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Keyshia Cole

Keyshia Myeshia Cole (née Johnson; born October 15, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, television personality and actress. Born and raised in Oakland, California, she began her career as a backing vocalist for MC Hammer before signing with A&M Records to release her debut studio album, The Way It Is (2005). It received platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), spawned the Billboard Hot 100-top 20 single "Love," and earned two nominations at the 2006 Soul Train Music Awards. Established by the album's success, Cole filmed a reality television series for BET documenting her career, family and personal life titled Keyshia Cole: The Way It Is; the show ran for three seasons, and became one of the most-watched programs in the network's history.

Cole's second album, Just Like You (2007) was supported by the Billboard Hot 100-top ten single "Let It Go" (featuring Missy Elliott and Lil' Kim), as well as the top 40 singles "I Remember" and "Heaven Sent". The album received four Grammy Award nominations, peaked at number two on the Billboard 200, and received platinum certification by the RIAA. Her third album, A Different Me (2008), was met with continued success, also peaking at number two on the Billboard 200 and receiving platinum certification. Cole's fourth and fifth albums, Calling All Hearts (2010) and Woman to Woman (2012) both peaked within the top ten of the chart and saw continued praise; the latter was led by the single "Enough of No Love" (featuring Lil Wayne), the only song of the albums to enter the Billboard Hot 100. Her sixth and seventh albums, Point of No Return (2014) and 11:11 Reset (2017) were released by Interscope and Epic Records, respectively, and both met with critical and commercial declines.

Dubbed by critics as the "Princess of Hip-Hop Soul", Cole is best known for her soulful voice. Her work has earned her several awards and accolades, including an ASCAP Award and a Billboard Music Award. Following the release of Woman to Woman, she starred in the reality series Keyshia & Daniel: Family First. From 2019 to 2020, she hosted the Fox Soul syndicated television talk show, One on One with Keyshia Cole.

Early life

Keyshia Myeshia Johnson was born in Oakland, California on October 15, 1981. She is the daughter of Francine "Frankie" Lons (1960-2021) and boxing trainer Virgil Hunter. Her biological mother was addicted to alcohol and crack cocaine. She was adopted at the age of two by family friends Leon and Yvonne Cole, changing her last name to Cole. Cole has four siblings, including two brothers Sean and Sam, a younger sister Elite Noel and an older sister Neffeteria Pugh. At the age of 12, Cole met and recorded with MC Hammer, after being introduced to him by her brother Sean (also known as Nutt-So).

She later formed a friendship with Tupac Shakur, who promised to help her start her singing career after asking her to write a hook on his then-upcoming project on the night he got shot in a drive-by shooting unexpectedly, which caused his death six days later. At the age of 16, she became a participant at the East Oakland Youth Development Center (EOYDC), a local youth organization. Cole attended Fremont High School in Oakland, before later attending and graduating from Tracy High School in Tracy, California. Cole moved to Los Angeles at the age of 18 to pursue a music career. During this time, Cole collaborated with artists from her native Bay Area, among them D'Wayne Wiggins of Tony Toni Tone and Messy Marv. In 2002, she was introduced to A&M Records A&R Ron Fair, whom signed her to the label and began mentoring her after listening to an unfinished version of one of her songs.

Career

2004–2006: The Way It Is

In March 2004, Cole's debut single, "Never", a collaboration with American rapper Eve, was released as the second single from the soundtrack to Kevin Rodney Sullivan's comedy film Barbershop 2: Back in Business (2004). In anticipation of her then-upcoming album, Cole and DJ Green Lantern released a mixtape, Team Invasion Presents Keyshia Cole, in February 2005 which features remixes of hip hop instrumentals and snippets. Cole released her debut album, The Way It Is, on June 21, 2005, through A&M Records; it debuted at number six on the Billboard 200 and sold 89,000 copies in its first week. The album features guest appearances from Jadakiss, Chink Santana, Metro City and Eve; and was produced by Cole, Ron Fair, Sean Garrett, Kerry Brothers Jr., John Legend, Chink Santana and Kanye West, among others. It spawned the singles "I Changed My Mind", "(I Just Want It) To Be Over", "I Should Have Cheated" and "Love". All appeared on Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, with "I Should Have Cheated", and "Love" reaching the top-ten. Upon its release, The Way It Is received generally positive reviews from music critics, who praised Cole's vocals and musical themes. It received a platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and earned her several accolades, including a NAACP Image Award nomination and two Soul Train Music Award nominations at both ceremonies in 2006, respectively. To further promote the album, Cole served as a supporting act on Kanye West's Touch the Sky Tour, which took place from October to December 2005.

In June 2006, Cole was featured on "(When You Gonna) Give It Up to Me" by Sean Paul from the soundtrack of the romantic dance film Step Up (2006). It reached number three on the Billboard Hot 100 and became a top 20 hit in several other countries, including Canada, Switzerland and Finland. On July 9, 2006, it was reported that Cole had signed with BET for a reality series, Keyshia Cole: The Way It Is. Chronicling her personal life, family dynamics and professional career, the series premiered three days following its announcement.

2007–2009: Just like You and A Different Me

After A&M Records folded through a merger with Octone Records in early 2007, Cole was drafted by the Universal Music Group and Interscope Records boss Jimmy Iovine to its subsidiary label Geffen Records. In March 2007, Cole was featured on Diddy's single "Last Night", taken from his fourth album Press Play (2006). The song became an international success, reaching the top ten in Finland, Ireland and the United States. On September 25, 2007, Cole released her second album Just like You, to generally favorable reviews from music critics. For the album, she worked with various producers, including Scott Storch, Rodney Jerkins, Bryan-Michael Cox, Cainon Lamb and The Runners, among others. A commercial success, the album debuted at number two on the US Billboard 200 and number one on the US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums charts, selling 281,000 copies in its first week and was certified platinum in the United States for sales of one million copies. The lead single, "Let It Go" (featuring Missy Elliott and Lil' Kim), marked Cole's first top-ten hit on the US Billboard Hot 100 as a lead artist moreover her first number-one hit on Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs; eventually receiving a platinum certification in the United States. The follow-up "Shoulda Let You Go" (featuring Amina Harris), reached the top-ten of the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, peaking at number six. The third and fourth singles, "I Remember" and "Heaven Sent", both reached number-one on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, spending seven and nine consecutive weeks at the summit, respectively. Cole received a variety of accolades for the album, including four Grammy Award nominations and three BET Award nominations.

Aside from her music success, Cole made her acting debut with a cameo role in the Ian Iqbal Rashid-directed film How She Move, released in January 2008 and grossed $8.6 million worldwide. Throughout early to mid-2008, Cole made several guest appearances on songs including "I Got a Thang for You" (with rapper Trina), "Boyfriend/Girlfriend" (with hip hop quartet C-Side), and "Game's Pain" (with rapper The Game), respectively. Additionally, Cole was scheduled to make a cameo on Missy Elliott's album, Block Party, which was originally intended to be released that year. In August 2008, Cole and a host of other female singers recorded the charity single "Just Stand Up!", the theme song to the anti-cancer campaign Stand Up to Cancer. The third season of Keyshia Cole: The Way It Is premiered via BET on November 11, 2008, and marked the highest-rated season premiere for the network, with a total of 1.94 million viewers.

Cole's third album A Different Me was released on December 16, 2008. The album debuted at number two on the US Billboard 200 chart, with 322,000 copies sold in its first-week of sales, and received a platinum certification by the RIAA for selling over a million copies. The singles, "Playa Cardz Right" (featuring Tupac Shakur), "You Complete Me" and "Trust" (with Monica), all reached the lower-half of the Billboard Hot 100 and the top-ten of the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. To promote the album, she served as a supporting act for Lil Wayne's I Am Music Tour, which ran from December 14, 2008, to April 10, 2009. Shortly after the tour ended, Cole embarked on her first headlining tour, A Different Me Tour, which began on May 13 and concluded on June 21, 2009. Throughout this time, Cole was featured as the cover artist on several magazines such as the January issues of Jet and WordUp!, the March 2009 issue of Vibe, and the summer 2009 final double-cover issue of King.

2010–2013: Calling All Hearts and Woman to Woman

On June 27, 2010, three months after the birth of her son, Cole returned to the public eye, filling in for Hayley Williams to perform the chorus to B.o.B's "Airplanes (Part II)" featuring Eminem during the 2010 BET Awards. On October 16, 2010, Cole performed at the fifth annual Black Girls Rock! ceremony, which was held at the Paradise Theater in The Bronx, New York. Cole released her fourth studio album, Calling All Hearts, on December 21, 2010, featuring guest appearances from Nicki Minaj, Tank, Faith Evans, Timbaland, and her adoptive mother Yvonne Cole. The album was preceded by the lead single "I Ain't Thru" (featuring Nicki Minaj) and a promotional single "Long Way Down", which were both complemented with music videos. Following the album's release, Cole announced via Twitter that she had fired her manager Manny Halley and parted ways with his Imani Entertainment label in January 2011. "Take Me Away" was released to urban contemporary radio as the album's second single in February 2011 and peaked at number 27 on Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs; spending a total of 20 weeks on the chart. Cole supplementally promoted Calling All Hearts by serving as an opening act for the North American leg of R. Kelly's Love Letter Tour through June 16 to July 3, 2011. In September 2011, Cole began working on her fifth album, which was originally expected to be released five months later.

Her fifth album, Woman to Woman, arrived on November 19, 2012, becoming her first project to be released without A&R executive Ron Fair and manager Manny Halley, who was with her at the beginning of her career. It debuted at number 10 on the Billboard 200 selling 96,000 copies in its first week in the United States, becoming Cole's fifth consecutive top 10 album. In its second week, the album rose to number three, where it sold 37,100 copies. In its third week, the album fell two spots to number five, selling 28,600 copies. The album has sold over 246,300 copies as of January 2013.

The lead single from Woman to Woman , "Enough of No Love", featuring Lil Wayne was sent to radio and released for digital download on July 3, 2012. The song was written by Redd Stylez and Cole, and was produced by Harmony with a mid-tempo R&B production. It peaked at number seven on the Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Chart. On August 9, the song debuted at number 94 on the Billboard Hot 100 where it ultimately peaked at number 84.

The second single, "Trust and Believe" was released for digital download on October 22, 2012 and again on November 13, 2012. On October 24, it was ranked the number one added song to Urban radio of the week. "I Choose You" was released as the third single during August 2013. Cole also embarked on her third headlining concert tour, in support of her fifth studio album, Woman to Woman, visiting North America and Europe. The tour held 27 total dates. Singer Chrisette Michele was the supporting act for the North American leg.

In September 2013, after Geffen folded, Cole's Geffen deal was, once again, drafted, this time to its parent label, Interscope Records. She later returned to the studio and began recording her sixth studio album. On October 2, 2013, it was confirmed that Cole and her former manager Manny Halley had resolved their differences and Halley was currently managing Cole again.

2014–2017: Point of No Return and 11:11 Reset

In March 2014, Cole revealed the title of her sixth studio album to be Point of No Return. The lead single from the album, "Next Time (Won't Give My Heart Away)" was released as a digital download, on March 31, 2014, and officially impacted US Rhythmic radio on April 1. The song "Rick James", featuring rapper Juicy J, was released alongside "Next Time (Won't Give My Heart Away)" as a digital download in March 2014, while "She" followed as the third single from the album on July 8, 2014. Point of No Return was released on October 7, 2014, with open sales of 25,000 copies and has sold over 100,000 copies.

In February 2015, Cole revealed to Rap-Up TV that following the release of Point of No Return, which sold poorly, she was contractually free from Interscope and was intending on moving forward as an independent recording artist. Cole also confirmed work on her seventh studio album, revealing that she was halfway done with ten tracks so far. She stated: "I don't know which direction I wanna go in. I don't know if I want it to be more fun, I don't know if I want it to be more heartfelt or if I want it upbeat, medium to slow. I'm just recording and recording and recording and recording and recording and recording and recording." In December 2016, it was announced that Cole signed a new record deal with Sony's Epic Records.

On January 27, 2017, Cole released the lead single "You" (featuring Remy Ma and French Montana) from her seventh studio album. In an interview with Rap-Up magazine, she announced the name of the album, 11:11 Reset, stating "For the past year, I've been seeing 1111 constantly and to my understanding, you're aligned spiritually with your destiny and everything that is meant to be in your life is happening at the right time. The timing is right. Everything is right. Reset is definitely cohesive with that." On August 25, 2017, she released the second single "Incapable". The album was released on October 20, 2017. It sold 15,000 copies within the first week, which marked the singer's lowest first week ever. Since then, the album has sold around 100,000 copies.

2018–present: Upcoming eighth studio album and Keyshia Cole: This is My Story

In 2019, Cole was featured on "All Me" by Kehlani. That same year she started hosting her own talk show, One on One with Keyshia Cole, airing on Fox Soul. In June 2020, it was reported that Keyshia Cole had signed a management deal with talent management company Primary Wave which was shortly after the reveal that she had reunited with longtime friend and record producer who she worked with for her first four albums, Ron Fair. On July 22, speculations came out about a possible Verzuz battle between Cole and Ashanti after Cole publicly challenged her during the live streamed match between rappers DMX and Snoop Dogg. On December 2, Cole announced via her Instagram Live that she would soon be competing in a match while singing a few of her previous records. Two days later, it was confirmed that the latest Verzuz battle would be between Cole and Ashanti. The in-person competition was expected to take place on December 12, 2020, though it was postponed after Ashanti tested positive for COVID-19 ahead of the event. Following the battle, Cole released the non-album single "I Don't Wanna Be in Love", under her independent record label, Hearts and Stars, created with the support of BMG.

On June 23, 2023, Cole released her first single since "I Don't Wanna Be in Love", titled "Forever is a Thing", in support of her Lifetime-original biographical television film, Keyshia Cole: This Is My Story, which premiered on June 24. The song and film were inspired by the death of Cole's mother, along with other major events in her life and career. The movie received three million viewers throughout its debut weekend and was the number one telecast on cable on its premiere night. In late 2023, Cole sang the original song "No Love Lust" for soundtrack The Color Purple (Music from and Inspired By) to the 2023 film remake. In December 2023, Cole appeared on the song "Love Me Enough" alongside Nicki Minaj and Monica on the "Gag City" deluxe version of Minaj's album Pink Friday 2.

Other ventures

Reality television

In July 2006, Cole premiered her six episode docu-series, titled Keyshia Cole: The Way It Is, on BET. With record breaking views, the show viewed Cole's life as an artist, daughter, and sister, performing, visiting her home town, and starting production on her next album.

In mid-July 2011, Cole tweeted that she, her then-husband Daniel, and James DeBose would be launching a new reality TV show, titled Keyshia & Daniel: Family First. Shooting of the show began during the summer of 2011. During the eight episode docu-series, Cole would craft her follow-up to Calling All Hearts. "I just kind of lay out all my emotions then we start from there" says Cole. "I usually work with big name producers and stuff like once all from my heart and soul is out that I need to get out." Aside from a look into the making of her new album, titled Woman to Woman, Cole and her husband, Daniel, re-wed during taping. The first episode of the show aired on BET on October 9, 2012, with 2.9 million viewers. In November 2014, BET confirmed that Cole was back with her third reality TV show Keyshia Cole: All In; which was originally slated to premiere during Fall 2014, but aired on February 24, 2015. In 2019, BET announced that Cole would return with a fourth reality show Keyshia Cole: My New Life, which premiered in November 2019.

In 2023, Cole competed in season ten of The Masked Singer as "Candelabra". She was eliminated during the Group C finals in "Soundtrack of My Life" alongside John Oates as "Anteater".

Shoe line with Steve Madden

In September 2013, Cole announced that she was teaming up with fashion designer Steve Madden to create her own shoe collection, specifically high heels, wedges, and boots. "I am super excited to collaborate with Steve Madden," stated Cole. "It's something I've wanted to do for a long time. I love his style and I think we came up with an amazing vibrant collection. We have something for every fashion diva!"

Personal life

In May 2009, Cole began dating former NBA player Daniel Gibson. The couple became engaged on January 1, 2010. They welcomed their first child, a son, on March 2, 2010. Following their wedding on May 21, 2011, the pair renewed their vows in Hawaii in September 2011. "My husband wanted me to have my dream wedding so he flew all of our family members here. He's giving me something I will never forget! Amazing," Cole said. The entire wedding weekend was filmed and aired on their BET reality TV series Keyshia and Daniel: Family First, in October 2012. On March 21, 2014, Cole announced during an interview that she and Gibson had broken up, but had not yet filed for divorce. In May 2016, she met her biological father, Virgil Hunter, after a paternity test confirmed their connection. In April 2017, Cole announced that she and Gibson were divorcing. On May 3, 2019, Cole announced that she was expecting her second child, a son, with her then-boyfriend Niko Khale. She welcomed her second son on August 1, 2019. On September 3, 2020, Cole announced on Instagram that she and Gibson were officially divorced. In October 2020, Cole and Khale ended their relationship. Cole's mother, Frankie Lons died on July 18, 2021. Her cause of death was revealed to have been a drug overdose.

Artistry

Cole possesses the vocal range of a soprano. Her voice has been described as having a "flexible range of R&B, the muscular punch of soul and the hard character of hip hop" and contains a "smoky flavor, and a husky texture." Cole's musical themes and lyrics touch upon the topics of empowerment, reflection, heartache and love. Her fifth studio album "Woman to Woman" (2012) was described by Ben Ratliff of The New York Times as a R&B almanac of shaky romance, with nearly every song a first-person narrative with gnarled details, endlessly recombining data about suspicion, jealousy, pride, punishment, self-respect, the led-up, the aftermath." The album's lyrics revolved around "emotionally painful romantic issues." Betty Wright listed Cole as one of the artists who she believed were "still holding the torch" for R&B music. Cole grew up listening to her mentor Tupac Shakur. She cites Mary J. Blige as one of her greatest musical inspirations, along with Faith Evans, Toni Braxton, Monica, Chanté Moore and Brandy.

Controversies

A feud between Cole and Lil' Mo began in August 2005 via the radio series Star and Buc Wild Morning Show. Mo was reported to have dismissed the vocal talent of a new crop of R&B performers, saying that they relied on dancing. Cole took offense and went to Dream Hotel in New York City, where she encountered Lil' Mo's manager Phil Thornton and a stylist, allegedly stating "You all are traitors. [Lil' Mo] is the enemy.". Lil' Mo shrugged off the incident, saying she was told that Cole was intoxicated at the time, which Cole denied.

On March 16, 2012, Cole came at Gucci Mane for the controversial song "Truth", on which Gucci rapped, "I did a song with Keyshia Cole and I know you still miss her. But Puff was f---ing her while you was falling in love with her." implying that, during the time of her rumored relationship with Young Jeezy, Cole was cheating on Jeezy with rap mogul and her "Last Night" collaborator Diddy. Cole stated on the radio, "Putting all ya trust in some of these 'Hood Rappers'... How you gonna be a G, and you spreading lies, to sell mix tapes! Where ya talent at. Dude ain't have to lie though! Could've kept me out of it."

In March 2013, Cole was criticized by urban media outlets for her Twitter critique of Beyoncé's "Bow Down/I Been On". This led to Lil' Mo and Cole exchanging hostile tweets over the next few days. Despite the exchanges, in May 2013, Mo said there was no beef between her and Cole, which led to the two exchanging hostile messages again via Instagram and Twitter.