For most of us, 112’s music lives somewhere in our memory. Whether it’s the opening of Anywhere or the timeless words in Cupid, their music carries a feeling that returns the moment the song plays.
Maybe it’s in the songs we slow-danced to, the ones we healed to, or the ones we hoped would help us say what we couldn’t on our own. As a Grammy-winning founding member of the legendary R&B group, Q Parker helped define what modern R&B sounded and felt like: warm, intimate, melodic, and real.
But today, Parker is speaking from a different place. He’s older now. Sharper. Grounded. And what he has to say about love, music, and manhood is guided by life experience, not just industry success.
“There’s a difference between Quintus, there’s a difference between Q from 112, to now Q Parker,” he says in our exclusive interview. “That’s a whole evolution of maturation… I’m just an R&B song walking with two legs. I’m a romantic individual.”
Parker describes his years with 112 as foundational. The group didn’t just give him a platform; they shaped his ear, his discipline, and his confidence.
“Being in a group like 112 was the greatest entry point for me,” he says. “I learned from those brothers every day.”
112’s music became part of the fabric of Black culture. Songs like Only You and Love You Like I Did were more than hits; they were emotional cues. They helped people express what they felt before they had the words.
Parker was at the heart of that songwriting process, which would later become the bridge into his solo career.
“There was a time when I was writing, and I realized I couldn’t give some of these songs away,” he says. “I would put them aside like, ‘I need to keep this one.’ That became the foundation of my first solo record.”
In 2012, Parker debuted his first solo album, The MANual, a project that marked the beginning of his evolution beyond the harmonies of 112. With smooth arrangements and introspective songwriting, The MANual positioned Parker as not just a vocalist but a man embracing transparency and growth.
That project established Parker’s solo identity, one rooted in romance, authenticity, and the gentle strength of a seasoned R&B balladeer.
Now, more than a decade later, Parker returns with his new project, Evolution of Romance, and the title is intentional.
“For me…I saw that romance was missing in the music,” he says. “So I named myself the Romance Dealer.”
The 11-track album, releasing this Friday, will include singles Keep on Lovin’, his latest single fff, and BEG, the record that earned Parker his first solo Top 10 hit.
Parker believes romance is not just a feeling, it’s a practice, a decision, a way of being present. “I don’t make records for the charts. I don’t make records for the approval of anybody. I just go with what my heart tells me.”
On fff, he leans fully into that presence, being attentive, intentional, and unashamed about loving out loud, while making one request in return: “F**k me, feed me, be a fan of me,” he sings.
“When your body speaks, love listens,” Parker says. It’s not rushed. It’s not complicated. It’s felt.
When asked about the current state of R&B, Parker isn’t judging; he’s observing. “Some of the R&B now is just talking at you,” he says. “There’s no lead-up, no courtship, no serenading.”
Then he paints a picture the way only R&B men do: “Let that thing marinate,” he says. “Slow cook it… By the time the song gets to the bridge, you don’t have to ask for anything. The moment is already created.”
That’s grown-man intimacy. That’s what’s returning with this project.
But Parker says all is not lost in the genre. There are male vocalists he enjoys who still prioritize storytelling and vocal craft, artists who carry the spirit of the R&B balladeer. He names Jay Howell, Kevin Ross, Lucky Daye, Usher, and Chris Brown as examples.
“These are the ones I’m rocking with, the ones who really sing.”
And his advice to them: “Put out music that you’re still going to love performing when you’re in your 40s and 50s.”
When listeners press play on Evolution of Romance, Parker wants one experience above all: “I want to be the soundtrack of your romantic evenings… to be the voice of those who may not articulate what they need to express to their partner.”
Romance isn’t gone. It’s been waiting on someone who remembers how to handle it with care. And Q Parker has returned to do exactly that.
Evolution of Romance releases November 14
