U.N.V. (Universal Nubian Voices) is an R&B group from Lansing, Michigan, formed in 1991 by brothers John Powe and Shawn Powe, along with members John Clay and Demetrius Peete. The group initially started as two separate entities: Shawn's 2.N.V. and John Powe's U.N.V., which later merged under the name Universal Nubian Voices. Their debut album, Something's Goin' On, was released independently in 1993 and gained significant airplay on Detroit radio station WJLB. The title track became a hit after being signed to Madonna's label Maverick Records, reaching number 29 on the Hot 100 and number 3 on the R&B charts in August 1993. Their second single, "Straight from My Heart", peaked at number 36 on the R&B charts but did not achieve the same level of success. In 1995, U.N.V. released their sophomore album, Universal Nubian Voices, which had moderate success with its first single, "So in Love with You", peaking at number 49 on the R&B charts. However, creative differences led to their departure from Maverick Records. After a hiatus, John Powe reformed U.N.V. as U.N.V. II, releasing the album Kings of the Quiet Storm in 2016.
