(July 21, 2026) Detroit will celebrate one of its most successful musical sons this week, as the city honors platinum-selling R&B singer and songwriter KEM with a secondary street sign bearing his name.
The dedication will take place Thursday, July 23, at the corner of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Third Street, a location with deep personal meaning for the veteran artist. Long before achieving international success, KEM faced homelessness and addiction in Detroit and spent time at Detroit Rescue Mission Ministries, located near the intersection.
The ceremony will be open to the public beginning at 11:00 a.m. ET, with the formal program scheduled to start at noon. Detroit Mayor Mary Sheffield, City Council Member At Large Mary Waters and Detroit Rescue Mission Ministries President and CEO Dr. Chad Audi are among those expected to speak.
Detroit radio station Mix 92.3 WMXD will co-present the event and provide music and commemorative giveaways.
The date carries additional significance. July 23 is KEM’s birthday, the anniversary of his sobriety and the city’s officially recognized “KEM Day.”
“KEM is an icon in Detroit, not only as an entertainer, but also as a humanitarian,” Sheffield said. “Beyond his many musical achievements, KEM has transformed the challenges he faced early in life into a personal mission to support and inspire others to overcome challenges in their lives.”
Councilwoman Waters sponsored the city documents supporting the honorary designation. The recognition, she said, will serve as a lasting tribute at a location that represented a turning point in KEM’s life and as an inspiration to Detroiters pursuing their own dreams.
The intersection also helped inspire the name of KEM’s Mack & Third Foundation, through which he has supported programs addressing homelessness, hunger, education and other community needs.
Born Kim Owens, KEM developed a smooth, jazz-influenced style that helped distinguish him from many of his R&B contemporaries. After independently releasing his debut album, Kemistry, he signed with Motown Records, which reissued the project nationally in 2003.
The album introduced listeners to “Love Calls,” a slow-burning ballad that became his signature song and established him as a major voice in adult R&B. He followed it with such hits as “I Can’t Stop Loving You,” “Why Would You Stay,” “Nobody,” “Lie to Me” and the Toni Braxton duet “Live Out Your Love.”
Across a career spanning more than two decades, KEM has released a series of successful albums, earned multiple Grammy Award nominations and built a devoted following with his elegant songwriting and commanding live performances.
In 2023, he told the story of his recovery, faith and career in the memoir Share My Life: A Journey of Love, Faith and Redemption.
KEM began his career through his independently owned Kemistry Records, which originally released Kemistry and “Love Calls.” He later co-released his albums through Kemistry Records and Motown before returning to full independence in 2025.
For KEM, the new street sign will recognize more than a successful recording career. It will mark the Detroit location where one chapter of his life ended and another began.
