went over to his piano and began to write the song. A few weeks later, he went into the studio to produce the demo and later sent it to his music publisher.
The following year, he received a surprise visit to his home from Whitney, and that’s where she first heard, “Love Is.” According to Carvin, she instantly fell in love with the song and asked him to hold the song for her because she wanted to record it. As promised, he held the song, and Whitney recorded it three years later (September 1990).
After Whitney’s passing, several years later, Sony Music reached out to Carvin to create a remix of the original song. “Love Is (Carvin Winans Remix)” is included on Whitney Houston: The Concert for a New South Africa (Durban) music project, where she performed the song in 1994.
Carvin says, “‘Love Is’ talks about how strong love can be if we put it into action, and no one brings that message across more convincingly than the greatest female singer to ever live, Whitney Houston.”
“Whitney said that Carvin was one of the most talented songwriters she had ever met, and she was happy that she had an opportunity to collaborate with him on this song,” says Pat Houston, the executor of The Estate of Whitney E. Houston. “This is a classic and soulful R&B song, with a simple message straight from the heart. She would be pleased to know this song was finally released to the world.”
The live concert album features music from the unprecedented concert event, including Whitney’s greatest hits, “I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me),” “How Will I Know,” “I Have Nothing,” “Greatest Love of All,” “I Will Always Love You,” and other landmark classics including “Amazing Grace,” and her rendition of Charlie Smalls’ “Home” from the Broadway musical, The Wiz. The collection features three configurations with slightly different track listings on CD, vinyl, and digital for the first time. Last month, the never-before released concert film was featured in select cinemas worldwide in more than 30 countries on October 23rd and 27th.
The post Legacy Recordings Releases Whitney Houston’s New Studio Single, “Love Is” from Her First-Ever Live Concert Album, ‘The Concert For A New South Africa (Durban)’ on November 8 appeared first on Sony Music.
