Kem leaves Motown Records after 23 years as Detroit R&B star returns to independent roots

Kem is stepping into a new future by turning back to his roots.

The Detroit R&B star has parted ways with Motown Records, his label home for more than two decades, resuming the do-it-yourself approach that put him on the map to begin with.

“Over the last three to five years, I’ve done a lot of internal soul-searching about the seasons of my life — being married, having young children, thinking about my career and about the sea change in the music industry and content creation,” he told the Free Press. “With the traditional model of doing business, everything has shifted.”

Kem’s departure means that for the first time since Motown Records' 1959 founding by Berry Gordy, there is no signature Detroit artist on the label roster. (Classic music by the label’s legacy artists is handled by sister company Universal Music Enterprises.)

His decision follows substantial reshuffling at Motown Records in recent years, including the 2022 resignation of label CEO Ethiopia Habtemariam. Kem bided his time as the West Coast-based label underwent a transformation.

“We’ll wait ‘til the dust settles,” Kem said of his thinking during the upheaval. “But what if the dust never settles?”

The singer-songwriter has now revived his own Kemistry Records, the brand that launched his self-funded debut album, “Kemistry,” and made him a grassroots Detroit sensation in the early 2000s. That street-level appeal, coupled with Kem’s sensual sound and smooth style, caught the attention of Motown, which signed him in late 2002.

Kem said he is grateful for his time at Motown, which gave him plenty of creative autonomy and scheduling freedom. He enjoyed the cachet of that iconic label and its funding of his projects.

“I had a wonderful relationship with Motown,” he said. “But the Motown I signed to and the Motown that exists now are not the same. That’s not a negative thing. But the industry has changed, and maybe I should change too.”

To support his new direction, Kem has assembled an internal team that includes specialists in marketing, media relations, legal, concert booking and other duties. He’ll own his forthcoming master recordings and release music as he chooses.

“There are so many places for music to live today,” he said. “There’s a benefit to putting as much music into the world as I can. I’m an established artist. There’s no reason not to saturate the airwaves, be it streaming or radio, with what I consider to be great music.”

First up is the streaming single “Give My Love,” whose warm, translucent groove evolved from an Afrobeat feel into what Kem calls a “Sade-esque vibe.” The song is due in the coming weeks, as Kem gears up for a two-night homecoming stand at Detroit’s Aretha Franklin Amphitheatre. His July 25 show is already on sale; tickets for the July 26 date will go on sale Thursday.

And it’s accompanied by the relaunch of his official website, MusicByKem.com.

Kem says his separation from Motown began earlier this year, when he asked to be released from his contract. He calls it “an instinctive decision,” following several years of reflection that began during the COVID-19 pandemic.

While he’ll still serve his audience with physical releases as needed, including CDs and vinyl editions, Kem is mostly focused on the flexibility afforded by the digital world.

“I held onto the idea of the traditional model of releasing music. I felt like the musicians playing on the Titanic as it was going down,” he said with a laugh. “Dude, I’m the last guy on the boat.”

And so now he’ll be back in a familiar spot, running his own show — even if it’s a bit more advanced than the days when he was funding recording sessions on a credit card and selling CDs out of a car trunk in Detroit parking lots.

“It’s a return to the love of how I like to make music and engage with my fans,” Kem said. “This is an opportunity for me to put out music, to control my content, to move more freely and have more equity in myself. Let me bring all of this home.”