Preview: Keith Sweat begins run of ‘Last Forever’ performances at The Flamingo

Keith is celebrating not only the 30th anniversary of his debut triple-platinum album “Make It Last Forever,” but also his latest 12th studio album “Dress to Impress.” Keith has sold more than 25 million albums, with five hitting No. 1. Nightly on iHeartRadio, he attracts nearly 4 million listeners to his syndicated show “Hotel Sweat,” which he’ll air from The Flamingo while here.

“I’m most definitely looking forward to this run,” Keith told me. “I was in Las Vegas in November, but it wasn’t a residency — just a tour stop. Now I’m trying to do a residency. You could call this a little bit of a dry run.

“I’m testing the waters so I can really see if I would enjoy being situated for a long period of time. I’m going to see how it does, see how well it does, then see if it is something I really want to do.” Keith’s hits include “Twisted,” “I Want Her” and “Nobody.”

Keith will have six musicians onstage and three female dancers. Think the sexiness of Ginuwine and the seductive powers of Barry White. “You can expect a great show because I will be performing at my best. I look forward to doing a great show with my band and enjoying all of it onstage with my hits.

“Classic meets classic, and I’m going in with nothing but positivity. The only girls I won’t affect will be the dancers onstage. They got a job to do, so they are not paying me any mind. They have to concentrate on their dance moves and not how I’m affecting them. But the girls in the audience, that’s another story.

“This is the first time I’m doing my own thing of being intimate and unique in a smaller room. There’ll be some screaming, for sure, but I want the ladies to just lay back and enjoy themselves — and I’m sure you know what I mean.”

Keith is well aware of his reputation with the many ladies who have stripped down to barely there lingerie in his music videos. He literally purrs through “Teach Me” as he invites the ladies to undress and step into his classroom bed.

“I guess it’s a good thing. I grew up in New York City, so I was always trying to serenade the ladies. I make romantic music, and I’m a great believer in love. It makes the world go round,” Keith added.

Today the former commodities market broker at the New York Stock Exchange who was discovered singing in a nightclub in 1987 is 55 years old and celebrating the 30th anniversary of that debut album. “I never knew if it would last for 30 years,” he mused. “I always hoped that it would, but in this business you just never know.

“I’ve been fortunate making both the love and the career last forever. I guess you could call me a ladies lover. I am always a lover. I just do what I do. I’m so accustomed to it at this point, it doesn’t faze me.

“I know the videos show this image of women taking their clothes off at the drop of a song, but in real life I’m very selective. Remember: It’s the music more than it is me. It never gets tired, though. It lets me know I’m still relevant. When nobody wants you, you know that you’re not relevant anymore.”

Everybody seems to play Keith’s music, but what does the star play when he’s in a romantic mood? “I listen to old school R&B. Teddy Pendergrass, The O’Jays, Babyface, Dru Hill, James Ingram and Patty Austin with ‘How Do You Keep the Music Playing?’ are real cool.

“I listen to everything. I listen to different genres of music. I don’t just listen to R&B. If it wasn’t for those type of songs, I could not be or do what I do now. So I listen to different types — all genres of music.”

Keith wants people to check out his nightly “Sweat Hotel” on iHeartRadio. He will broadcast it from The Flamingo during his Las Vegas residency. “I don’t want people to stay home. I want them to check into my Sweat Hotel and come see me at The Flamingo,” he laughed.

Keith said the best part of making the 12 hit albums has been the music. “It’s given me a lot of things. It’s taken me overseas to Japan and South Africa. It’s taken me a lot of different places. It shows how music is and that it makes the world go round. My music and songs have touched not only people in the United States, but people around the world, as well.”

Tonight he reaches out to touch more at The Flamingo. “This is what I like to call the second act of my career. This is the most exciting moment in my life. It’s going to be a thrilling ride. This type of show isn’t happening in Las Vegas right now, and there’s a real audience for my music.”