Keyshia Cole
Keyshia Cole |
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Keyshia Cole (born October 15, 1981) is an American R&B singer-songwriter. She released her platinum selling debut album The Way It Is in 2005, and is preparing the release of her sophomore album Tears From a Soldier's Heart, to be released in 2007.
Biography
Early years
Cole grew up in Oakland, California where she lived a life of crime and was a foster child adopted by Yvonne Cole at the young 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. Keyshia's first recordings were with MC Hammer at the age of twelve. 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.
Cole was inspired by her grandmother to further pursue her career, so she left the Bay Area only at age 16, with a rented car and a thousand dollars and moved to Los Angeles, California. Keyshia had written an early version on "Love" and performed it in front of record executives Ron Fair and Jimmy Iovine in June/July 2002. She was than signed by the president of A&M Records, Ron Fair in December 2002. Cole than started to record her debut album. In 2004, Cole made her first solo appearance on the track "Never", taken from the Barbershop 2: Back in Business soundtrack with rapper Eve.
The Way It Is (2005)
Cole released her debut album, The Way It Is, on June 21, 2005 under 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 a platinum cerification.
At the outset of her album's release (with lead single "I Changed My Mind"), Cole found little success, except at radio in New York City and her native Bay Area. With the failure of her debut single, the label decided to push back the album and release a second single (I Just Want It) To Be Over, produced by Krucial Keys. The track also failed to affect major radio stations. Cole's label continued to see promising album sales after it was released, so they pushed forward a third single I Should Have Cheated. At this time, Keyshia experienced the most success. The song peaked at #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, to 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. The video featured singer and actor Tyrese Gibson. A video for the fifth and final single, "You've Changed", was shot, but was not released due to Cole working on her sophomore album. The Way It Is has sold 1.3 million in the U.S.
Tears From A Soldier's Heart (2007)
Cole has finished working on her second album, Tears From a Soldier's Heart. The album will feature appearances from R.Kelly, John Legend & Jagged Edge.[1]. Tony! Toni! Toné! will also be doing a few tracks on the album. [2] Keith Sweat will likely have produced a track, but it is unsure if the song will appear on the final cut due to some problems with the engineer. Trackstarz produced a song and will feature Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker. Young Jeezy will make an appearance on the track. [3] Denaun Porter will likely be a producer on the album. The album will not be released on GOOD Music because she is now signed to that label for a three album deal, but Tears From A Soldier's Heart will be released on A&M Records, Keyshia's former label. This is because of her two album recording deal with A&M Records and with only her debut album The Way It Is being released by A&M Records she had to record this album with them before she could record or release an album with Kanye West's GOOD Music. 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. [4]. Other confirmed guests include Missy Elliott, 50 Cent and Olivia. On January 8, 2007, a new song called "Work Out", rumored to be produced by Rodney Jerkins leaked onto the internet, but proved not to be Cole, but a singer named Akelee.
Label Troubles
It was believed that Keyshia's new album would be released on GOOD Music because she is now signed to that label for a three album deal, but Tears From A Soldier's Heart will be released on A&M Records Keyshia's former label. This is because of her two album recording deal with A&M Records and with only her debut album The Way It Is being released by A&M Records she had to record this album with them before she could record or release an album with Kanye West's GOOD Music.
Voice
Voice
- Spinto Mezzo-Soprano
Highest Note
- E5 in "Love"
Lowest Note
- E3 in "(I Just Want It) To Be Over"
Discography
Albums
| Album cover | Album information |
|---|---|
The Way It Is
| |
| Album cover | Album information |
Tears From a Soldier's Heart
|
Singles
| Year | Title | Chart Positions | Album | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Hot 100 | US R&B/Hip-Hop | UK Singles | ||||
| 2004 | "Never"(featuring Eve) | - | - | - | The Way It Is | |
| 2004 | "I Changed My Mind"(featuring Kanye West) | #71 | #23 | #48 1 | The Way It Is | |
| 2005 | "(I Just Want It) To Be Over" | #101 | #30 | - | The Way It Is | |
| 2005 | "I Should Have Cheated" | #30 | #4 | #48 1 | The Way It Is | |
| 2006 | "Love" | #19 | #3 | - | The Way It Is | |
| 2006 | "(When You Gonna) Give It Up To Me" (with Sean Paul) | #3 | #5 | #31 | Step Up soundtrack, The Trinity | |
| 2006 | "Last Night" (with Diddy) | - | #52 | - | Press Play | |
| 2007 | "I Need A Soldier"(featuring 50 Cent) | TBR | TBR | TBR | 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 on 3 April, 2006 | ||||||
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 |
| 2006 | "Stay Down" (Bailey featuring Keyshia Cole) | Champ Bailey |
| 2006 | "(When You Gonna) Give It up to Me"(Sean Paul featuring Keyshia Cole) | The Trinity & Step Up |
| 2006 | "Be Somebody" (Dre featuring Keyshia Cole) | The Trunk |
| 2006 | "I Have This Dream" (with various artists, written and produced by Michael Jackson) | |
| 2006 | "Last Night" (Diddy featuring Keyshia Cole) | Press Play |
| 2006 | "Dreamin'" (Young Jeezy featuring Keyshia Cole) | The Inspiration: Thug Motivation 102 |
| 2006 | "Playa Cards Right (Female)" (Tupac featuring Keyshia Cole) | Pac's Life |
| 2007 | "Sounds Good" (Olivia featuring Keyshia Cole) | Second Chance (album) |
Soundtracks
| Year | Song | Movie |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 | "Get Up" | Biker Boyz |
| 2004 | "Never" featuring Eve | Barbershop 2: Back in Business |
| 2004 | "We Could Be", "I Should Have Cheated", "Superstar" & "Situations" | Hair Show |
| 2005 | "Guess What" featuring Jadakiss | Transit |
| 2006 | "Impossible" (Kanye West with Keyshia Cole & Twista) | Mission: Impossible III OST |
| 2006 | "(When You Gonna) Give It Up To Me" | Step Up |
Career activities
- 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.
- 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.[5]
- 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.
Awards and Nominations
| Year | Award/Nomination |
|---|---|
| 2005 | Vibe Awards Win (Tied with Young Jeezy) for Next Award |
| 2005 | Vibe Awards Nomination for R&B Voice of the Year & Vibe Vixen |
| 2005 | NAACP Image Awards Nomination for Best New Artist |
| 2006 | BET Awards Nominated for Best Female R&B Artist & Viewer's Choice (For "Love") |
| 2006 | 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") |
| 2006 | American Music Awards Nomination for Favorite Female Artist |
External links
| Studio albums | |
|---|---|
| Singles |
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| Featured songs | |
| Promotional singles | |
| Concert tours | |
| Related articles | |
