Mina SayWhat Talks To Jodeci About 35 Year Anniversary Of Debut Album “Forever My Lady” And Tour

Thirty-five years after Jodeci helped reshape contemporary R&B, the group’s music continues to find new audiences. For members K-Ci and Mr. Dalvin, K-Ci Hailey and Dalvin DeGrate, respectively, celebrating the anniversary of Jodeci’s debut album “Forever My Lady” is not simply about looking back, it is about recognizing the lasting connection between Jodeci and the listeners who have kept the music alive.

As the R&B icons embark on their upcoming 35th anniversary tour, kicking off later this month with a Nov. 19 performance at Parx Casino in Bensalem, they reflected on their journey.

“It’s been an experience, you know, a great experience,” K-Ci said of Jodeci’s journey. “We had our ups and downs, but with the grace of God, we’re still here.”

The group’s relationship with its audience has become especially meaningful over the years. K-Ci said they no longer think of their longtime supporters simply as fans.

“We don’t even call them fans no more,” he said. “They are friends. We appreciate them sticking with us for 35 years. We’re just ready to do this, show the world that we love them and let our friends know that we love them, and we appreciate everything.”

That connection with music began when the members were very young. Brothers Dalvin and Donald Degrate Jr., who fans may know as DeVanté Swings, were teenagers when they wrote many of the songs on “Forever My Lady.” Mr. Dalvin was just 14, while DeVanté was 16. K-Ci and Jojo Hailey, who are also brothers, were teenagers when they began their musical journey as well.

Despite their age, the group had years of musical experience behind them. They had grown up singing in church, performing for adults and spending time in recording studios. Those experiences helped them develop the emotional depth that became a defining characteristic of Jodeci’s sound.

“We just took our experiences of life and traveled around and toured the world as kids, and just bottled it up and just put it into R&B music,” Mr. Dalvin said.

The “Forever My Lady” song was originally recorded as part of an early demo and eventually became the title track of the album. At the time, the group had no idea the song would become a lasting R&B standard.

“You never know how the world’s gonna receive or perceive anything that you make,” Mr. Dalvin said. “We knew we had something special, we just didn’t know how special it was.”

The album went on to reach No. 1 on the Billboard R&B Albums chart. But the teenage members were still learning how the music business worked. While on a promotional tour, they were told they were “number one with a bullet,” a phrase they initially misunderstood.

Their growing popularity became clear during a performance in Washington, D.C., when fans rushed the stage and surrounded their vehicle. Mr. Dalvin recalled that fans even took his shoes.

“We realized, ‘well, hey man, we might be popular,’” he said.

Now, the group is marking the 35th anniversary with a reissue of the “Forever My Lady” album on streaming platforms featuring five bonus tracks, including a previously unheard a cappella version of “Stay.” They are also returning to the stage for their anniversary tour.

Philadelphia is one of the tour stops, and the group said they are looking forward to performing in a city with such a deep R&B and soul history. The anniversary tour will also showcase the staying power of Jodeci’s music. Songs like “Stay,” Come & Talk To Me,” and “Forever My Lady” are now considered R&B staples.

Mr. Dalvin said the group has noticed its concert audiences getting younger, with social media, viral videos, samples and references from contemporary artists introducing Jodeci to a new generation.

“We see these young people, they singing every word to our songs,” he said.

That generational connection is particularly striking because Jodeci emerged during a period when R&B and hip-hop were becoming increasingly intertwined. Their influence remains evident in contemporary music, while songs from their catalog continue to resonate with listeners decades later.

The members have also watched the sound of R&B change dramatically. K-Ci said he misses the raw vocals and emotional intensity of earlier eras, while Mr. Dalvin believes the genre has shifted toward production and beats at the expense of lyrical content.

“I just think people stopped singing about love,” Mr. Dalvin said. “It became all about the beat instead of the lyrics.”

Still, the group remains open to some artists. K-Ci cited Tank and the late D’Angelo as artists whose music still carries the soul he looks for, while Mr. Dalvin said he continues to draw inspiration from older music.

After 35 years, performing still gives the group butterflies. Mr. Dalvin said those nerves are part of what keeps the experience exciting. “If you still don’t get butterflies, you don’t love what you do,” he said.

And while Jodeci’s history is extensive, Mr. Dalvin does not like describing the group solely in terms of its legacy.

“I don’t like to say legacy, because it’d make it sound like something in the past,” he said. “There’s a lot more things to come to Jodeci.”

For a group whose music has endured across generations, the anniversary is less a conclusion than another chapter. As longtime fans return to “Forever My Lady,” and younger listeners discover it for the first time, Jodeci continues to prove that some music does not simply belong to an era, it becomes part of the culture.