R&B singer Karyn White has returned to the Billboard charts for the first time in three decades, with her latest single “You’re Gonna Want Me Back” peaking at No. 11 on the Adult R&B Airplay chart in April 2026, per ratedrnb.com.
The track is White’s first top 15 hit since the 1990s and comes 35 years after the release of her second album, Ritual of Love.
Speaking from her home office in February, White reflected on Ritual of Love, released in September 1991. The Jam & Lewis-produced album included her only Billboard Hot 100 No. 1, “Romantic”, and was recorded during her marriage to producer Terry Lewis. “It was my relationship with Terry Lewis — my marriage — falling in love and being in love,” White said. “Ritual of Love is very special to me.”
White, who rose to prominence with her 1988 self-titled debut, scored three Hot 100 top 10 hits with “Superwoman”, “The Way You Love Me” and “Secret Rendezvous”. After Ritual of Love, she released Make Him Do Right in 1994, which produced two Adult R&B Airplay top 10s. She then took an extended hiatus before issuing Carpe Diem (Seize the Day) in 2012.
“You’re Gonna Want Me Back”, produced by Derek “DOA” Allen, interpolates Dionne Warwick’s 1973 track “You’re Gonna Need Me”. White said the single represents “the grown woman way to say, ‘OK, I’m out. Clarity, I’m good’”. At the time of writing, the song had reached No. 11, marking White’s first appearance in the chart’s top 25 in 30 years.
White co-wrote 10 of the 12 tracks on Ritual of Love and said working with Jam & Lewis encouraged her to “tell your truth”. She described sessions at Flyte Tyme Studios as “magical” and cited “Tears of Joy”, produced by Michael Powell, as a standout that she believes should have been a single. White noted that management decisions at the time pushed her toward a pop focus, leaving “a lot of meat on the bone” from the album.
On current R&B, White praised Jill Scott, Snoh Aalegra, Solange and Teyana Taylor. She has recorded four additional songs and said new releases will follow if the material “lives up to me putting out something great”. She added that she is seeking to work with Raphael Saadiq and continues to release music independently.
The Adult R&B Airplay chart, launched in 1993, measures airplay on US adult R&B radio stations. White last reached its top 10 in 1994 with tracks from Make Him Do Right.
