Keyshia Cole
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Keyshia Cole | ||
|---|---|---|
 Keyshia on Vibe Magazine
|
||
| Background information | ||
| Birth name | Keyshia Cole | |
| Born | October 15, 1981 (age 25) | |
| Origin | Oakland, California, United States | |
| Genre(s) | R&B | |
| Occupation(s) | singer-songwriter | |
| Years active | 2004–present | |
| Label(s) | Interscope/A&M (2004–2007) GOOD Music (2007–present) |
|
| Website | keyshiacole.com | |
Keyshia Cole (born October 15, 1981) is an American R&B singer-songwriter known for her soulful and deep voice. She released her platinum selling debut album The Way It Is in 2005, and is preparing to release her second album Tears from a Soldier's Heart in 2007.
Contents |
[edit] Biography
[edit] Early years
Cole grew up in Oakland, California where she lived a life of crime[citation needed] and was a foster child adopted by Yvonne Cole at the age of 5. She has said that her brother, Sean Cole, and Tupac Shakur were close friends and that he was like an older brother to her. Sean raps under the alias "Nutt-so", and recorded several songs with Shakur before his death.[citation needed] Keyshia's first recordings were with MC Hammer at the age of twelve.[1] In the early 2000s, she appeared on tracks by San Francisco Bay Area artists including Tony! Toni! Toné!'s D'Wayne Wiggins and San Francisco rapper Messy Marv.[2]
Cole was inspired by her grandmother to further pursue her career, so she left the Bay Area at age 16, with a rented car and two hundred dollars after catching her boyfriend cheating.[3] She moved to Los Angeles and within several months of her arrival, had attracted the attention of A & M Records president Ron Fair, who in turn recommended her to chairman Jimmy Iovine, for whom she performed an early version of "Love" in June/July 2002. She was signed by then A & R rep Fair in December 2002. Cole started recording her debut album soon after. In 2004, Cole made her first solo appearance on the track "Never", taken from the Barbershop 2: Back in Business soundtrack with rapper Eve.
[edit] The Way It Is (2005)
Cole released her debut album, The Way It Is, on June 21, 2005 under the auspices of Interscope/A&M Records. The album received a positive reception from music critics and debuted at number-six on the U.S. Billboard 200 albums charts, eventually receiving platinum certification.
Cole did not find success immediately after the release of her album, with its first single "I Changed My Mind", with the notable exceptions of New York City and her native Bay Area. After the lackluster reception to her debut single, the label decided to push the album back and release d a second single (I Just Want It) To Be Over instead. It was produced by Krucial Keys. The track also struggled to gain traction in the radio landscape, but the label foresaw the propsect of better album sales and so they pushed up the release of a third single, I Should Have Cheated. This release garnered Keyshia more acclaim as the song reached #4 on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart and became one of the biggest female R&B hits of the year. The single pushed the album to Gold. On November 22, 2005, Cole released her own version of the holiday classic, Silent Night, at iTunes Music Stores. In 2006, the fourth single, "Love", was a bigger success, reaching #3 on the R&B chart and #19 on the Billboard Hot 100. This single pushed the album to Platinum status. The video featured singer and actor Tyrese Gibson.
[edit] Tears from a Soldier's Heart (2007)
Cole has finished working on her second album, Tears from a Soldier's Heart. It is tentatively scheduled for release on May 29. The album will feature appearances from R.Kelly, John Legend & Jagged Edge.[4]. Tony! Toni! Toné! will also be doing a few tracks on the album.[5] Keith Sweat will likely produce a track, but because of a disagreement with his engineer, it's unclear whether the song will appear on the final cut of the album. Trackstarz produced a song and will feature Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker. Young Jeezy will make an appearance on the track.[6] Denaun Porter will likely be a producer on the album. Anthony Hamilton is a confirmed guest on the album, and Nas is in talks to appear as well. DJ Clue may be producing for this album.[7] Other confirmed guests include Missy Elliott, 50 Cent and Olivia.[citation needed]
Tears from a Soldier's Heart will not be released solely on GOOD Music because she is still signed to A&M Records for a two album recording deal. The album may be a joint venture between the 2 labels.
[edit] Discography
[edit] Albums
 |
[edit] Singles
| Year | Title | Chart Positions | Album | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hot 100 |
U.S. R&B | UK | ||||
| 2004 | "Let's Get Blown" (Snoop Dogg feat. Pharrell & Keyshia Cole) |
|
|
|
R&G (Rhythm & Gangsta) The Masterpiece | |
| "Never" (featuring Eve) |
|
|
|
The Way It Is | ||
| "I Changed My Mind" (featuring Kanye West) |
|
|
|
|||
| 2005 | "(I Just Want It) to Be Over" |
|
|
|
||
| "I Should Have Cheated" |
|
|
|
|||
| 2006 | "Love" |
|
|
|
||
| "Give It Up to Me" (with Sean Paul) |
|
|
|
"Step Up" soundtrack / The Trinity | ||
| 2007 | "Last Night" (with Diddy) |
|
|
|
Press Play | |
| "I Need a Soldier" (with 50 Cent) | Tears from a Soldier's Heart | |||||
| Notes1 "I Changed My Mind" and "I Should Have Cheated" were released as a double A-side in the United Kingdom. | ||||||
[edit] Album appearances
| Year | Song | Album |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | "Nubian Queen (remix)" (Messy Marv featuring Keyshia Cole) | Still Explosive |
| 2006 | "What's Going on" (Remy Ma featuring Keyshia Cole) | There's Something about Remy: Based on a True Story |
| "Give It Up to Me"(Sean Paul featuring Keyshia Cole) | The Trinity | |
| "Be Somebody" (Dre featuring Keyshia Cole) | The Trunk | |
| "Stay Down" (Bailey featuring Keyshia Cole) | Champ Bailey | |
| "I Have This Dream" (with various artists, written and produced by Michael Jackson) | TBA | |
| "Last Night" (Diddy featuring Keyshia Cole) | Press Play | |
| "Dreamin'" (Young Jeezy featuring Keyshia Cole) | The Inspiration: Thug Motivation 102 | |
| "Playa Cards Right (Female)" (Tupac featuring Keyshia Cole) | Pac's Life | |
| 2007 | "Sounds Good" (Olivia featuring Keyshia Cole) | Second Chance |
| "TBA" (Jimmy Cozier featuring Keyshia Cole) | Perfect Timing | |
| "Love You Betta" (Keith Sweat Duet With Keyshia Cole) | TBA |
[edit] Soundtracks
| Year | Song | Movie |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 | "Get Up" | Biker Boyz |
| 2004 | "Never" featuring Eve | Barbershop 2: Back in Business |
| 2005 | "Guess What" featuring Jadakiss | Transit |
| 2006 | "Impossible" (Kanye West with Keyshia Cole & Twista) | Mission: Impossible III |
| "(When You Gonna) Give It Up to Me" | Step Up |
[edit] Trivia
- Cole served as the inspiration for her mother and cousin, Cali Castillo, to establish Cole Talent Agency in November 2005. It is based in the Central Valley of California and represents those with musical and literary gifts.
- She is currently dating Young Jeezy
- In 2005, she was featured in Keak da Sneak's hit video Super Hyphy, which is in a classroom/spelling bee setting.
- In Fall 2005, Cole released the mixtape Team Invasion Presents Keyshia Cole, mixed by DJ Green Lantern. The tape featured highlights from The Way It Is and a number of new tracks, including guest appearances by Remy Ma, Ghostface Killah and Fat Joe.[1]
- In February 2006, Cole signed a deal with acquaintance and frequent collaborator Kanye West to be included on the roster for his GOOD Music imprint.
- As of May 2006, Keyshia Cole was named the new face of Akademiks Ladies for the Fall 2006 Advertising Campaign, with the collection to be available in stores in August.
- Starred in her own reality show Keyshia Cole: The Way It Is, which premiered on BET on July 12, 2006 and ended on August 16
- In the future, Keyshia Cole will have her own record label, and plans to sign her acquaintance, the Oakland rapper Amina and the R&B quartet Metro City, who appeared on The Way It Is. A working title for the label is "Pinky Swear" which is what Keyshia Cole and Fair did as he promised that she would be a huge superstar.
[edit] Awards and Nominations
| Year | Award/Nomination |
|---|---|
| 2005 | Vibe Award Win (Tied with Young Jeezy) for Next Award |
| Vibe Award Nomination for R&B Voice of the Year & Vibe Vixen | |
| NAACP Image Awards Nomination for Best New Artist | |
| 2006 | BET Awards Nominated for Best Female R&B Artist & Viewer's Choice (For "Love") |
| Soul Train Awards Nominated for Best Female R&B/Soul Single (for "I Should Have Cheated) & Best Female R&B/Soul Album (for "The Way It Is") | |
| American Music Awards Nomination for Favorite Female Artist | |
| 2007 | Soul Train Music Awards Nomination for Best Female R&B/Soul Single for "Love" |
| Urban Music Awards Nomination for Best Collaboration 2007 for "Last Night" with Diddy |
[edit] Notes
- ^ "Manifesto CD Reviews", 2002-03. Retrieved on March 18, 2007.
- ^ Keyshia Cole - Only Keyshia - Connecting the Official Fanbase 24/7. Retrieved on March 18, 2007.
- ^ Lee Hildebrand. [2005-07-17 Keyshia Cole: On the Edge of Fame]. Retrieved on March 18, 2007.
- ^ Corey Moss (2005-12-17). Mary J., R. Kelly, 'Brother' Kanye Giving Keyshia Cole a Rookie Boost. Retrieved on March 18, 2007.
- ^ Soul Jones. Dwayne Wiggins. Retrieved on March 18, 2007.
- ^ http://www.allhiphop.com/features/?id=1523/ Allhiphop.com
- ^ Shaheem Reid, with additonal reporting by Rahman Dukes (2006-12-18). Mixtape Monday: Is Hip Hop Dead? Luda, Big Boi Disagree With Nas. Retrieved on March 18, 2007.
[edit] External links
Studio albums: The Way It Is · Just Like You
Singles: "Never" · "I Changed My Mind" · "(I Just Want It) To Be Over" · "I Should Have Cheated" · "Love" · "(When You Gonna) Give It up to Me · "Last Night" · "I Need a Soldier"
Categories: Articles with unsourced statements since March 2007 | All articles with unsourced statements | 1981 births | African-American singers | American sopranos | American female singers | American rhythm and blues singers | California musicians | Living people | People from Oakland, California | Rhythmic contemporary musicians | Reality television participants
