By Gail Mitchell

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(L-R) Serayah McNeill and Tyler Lepley as Boaz as Ruth in Ruth & Boaz.

Perry Well Films 2/Courtesy Netflix

Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds — whose writing and production credits include music for the movies Waiting to Exhale, Boomerang and Soul Food — is adding another film project to his repertoire. The 13-time Grammy winner has written, recorded and produced the new song “Faithful,” featured on the five-song companion EP for the upcoming Netflix film Ruth & Boaz.

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Singer-actress Serayah stars as title character Ruth Moably and performs “Faithful” onscreen. The song plays over the Ruth & Boaz end credits as well. Babyface also makes an appearance as himself in the film, produced by DeVon Franklin and Tyler Perry. Netflix will premiere the movie on Sept. 26 — the same day the EP, Ruth & Boaz (Soundtrack from the Netflix Film), becomes available. “Faithful” becomes available Sept. 19 on all DSPs.

Directed by Alanna Brown, Ruth & Boaz is a faith-based story involving rising Atlanta hip-hop artist Ruth Moably, her decision to pivot away from the glamourous, fast-paced music scene after a personal tragedy and start afresh in rural Tennessee as the caretaker for her surrogate mother Naomi, her late boyfriend’s mother. Then vineyard owner Boaz comes into Serayah’s life. Naomi is portrayed by Phylicia Rashad; Boaz by Tyler Lepley. The cast also includes Grammy-winning songwriter-producer Jermaine Dupri. The film was written by Michael Elliot and Cory Tynan.

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It was friend and film producer Franklin who asked Babyface to participate in the project. Of writing “Faithful” specifically for the film, Babyface tells Billboard that he “loved and was inspired by the film’s faith-based romance. So the song is just that. It’s about someone being faithful to their relationship with one person because she finally found a relationship she could trust. I loved how they used it in the movie; it turned out to be very impactful.”

In her comments to Billboard about “Faithful,” Serayah — who starred on the Fox drama Empire that aired from 2015 to 2020 — notes that “lyrically and melody-wise I instantly fell in love with the record. It represents not only the unconditional love Boaz has for Ruth, but also the unconditional love God has for each and every one of us. Love has the power to come in and bring you back to who you are called to be if you let it. Babyface is an incredible writer [whose] genius makes it feel like a timeless record. I also enjoyed performing this record because I’ve never sung a country-influenced song. Now I want to explore it more.”

The EP also includes the Babyface-produced cover of the gospel classic “Goodness of God,” which he performs with Serayah in the film. The three remaining tracks are “Prayer for Your Journey,” written by Franklin and music producer Brett Nolan with a spoken word performance by Franklin and vocals by K-CI; “Money Rules,” performed by Serayah and Nijah Brenea; and “Wildflowers,” sung by Serayah.

Of shooting the studio scene in the film during which he and Serayah briefly sing together, Babyface describes it as “natural and organic — she has a beautiful voice.” Adds Serayah of meeting and then collaborating with Babyface in the studio scene, “I was self-conscious, I’m not going to lie! I was nervous about what he thought or felt about my voice. But also, [about] just living in such an organic moment that may or may not ever happen again. It was definitely a memory I will never forget. When you’re in the presence of a legend like Babyface, you just have to soak it all in.”

Watch the trailer for Ruth & Boaz below:

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