A prominent contemporary R&B figure who achieved his first major crossover hit in 1998 with Tyrese's "Sweet Lady," Johnta Austinis known most as a Grammy-awarded writer for Mariah Carey's "We Belong Together" and Mary J.Blige's "Be Without You,"winners of Best R&B Song for 2005 and 2006.In addition to these and other hits by singers such as Toni Braxton,Aaliyah, Janet Jackson, and Chris Brown, the ballad specialist -- also a producer and singer -- has made periodic moves as a lead artist. He was signed to RCA before he landed on Jermaine Dupri's So So Def Recordings, where he charted in 2006 with "Turn It Up."A long-in-the-works LP entitled Ocean Drive never materialized, but in 2019 -- 25 years into his career -- he finally released his first solo album,Love,Sex, & Religion. As a youngster, Johnta Austin sang in church and aspired to be an actor,and reached households across the U.S. through cable television, as a pre-teen newscaster on TBS ...