Novel

Alonzo Mario Stevenson (b. September 3, 1981), known professionally as Novel, is a Grammy Award winning singer/songwriter, producer, and rapper residing from Los Angeles, California. He is the son of Motown’s William “Mickey” Stevenson and the grandson of soul pioneer Solomon Burke.

The name Novel came from a friend of Stevenson’s in Philadelphia, who gave Novel the nickname, because he always carried a notebook.

From Novel’s Biography, Novel and Solomon both grew up with his mother in Atlanta, Philadelphia, and North Carolina, sometimes staying in shelters due to him having no money at the time. After running away from home at age 14, Novel returned to California where his father set up a recording studio for him. Novel released the single “Peach” through Rawkus Records in 2003, but he almost didn’t release it because he “felt it was bubble gum.”

Novel was originally going to release his debut album, The World in 2003, but was ultimately cancelled when Rawkus split from MCA Records, which folded that year. From there, he spent the next years writing and producing for artists, from the likes of Alicia Keys, Beyoncé, and many more. Thanks to this, Novel got signed to Rowdy Records in 2007 and released an EP titled I Am… (Future Black President) the following year.

Since then, Novel received over 5 Grammy nominations and 1 win in all different categories and is considered very versatile for writing & producing in a wide variety of genres.