Alongside his new album, Write Me Back, R. Kelly has scaled new creative heights with his memoir  Soulacoaster: The Diary of Me published by SmileyBooks, an imprint owned by  noted broadcaster and publisher Tavis Smiley.  R’s first book has allowed the singer-songwriter to define himself and dig deep into his life story.

“When you become a celebrity and a legend in your industry, everybody thinks they know you and people form distorted opinions without really understanding who you are,” he observes. “But nobody really knows you until they know the things you’ve been through. The only way to do that was to tell my story. In life there are two sides to every story, but unfortunately in my case there are about forty different sides to the story.”

The singer makes a big distinction between R. Kelly the star, and Robert Kelly the human being. “They already know who R. Kelly is. They know R. Kelly performs and they know he’s written and produced hits for other artists. But I felt it was time they met Robert, the mama’s boy, Robert the brother, Robert the father, and most of all Robert the man.

Between Write Me Back and Soulacoaster: The Diary of Me, the stage has been set for the expression of new and unexpected dimensions of R. Kelly’s intimate, compelling, and soul-filled artistry.