Keyshia Cole
Keyshia Myeshia Cole is an American singer, songwriter, television personality, and actress. Born and raised in Oakland, California, she emerged in the mid-2000s as a prominent figure in contemporary R&B, known for her emotionally direct vocal style and autobiographical songwriting, with critics often dubbing her the "Princess of Hip-Hop Soul".
Cole began pursuing music professionally in the early 2000s after relocating to Los Angeles, working with Bay Area artists and producers before signing with A&M Records. Her debut studio album, The Way It Is, marked her commercial breakthrough, debuting within the top ten of the US Billboard 200, earning platinum certification from the Recording Industry Association of America, and producing several acclaimed singles, including the top-20 hit "Love". The album's success led to the BET reality television series Keyshia Cole: The Way It Is, which further increased her public profile by chronicling her personal life and career.
Her second album, Just like You, represented the commercial peak of her career. It debuted at number two on the Billboard 200, sold over one million copies in the United States, and generated three non-consecutive number-one singles on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart: "Let It Go", "I Remember", and "Heaven Sent". Cole sustained this success with subsequent albums—including A Different Me, Calling All Hearts, Woman to Woman, and Point of No Return —all of which debuted within the top ten of the US Billboard 200.
Alongside her recording career, Cole has maintained a long-running presence in television. She starred in multiple BET reality series, including Keyshia & Daniel: Family First and Keyshia Cole: All In, and joined the main cast of Love & Hip Hop: Hollywood during its fourth season in 2017. That same year, she released her seventh studio album, 11:11 Reset, via Epic Records. In the 2020s, Cole expanded her activities to include hosting the Fox Soul–syndicated talk show One on One with Keyshia Cole, launching her independent imprint Hearts and Stars in partnership with BMG, competing on The Masked Singer, and executive-producing and starring in the Lifetime biographical film Keyshia Cole: This Is My Story.
Early life
Keyshia Myeshia Johnson was born in Oakland, California on October 15, 1981. She is the biological daughter of Francine "Frankie" Lons, who struggled with alcohol and crack cocaine addiction, and boxing trainer Virgil Hunter, who was notably absent from her upbringing. The instability resulting from her mother's addiction, combined with the absence of her biological father, forced an early intervention in Cole's life; as a result, she was adopted at the age of two by family friends Leon and Yvonne Cole, subsequently changing her last name to Cole. Cole has biological and adopted siblings; including her brothers Sean and Sam, her younger sister Elite Noel, and her older sister Neffeteria "Neffe" Pugh.At an early age, Cole discovered a passion for music. When she was 12 years old, her brother Sean, himself involved in local music, introduced her to MC Hammer, with whom she had the opportunity to record background vocals for. During this formative period, she also formed a friendship with rapper Tupac Shakur, who promised to support her burgeoning music career. Tragically, Shakur was fatally shot in a drive-by shooting the same night he asked Cole to write a hook for his upcoming project at the time.
As a child, Cole played tag football, tetherball, and served as a junior lifeguard at Oakland's Fremont Pool. She spent her free time watching music-driven films and was an avid reader. At the age of 16, she became a participant at the East Oakland Youth Development Center, a local nonprofit dedicated to empowering young people through educational and recreational programs. Cole initially attended Fremont High School in Oakland before transferring to and graduating from Tracy High School in Tracy, California, in the class of 2000. Reflecting on her formative years, Cole stated, "My childhood was not easy. I went through a lot of trials and tribulations no matter what their situation is, no matter where come from, no matter where are, no matter who are - with faith, you can always accomplish your goals. I did it and survived, and so can ."
Career
1999–2003: Career beginnings
At the age of 17, Cole departed from her foster home in Oakland to live with her then-boyfriend after her adoptive mother rejected her artistic ambitions. After discovering his infidelity, Cole soon moved from Oakland to Los Angeles to pursue a professional music career. Within weeks of arriving, she secured a day job and moved into one of three apartments owned by her uncle. Cole began working with Bay Area artists; appearing on the remix of Messy Marv's "Nubian Queen", featured on his third album Still Explosive, and contributing backing vocals to the D'Wayne Wiggins–produced soundtrack for the independent film Me & Mrs. Jones. Cole was initially poised to join a short-lived girl group called Grip while working with producer Damon Elliott. However, Elliott offered her a solo production contract instead, recognizing her talent. Reflecting on the opportunity, Cole stated, "I'd rather be solo because I do everything in the group anyway. They're just pretty. We were gonna get, like, a $30,000 advance and split it ten/ten/ten; but I figured, 'Why should I give them my $20,000 when I can get it myself?'". Cole ultimately declined the group deal and went on to record songs with Elliott. In 2002, Cole was introduced to A&M Records A&R executive Ron Fair, whom signed her to the label after hearing an unfinished demo, immediately mentoring her on artist development and studio production techniques.2004–2006: ''The Way It Is''
Cole's first official release was the single "Never", featuring Eve, which appeared on the soundtrack of the Kevin Rodney Sullivan-directed comedy film Barbershop 2: Back in Business ; it combined hip hop beats with her vocals and was released to urban radio formats in March 2004. In anticipation of her debut album, Cole and DJ Green Lantern issued the mixtape, Team Invasion Presents Keyshia Cole in February 2005, featuring remixes of popular hip hop instrumentals alongside original song 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", " To Be Over", "I Should Have Cheated" and "Love". All appeared within the top-40 of the Billboards 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 and earned her several accolades, including an 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 " Give It Up to Me" by Sean Paul from the soundtrack of the romantic dance film Step Up. 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. The first season of the series, which consisted of six episodes, concluded on August 16, 2006.
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. A worldwide success, it reached the top-ten in over five countries, including the United States, where it spent 22 consecutive weeks charting on the Billboard Hot 100. At the 2007 BET Awards, "Last Night" received a nomination for Best Collaboration and was performed by the duo alongside Lil' Kim during the award ceremony.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", marked Cole's first top-ten hit on the US Billboard Hot 100 as a lead artist moreover her first number-one hit on Billboards Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs; eventually receiving a platinum certification in the United States. The follow-up "Shoulda Let You Go", reached number 41 on the Hot 100 and 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 the top-30 of the Hot 100 and 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 the singles: "I Got a Thang for You", "Boyfriend/Girlfriend", and "Game's Pain", 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. The third and final 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 more than a million copies. The singles, "Playa Cardz Right", "You Complete Me" and "Trust", 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 concert 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. In November 2009, at the Soul Train Music Awards, Cole earned a nomination in the Best Collaboration category for "Trust".