I've programmed myself musically to come up with love-feeling

In the words of R. Kelly, “I’ve programmed myself musically to come up with love-feeling tracks that are romantic, sexy, but classy, all in one. And that’s the challenge. Once I create that music, then the lyrical content starts to come—you know, the stories and things like that.” Here is not only the method of an artist, but the revelation of a discipline: the shaping of one’s soul to produce art that captures the fullness of human love—its tenderness, its passion, and its dignity. To balance these three—romantic, sexy, and classy—is no simple matter, but a noble striving toward harmony.

The ancients understood this balance. In the temples of Greece, music was not mere entertainment but a reflection of cosmic order, a mirror of the harmony of the spheres. Plato declared that music could shape the soul, instilling virtue or vice depending on its rhythm and tone. To create love-feeling tracks, as Kelly describes, is to enter into that sacred tradition—to craft sounds that awaken desire, yet also inspire respect; to stir the body, yet also elevate the spirit. This is the true artistry: not to inflame recklessly, but to kindle with grace.

History gives us examples of artists who pursued this same challenge. Consider the great composer Franz Schubert, whose lieder, or songs, combined the intimacy of human longing with the refinement of poetic form. His melodies spoke to both the heart’s ache and the mind’s nobility, much as Kelly seeks to do by weaving romance, sensuality, and class into his music. The stories Schubert told through music were not raw indulgence, but carefully balanced expressions of humanity’s deepest desires.

Kelly’s words also reveal the process of creation. He begins not with the lyrical content, but with the sound—the rhythm, the atmosphere, the feeling. For in truth, music speaks before words do. Long before mankind wrote poetry, drums echoed across valleys, and flutes whispered in caves. The body responds to music instinctively; it prepares the soil of the heart so that the seed of story may take root. Thus, when the track is born, the story follows, flowing naturally like water into a carved channel.

The deeper meaning is that love itself is complex, never one note. It is tender enough to be romantic, fiery enough to be sexy, and noble enough to be classy. To capture all three in a single piece of art is to honor the wholeness of love: not reducing it to lust, not softening it into sentimentality, not stiffening it into cold dignity, but allowing it to breathe fully. This, as Kelly confesses, is the challenge—and yet it is also the glory of the artist who dares to try.

For us, the lesson is clear: creation, whether in art or in life, must seek balance. If we err too far into indulgence, we lose beauty; if too far into restraint, we lose passion. The romantic, the sensual, and the refined must live together. This is true not only for music, but for love itself, for friendship, for work, for all that we do. To live well is to compose one’s days as a song, harmonizing tenderness with strength, joy with seriousness, desire with dignity.

And what must you do? Learn to program yourself, as Kelly says—not with machines, but with habits, disciplines, and choices. Create in your life spaces where love, passion, and respect meet. Speak words that are true but also kind. Build relationships that honor both body and soul. When you create—whether music, art, or even the daily patterns of living—seek always to be romantic, passionate, and classy in one. For in this balance lies the secret of both beauty and power, and the songs of your life will echo long after the final note has been played.