Keyshia Cole

Keyshia Cole
Cole in 2017
Born	Keyshia Myeshia Johnson (1981-10-15) October 15, 1981 Oakland, California, U.S.
Education	Tracy High School
Occupations	Singer songwriter television personality actress
Years active	1998–present
Spouse	Daniel Gibson ​ ​ (m. 2011; div. 2020)​
Children	2
Father	Virgil Hunter
Awards	Full list
Musical career
Genres	R&B hip hop soul
Instrument	Vocals
Labels	Epic Sony BMG Imani Interscope Geffen A&M
Website	keyshiacole.com

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). The album 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 its 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) spawned three number-one R&B singles—"Let It Go" (featuring Missy Elliott and Lil' Kim), "I Remember" and "Heaven Sent"—and received four Grammy Award nominations. The album reached number two on the Billboard 200 and received platinum certification as well. Her third album, A Different Me (2008), was met with positive reception and likewise peaked at number two on the Billboard 200 and received platinum certification. Cole's fourth album, Calling All Hearts (2010) included the singles "I Ain't Thru" (featuring Nicki Minaj) and "Take Me Away". Her fifth album, Woman to Woman (2012) peaked at number ten on the Billboard 200 and spawned the single "Enough of No Love" (featuring Lil Wayne), which peaked within the top-ten of the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. That same year, she starred in the reality series Keyshia & Daniel: Family First. Further label changes saw the release of Point of No Return (2014) under Interscope and 11:11 Reset (2017) under Epic.

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. 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

Cole at the BET Hip Hop Awards in 2007

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 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 "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 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" (with Monica).

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 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's fourth album, Calling All Hearts, was released on December 21, 2010, featuring guest appearances from Nicki Minaj, Tank, Faith Evans, Timbaland, and her adoptive mother Yvonne Cole. Calling All Hearts received mixed to positive reviews from music critics and debuted at number nine on the US Billboard 200 chart, selling 128,000 copies in its first week. 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 expected to be released in February 2012.

Cole's fifth studio album, Woman to Woman, was released on November 19, 2012. Woman to Woman In the United States, the album debuted at number 10 on the Billboard 200 albums chart, selling 96,000 copies in its first week. The lead single from the album, "Enough of No Love" (featuring Lil Wayne), reached number 84 on US Billboard Hot 100 and number seven on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, marking her 12th top-ten entry on that chart. The album's second single, "Trust and Believe", peaked at number 32 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. Both singles were accompanied with music videos directed by Benny Boom. As promotion prior to the album's release, Keyshia & Daniel: Family First, a single-season reality television series that documented Cole's recording process for the album and relationship with her then husband Booby Gibson, ran for eight total episodes from October 9 to December 4, 2012. Cole's second headlining concert tour, the Woman to Woman Tour, began in March 2013, in support of Woman to Woman. In October 2013, Cole released the music video for the album's third and final single, "I Choose You", directed by Ethan Lader.

2014–2017: Point of No Return and All In

Main articles: Point of No Return (Keyshia Cole album) 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 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 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, BET announced that Cole would return with a fourth reality show Keyshia Cole: My New Life, which premiered in November 2019. 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. 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".

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.

Other ventures

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

Through November 2005 to October 2007, Cole and rapper Jeezy discreetly dated each other. During a 2008 interview with Vibe, Jeezy alleged that Cole had proposed to him, saying: "Keyshia asked me to marry her, bought me a ring and everything. She not gonna tell you different. I was grown enough to tell her, 'Look, baby, that isn't what it is right now. I'm trying to get my shit together. I'm trying to get my money, take care of me and mine."

Cole began dating NBA player Daniel Gibson in May 2009, announcing their engagement and her pregnancy in January 2010. On March 2, 2010, she gave birth to her son, Daniel Hiram Jr., with Gibson. The couple were married at a ceremony in Las Vegas, on May 21, 2011, before renewing their vows in Hawaii in September 2011. The entire wedding weekend was filmed and aired on Keyshia and Daniel: Family First, in October 2012. In March 2014, Cole confirmed during an interview on The Breakfast Club that she and Gibson were separated, succeeding the rumors that Gibson had cheated on Cole with a stripper. In April 2017, Cole announced that they had filed for divorce, which was finalized on September 3, 2020.

Cole became romantically involved with rapper and record executive Birdman in January 2014. On September 19, 2014, Cole was arrested and charged with misdemeanor battery after allegedly assaulting a woman in Birdman's condominium home; which led to him cutting ties with Cole soon after. The woman, Sabrina Mercadel, sued Cole for $4 million over the alleged assault. On December 28, 2017, the lawsuit was finalized after Cole purportedly didn't show up to court resulting in her being ordered to pay $100k toward Mercadel.

On May 3, 2019, Cole announced that she was expecting her second child, with her then-boyfriend Niko Khale.< Cole gave birth to her second son, Tobias Khale, on August 1, 2019. In October 2020, Khale confirmed that him and Cole had ended their relationship.

In April 2022, Cole had a brief romantic fling with former NFL wide receiver Antonio Brown. After being seen together at a nightclub in Atlanta, Georgia, Hunxho revealed that him and Cole were dating.

Cole asserted in a December 2012 interview on BET's 106 & Park that she was multiracial, despite not knowing her father's true identity or color at the time. The reason for this was that Cole's mother claimed an unknown Italian man was Cole's biological father. In May 2016, Cole met her biological father, Virgil Hunter, after a paternity test confirmed their connection. Cole's mother, Frankie Lons, died on July 18, 2021, from a drug overdose.

Discography

Main article: Keyshia Cole discography

• The Way It Is (2005)
• Just like You (2007)
• A Different Me (2008)
• Calling All Hearts (2010)
• Woman to Woman (2012)
• Point of No Return (2014)
• 11:11 Reset (2017)

Tours

As a headliner

• A Different Me Tour (2009)
• Woman to Woman Tour (2013)
• Point of No Return Tour (2014)
• Love Hard Tour (2024)

As a supporting act

• Sweatsuit Tour (with Nelly) (2005)
• Touch the Sky Tour (with Kanye West) (2005)
• Double Up Tour (with R. Kelly) (2007)
• I Am Music Tour (with Lil Wayne) (2008)
• Love Letter Tour (with R. Kelly) (2011)

Promotional tours

• Promo Tour (2007)

Filmography

Films

List of film appearances

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2007	How She Move	Herself
2018	Charming	Cinderella #2
2023	Keyshia Cole: This Is My Story	Herself	Television film

Television

List of television credits

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2005	All of Us	Herself	Episode: "Hollywood Swinging"
2006–2008	Keyshia Cole: The Way It Is		33 episodes
2007	Snoop Dogg's Father Hood		Episode: "Snow in da Hood"
2008	Paris Hilton's My New BFF
2008	What Perez Sez		Episode: "About Divas"
2012	Keyshia & Daniel: Family First		8 episodes Also executive producer
2015	Keyshia Cole: All In		8 episodes Also executive producer
2017	Lip Sync Battle		Episode: "Soul Train Special"
2017	Love & Hip Hop: Hollywood		16 episodes
2017	Ridiculousness		Episode: "Keyshia Cole"
2018	Tanked		Episode: "Keyshia Cole's Dream Tank"
2019	Keyshia Cole: My New Life		Biographical documentary Also executive producer
2019–2020	One on One with Keyshia Cole	Host	Talk show
2023	The Masked Singer	Herself/Candelabra	Season 10 contestant

External links

• Official website (archived)
• Keyshia Cole at AllMusic
• Keyshia Cole discography at Discogs
• Keyshia Cole at IMDb