Make Him Do Right
The Legendary Karyn White
By Angel Richard
Back in 1988, it was a unique time for me as a kid. It was Starter jackets, Forums, Jheri curls — and girls I could not talk to yet. I was still a kid. But music? Music I loved immeasurably.
I remember walking inside, hearing a familiar man’s voice on the radio, and asking my mom, “Who is that singing?” She said, “That’s Babyface.” Then a woman’s voice came in and I asked, “Okay — who is that?” She didn’t know her name. But she said, “Baby, she can sing.”
It was love at first note. When the song ended, the radio host gave me the answer I never forgot: Karyn White and Babyface — “Love Saw It.”
Fast-forward to 1994. Karyn released the album Make Him Do Right. I truly believe, in my heart, that if more women listened to that album, the world would be a better place.
The History
Karyn White came out of Los Angeles singing in church and doing session work before the world caught on. Her 1988 self-titled debut — produced with Babyface and L.A. Reid — went platinum and made her the first female artist ever to send her first three singles to #1 on the R&B chart: “The Way You Love Me,” “Secret Rendezvous,” and the anthem still sung word-for-word today, “Superwoman.”
In 1991 she teamed up with — and married — super-producer Terry Lewis for Ritual of Love, which gave her a #1 pop hit with “Romantic.” Then came 1994’s Make Him Do Right and the slow-burner “Hungah.” After stepping away at her peak to raise her family, she returned in 2012 with Carpe Diem — and she’s been performing for packed, singing-along crowds ever since. Actress, entrepreneur, and forever the Superwoman of R&B.
