Avant

Myron Avant, known to the music world as Avant, was born on April 26, 1978 in Cleveland, Ohio. He went to the Cleveland School of the Arts where he majored in theater. After graduating in 1995, Avant had his first big success in the music industry with his single "Separated."

In 1998, Avant's manager, Eric Payton, released the track on his label, Payton Entertainment. It got airplay in Chicago and was released in 1999 on a MCA compilation titled Summer Heat.

Avant's success was recognized as he became the first act signed to Magic Johnson's Magic Johnson Music. His debut album, My Thoughts, released on May 2, 2000 and went platinum. Produced by Steve Huff, the album scored success with singles "Separated" and "My First Love." The former topped the R&B charts and reached #23 on the Hot 100, while the latter reached #4 on the R&B charts and reached #26 on the Hot 100.

In 2002, Avant came back with his follow-up album, Ecstasy. The album went gold and had several successful singles. "Makin' Good Love" reached #7 on the R&B charts and #27 on the Hot 100, while the later single "Don't Say No, Just Say Yes" reached #51 on the R&B charts.

Near the end of 2003, Avant released his third album, Private Room, which followed his earlier success and went gold. The album's hit single, "Read Your Mind" capitalized on Avant's earlier success, reaching #5 on the R&B charts and #13 on the Hot 100. The second single, "Dont Take Your Love Away," also performed well, reaching #37 on the Hot 100 and #13 on the R&B charts.

Avant's last album, Director's Cut, came out in 2006 and had the hit single "4 Minutes." The track reached #9 on the R&B charts.

Avant is reported to have a new album coming out in the summer of 2008.