Legendary R&B ICON, Multi-Award Winning Platinum Singer, Songwriter and Humanitarian, JOHNNY GILL, Is Set To Receive The Entertainers' Key to The City of New York from Mayor, Eric Adams on Saturday, August 2nd, In HARLEM, NY

 

NEW YORK CITY MAYOR, ERIC ADAMS PREPARES TO CELEBRATE, R&B ICON, MULTI-AWARD-WINNING PLATINUM SINGER, SONGWRITER, PRODUCER AND HUMANITARIAN, JOHNNY GILL WITH THE ENTERTAINERS’ KEY TO THE CITY OF NEW YORK

The celebration will take place on Saturday, August 2nd, on 125th Street in Harlem (entrance on Adam Clayton Powell), as part of the RISE UP NYC Concert Series. (All invited)

Free Concert Series Will Include 10 Shows Reflecting Various Music Genres and Cultures, Sounds of a Diverse City

New York, NY - July 31, 2025, – New York City Mayor Eric Adams recently announced the return of the “Rise Up NYC” summer concert series, which will provide 10 free outdoor concerts to New Yorkers across all five boroughs this summer. Inspiring all New Yorkers to come together and celebrate the world’s greatest city, the Adams administration’s highly anticipated concert series will also feature shows in collaboration with the City Parks Foundation’s SummerStage and Globe Star Media, as it expands significantly for its fourth season. The concert series builds on Mayor Adams’ “We Outside Summer,” his initiative to ensure New Yorkers have a safe, enjoyable summer outside through a series of announcements, events, investments, and new programming across the five boroughs.

This Saturday, August 2nd, R&B Icon, multi award-winning platinum singer, songwriter, producer and humanitarian, Johnny Gill, will receive the ‘Entertainers’ Key to the City of New York’, from Mayor Adams. The presentation will take place in the borough of Manhattan, in Harlem on 125th Street, with a celebratory performance in front of thousands of invited adoring fans.

“"Someone once told me prayers the key to the kingdom and faith unlocks the door, this might not be the key to the kingdom of all kingdoms, but I’m truly honored to receive a key that encourage and reminds me to keep the faith and stay the course, I’m truly honored!!"" mentions Johnny.

On August 22nd, Johnny Gill will be globally releasing his new single, "ONE NIGHT" under his label partnership with The SRG Group | Virgin Music family. "ONE NIGHT" is available for pre-orders now. ABOUT JOHNNY GILL "THE GAME CHANGER" There is one undeniable fact about Johnny Gill’s Grammy-nominated, multi-platinum career. The singer/songwriter/producer sure knows how to rub music fans the right way. Gill further fortified that inimitable legacy with his release, Game Changer II (J Skillz Records/Kalvary) in 2019. Like its predecessor, Game Changer (2014), Gill’s eighth solo studio album Game Changer II arrived packed with an avalanche of hits. In fact, the singer quickly claimed an R&B No. 1 with the set’s lead single “Soul of a Woman.” the song praises the power of women. The poignant song opens a rare window into Johnny’s personal life as it was primarily inspired by his mother, Annie Mae. “I’ve been holding on to this Greg Pagani song since the last album,” Johnny shares, “listening to the demo for my own personal pleasure. It’s not your everyday song,” —which is exquisitely captured in its accompanying video co-starring Emmy Award winner Tiffany Haddish. GC II’s second single, which went top ten on the charts, is: “Perfect.” Extolling the virtues of natural beauty, strength and intellect, the sultry ballad reunites Gill with his New Edition bandmate Ralph Tresvant. But ballads weren’t the only thing on Gill’s mind while recording this project. The 11-track set boasts several up-tempo, genre-bending tracks such as the Latin-spiced “Fiesta” featuring icons Carlos Santana and Sheila E., the reggae-tinged love song “Best Thing” as well as “Favorite Girl” – all produced by Grammy Award winning producer/musician/songwriter Blac Elvis out of Atlanta. A surefire standout is “That’s My Baby,” a sumptuous tribute to one of Gill’s biggest heroes, Luther Vandross, produced by the late producer, Ralph Stacy. Rounding out the guest cameos is After 7 lead singer Kevon Edmonds on “Home.” And on “So Hard,” Gill teams up again with legendary producers Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis, the masterminds behind his 1990 breakthrough hit “Rub You the Right Way.” (Gill shares the creative inspiration behind each GC II selection, including three bonus tracks, following the bio.) “I wanted to focus on including more tempo because I haven’t recorded those kinds of songs in a while,” says Gill of recruiting Jam & Lewis, Gregg Pagani and Elvis “Blac Elvis” Williams, among other producers. “I like to party as well. So they came up with nice tempo records that allowed me to be Johnny without compromising who I am.” As the formidable next chapter in Gill’s career, Game Changer II underscored once more why he is a long-distance legacy artist with a brand that’s ever-evolving. The album was built on the career renaissance that predecessor Game Changer ushered in. That project detonated six R&B hit singles, including the No. 1 “This One’s for Me and You.” In 2023, Johnny Gill’s 41st anniversary as a professional entertainer and seals his legendary status. It’s been a time that’s seen him be successful as a solo artist, as a member of several groups and as the CEO of his own empire under the J Skillz mantle. Even as Motown celebrated its 60th anniversary, Johnny is still proud to have once been a part of that magical company’s golden legacy. “I was honored to be signed by Motown,” Johnny states. “No matter what era you’re in, Motown will always be a landmark in music. Not just for Black folks. Like Smokey said, ‘The Sound of Young America’ was made to cross over and touch everybody.” When he took his career into his own hands and started his J Skillz company and returned to music, it was with every intention to be a soul survivor and a game changer. “If I knew then what I know now,” he says shaking his head. “These years have been an experience I could never have paid for. It gave me another level of respect for the industry and what record companies did back then. Until you sit in that chair and realize all of the things that have to be done, it gives you a whole other level of respect. There’s no way my last album could have been as successful as it was if it hadn’t been my decision – and having the resources - to accomplish all we did. It’s been a blessing.” In fact, in every arena that he has entered, the volcanic-voiced Gill has been a game changer. Discovered at 16 years old, he released two albums through Atlantic Records. He next joined now-iconic boy band New Edition, helping them segue melodically from novelty to longevity on timeless classics such as “If It Isn’t Love” and “Can You Stand the Rain.” As a linchpin of legendary Motown Records’ ‘90s comeback roster, Gill exploded as a solo artist with an indelible one-two punch from producers Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis (“Rub You the Right Way”) and L.A. Reid & Babyface (“My, My, My”). Alongside Gerald Levert and Keith Sweat, Gill established L.S.G., the powerful R&B supergroup behind the sexy smash “My Body.” He also formed another supergroup, Heads of State, with New Edition peers Bobby Brown and Ralph Tresvant. Johnny Gill is one of the few artist to score #1 hits with two different groups, duo and also as a solo artist. He’s one of the top legendary artist to have hits on the top 10 R&B charts for three decades 80’s, 90’s and 2000’s. He’s accomplished a lot in his career as a veteran in this business and deserves a lot of credit for what he’s done in over 40 years in this business. After a 15-year solo hiatus, Gill made a stunning return to the game with 2011’s Still Winning. The set peaked at No. 17 on the Billboard 200 and No. 4 on the magazine’s R&B album chart. Then came the pivotal Game Changer on Gill’s own record label J Skillz. That move also signaled another phase in Gill’s multi-faceted career: entrepreneur. With Game Changer and Game Changer II now under his belt, Gill and Tresvant did a joint-venture collaboration. The pair teamed up again for Ralph Tresvant single, “All Mine”, on Ralph’s 2020 solo project. After their partnership resulted in the 2019 hit “Perfect”; why mess with perfection? This time with Ralph taking the lead of course. With production again from Gregg Pagani, “All Mine” is as cool and comfortable as any song ever recorded by either artist. Following Johnny’s involvement in the 2017 television ratings bonanza The New Edition Story, Gill filmed a role in 2018 in the upcoming Spinning Gold which will be released in 2023. In the forthcoming biopic about Casablanca Records founder Neil Bogart, Gill plays Clarence Burke Jr. who was the lead singer of the Five Stairsteps (top 40 hit “O-o-h Child”). A fervent believer in giving back, Gill is a longtime supporter of the L.A. Speech & Language Therapy Center for the last 15 years, which provides treatment and services for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and other diagnoses. “Music is so universal and can be so healing to our souls,” says Gill. “I love watching these children work through their problems, evolve and do things no one ever dreamed they could.” Gill performed with the kids from LA Speech & Language Therapy Center at the Special Olympics 2015 Opening Ceremony. After the huge success of the widely anticipated New Edition “The Culture Tour 2022”, Gill fulfilled an item off his bucket list by releasing a widely acclaimed Christmas song in Nov 2022 called “Bad Santa”. Johnny Gill and his brothers in New Edition set out on the New Edition “The Legacy Tour” 2023 in February of 2023 to take their fans on a journey to help New Edition celebrate 40 years in the industry and to show their fans how much they are appreciated. Gill still plans to do a covers album of R&B classics by Vandross, Al Green and more (“All the greats I grew up listening to,” says Gill), the singer clearly isn’t planning to step out of the game just yet. As for the secret behind his career longevity, Gill laughs and says, “If I knew what the secret was, I’d bottle it up and sell it. All I can say is I still have a passion for music. And there’s still a platform out here for me to express myself and inspire people in a world that still needs a lot of work.” Johnny Gill along with New Edition performed an AMAZING Tribute to The Spinners for The Spinners induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in November 2023. Celebrating 40 years in music, New Edition has extended their Residency at Encore Theater at Wynn Las Vegas through 2025 after selling out their six debut shows March 2024 within an hour. This summer, Johnny Gill returns to the music scene with new music, as on August 22nd, he will be releasing his new single, "ONE NIGHT." Whatever Johnny Gill has coming next, fans can rest assure of one thing. He never just plays the game. He changes it … every time. CONNECT WITH JOHNNY GILL: IG | META | X CONNECT WITH RISE UP NYC: RISE UP NYC | IG: | META: The Rise Up NYC concert series, produced by Globe Star Media, continues to amplify local artists, encourage New Yorkers to support local small businesses near the concert venues, and provide the opportunity for New Yorkers, especially young New Yorkers, to come together to support non-violent solutions to conflicts across the city. For more information about the concert series, including a list of artists that will be updated as each event gets closer, visit the Rise Up NYC website and City Parks Foundation website.