Tevin Campbell Opens Up About His Sexuality: 'You Just Couldn't Be Back Then'
PEOPLE Ever Day podcast, the R&B singer talked about the image he was forced to lean into as a teenager in the music industry and how what was portrayed was far from his reality.“I don’t think the sex symbol thing worked, but the love songs last,” the 45-year-old said speaking to the packaging of his successful debut album T.E.V.I.N. in 1991 and I’m Ready in 1993. “I had no idea at the time, like when I was 15 or 16 recording [‘Can We Talk’] that it would have that impact,” he added. “I was just a kid singing in the studio.”As a child, Campbell wasn’t concerned with his sexuality — neither wanting to lean into it or conceal it, he explained, saying, “I just kind of wanted to be me, you know?” “I didn’t hide anything about me. I didn’t try to act a certain way or anything,” he added.