Coordinates	45°30′″N73°40′″N
Name	Sean Combs
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	Sean John Combs
Alias	DiddyP. DiddyPuff Daddy
Born	November 04, 1969New York City, New York, U.S.
Origin	Mount Vernon, New York, United States
Genre	Hip hop
Occupation	Rapper, record producer, actor, businessman
Years active	1991–present
Label	Bad Boy, Interscope
Associated acts	Diddy-Dirty Money, Faith Evans, The Neptunes, Lil' Kim, Rick Ross, Mase, The Notorious B.I.G., Usher, Jay-Z
Website	}}

Sean John Combs (born November 4, 1969), also known by his stage name Diddy or P. Diddy, is an American rapper, singer, record producer, actor, and businessman. He has won three Grammy Awards and two MTV Video Music Awards, and his clothing line earned a Council of Fashion Designers of America award. He was originally known as Puff Daddy and then as P. Diddy (Puff and Puffy being often used as a nickname, but never as recording names). In August 2005, he changed his stage name to simply "Diddy", but continues to use the name P. Diddy in the United Kingdom as the result of a lawsuit. He formed and recorded with the group "Diddy - Dirty Money".

Combs was born in Harlem and grew up in Mount Vernon, New York. He worked as a talent director at Uptown Records and then founded Bad Boy Records in 1993. His business interests under the umbrella of Bad Boy Entertainment Worldwide include Bad Boy Records; the clothing lines Sean John & ''Sean by Sean Combs''; a movie production company; and two restaurants. He has taken the roles of recording executive, performer, producer of MTV's ''Making the Band'', writer, arranger, clothing designer, and Broadway actor. In 2011 Forbes estimated his net worth at $475 million, making him the richest figure in hip hop.

Early life

Sean Combs was born in a public housing project in Harlem, New York, the son of Janice, a model and teacher, and Melvin Earl Combs. He grew up in Mount Vernon, New York. When Combs was a child, his father, aged 33, an associate of Frank Lucas (the New York drug lord), was shot to death in his car at a Manhattan park after attending a party. Lucas and rival gangster Nicky Barnes both publicly state that they were close to Melvin.

Combs played football at the Roman Catholic Mount Saint Michael Academy. In 1986, his team won a division title; he graduated in 1987.

Combs says he was given the nickname "Puff" as a child because he would "huff and puff" when he was angry, and "Daddy" was another version of "playa".

Music career

Uptown Records

Combs attended Howard University in Washington, D.C., where he showed a penchant for marketing and gained a reputation as a party promoter. He eventually became an intern at New York's Uptown Records. For some time he would travel back and forth between Washington and New York, juggling his classes and his internship, before eventually dropping out of Howard when he became a talent director at Uptown. He was instrumental in developing Jodeci and signing and producing Mary J. Blige.

In 1991, Combs promoted a concert, headlined by Heavy D and held at the City College of New York gymnasium, following an AIDS charity basketball game. The event was overcrowded since it was oversold to almost twice capacity, while thousands without tickets were outside. To keep them out Combs' people shut the only door to a stairwell and put a table behind it, though the crowd jammed inside was pounding on the door and pleading for help. When the crowd outside broke several glass doors in an attempt to get in a stampede ensued inside the gymnasium in which nine people died. In a 1999 ruling, a Court of Claims judge found Puff Daddy and Heavy D. responsible for 50 percent of the incident. City College bore the rest of the responsibility in part for abandoning security responsibility to Puff Daddy though they knew the event was oversold.

Establishing Bad Boy Records

In 1993, after being fired from Uptown, Combs established Bad Boy Records, taking then-newcomer The Notorious B.I.G. with him. Both The Notorious B.I.G. and Craig Mack quickly released hit singles, followed by similarly successful LPs, particularly The Notorious B.I.G.'s ''Ready to Die''. Combs began signing more acts to Bad Boy, including Carl Thomas, Faith Evans, Father MC, 112 and Total, as well as producing for Jodeci, Mary J. Blige, Usher, Lil' Kim, TLC, Mariah Carey, Boyz II Men, SWV, Aretha Franklin, and others, and forming The Hitmen, an in-house production team.

Mase and D-Block (then known as "The L.O.X.") joined Bad Boy just as a widely publicized rivalry with the West Coast's Death Row Records was beginning. Combs and The Notorious B.I.G. were criticized and parodied by Tupac Shakur and Suge Knight in songs and interviews during the mid-1990s. During 1994–1995, he also helped produce songs for TLC's ''CrazySexyCool'', which was the decade's best-selling R&B; album. Songs he helped produced include "If I Was Your Girlfriend" and "Can I Get A Witness".

"Puff Daddy"

In 1997, Combs recorded his first commercial vocal as a rapper under the name "Puff Daddy." His debut single, "Can't Nobody Hold Me Down" spent six weeks at #1 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. His debut album, ''No Way Out'' was a #1 album and won the 1998 Grammy Award for best rap album. His second single, "I'll Be Missing You", in memory of The Notorious B.I.G. debuted at #1 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. He collaborated with Jimmy Page on the song "Come with Me" for the ''Godzilla'' film, an EPIC/Sony Soundtrax production. The track, approved by Page, sampled the Led Zeppelin song "Kashmir". Producer Tom Morello supplied live guitar parts, playing bass on the song. Combs and Page filmed a video for "Come with Me", which reached #2 in the UK.

In 1997, Combs was sued for landlord neglect by Inge Bongo. Combs denied the charges.

By the late 1990s, he was receiving criticism for watering down and overly commercializing hip-hop and overusing guest appearances by other artists, samples and interpolations of past hits in his own hit songs.

Club New York

In December 1999, Combs was accused of assaulting Steve Stoute of Interscope Records. Stoute was the manager for Nas. Combs had filmed a video scene earlier that year for "Hate Me Now" that featured Nas being crucified but demanded that the images be removed. Stoute's refusal led to an argument and Puff Daddy's arrest for aggravated assault. This was followed by yet more negative publicity as The Lox left Bad Boy Records and a recording session with Lil' Kim and Lil' Cease, both of The Notorious B.I.G.'s Junior M.A.F.I.A. posse, was interrupted by gunfire.

On December 27, 1999, Combs and his then-girlfriend Jennifer Lopez were at Club New York, a midtown Manhattan nightclub, when gunfire broke out. After a police investigation, Combs and fellow rapper Shyne were arrested for weapons violations and other charges. The New York County District Attorney's Office, led by Assistant District Attorney Matthew Bogdanos, indicted Combs after his driver, Wardel Fenderson, claimed that Combs had tried to bribe him into taking the weapon after the shooting.

With a gag order in place, the highly publicized trial began. His attorneys were Johnnie L. Cochran Jr. and Benjamin Brafman. After the trial was over, Combs was found not guilty on all charges; Shyne was convicted on the same charges and sentenced to ten years in prison. Combs and Lopez split shortly after. A lawsuit filed by Combs's driver, Fenderson, who said he suffered emotional damage after the club shooting, was settled in February 2004. Lawyers for both sides, having agreed to keep the settlement terms secret, would say only that the matter was resolved to the satisfaction of all parties.

"P. Diddy"

In 2001, after his acquittal on gun possession and bribery charges, Combs changed his stage name from "Puff Daddy" to "P. Diddy". He later appeared as a drug dealer in the film ''Made'' and starred with Halle Berry and Billy Bob Thornton in ''Monster's Ball''. He tried to reinvent his image, working on a gospel album, ''Thank You'', but soon faced assault charges by a Michigan television host, Dr. Roger Mills, also known as Rogelio Mills, and then was arrested for driving on a suspended license in Florida. Combs began working with a series of unusual (for him) artists. A collaboration with David Bowie appeared on the soundtrack to ''Training Day'' and he also worked with Britney Spears and 'N Sync. He signed California-based pop girl group Dream to his record label. He was also an opening act for 'N Sync on their Spring 2002 Celebrity Tour.

Later in 2002, he made his own reality show on MTV called ''Making the Band 2'', a sequel to the first ''Making the Band'', in which contestants competed to be in a new group on Bad Boy Records. Six finalists were to come up with their name, CD and video (see Da Band). The group, maligned by comics and critics and drawing a skit on ''Chappelle's Show'', was dissolved by Combs at the end of the series.

In 2003, Combs ran in the New York City Marathon and raised $2,000,000 for the educational system for the children of New York. On March 10, 2004, he appeared on ''The Oprah Winfrey Show'' to discuss the marathon, which he finished in four hours and eighteen minutes.

In 2004, Combs headed the campaign "Vote or Die" for the 2004 Presidential Election. The "Vote or Die" slogan was mocked by both ''The Daily Show'' and ''South Park'' as being too simplistic and encouraging young people to vote without knowing the issues. In a ''South Park'' episode entitled "Douche and Turd", Combs and his friends were depicted chasing Stan Marsh, one of the show's main characters, around with weapons, literally threatening to kill him if he wouldn't vote in his school election.

"Diddy"

On August 16, 2005, Combs appeared on ''Today'' and announced that he was altering his stage name yet again, dropping the "P." and referring to himself simply as "Diddy", saying that "the P was getting between me and my fans." However this upset Richard "Diddy" Dearlove, a London based musical artist & DJ, who in November 2005 sought an injunction of the Royal Courts of Justice, London but accepted an out-of-court settlement of £110,000. As a result, Combs no longer uses the name Diddy in the UK, where he is still known as P. Diddy.

Combs starred in the 2005 ''Carlito's Way: Rise to Power'', played Walter Lee Younger in the critically acclaimed 2004 Broadway revival of ''A Raisin in the Sun'' and the television adaptation which was aired in February 2008. In the same year Combs sold his record company to the Warner Music Group. Tensions still existed between him and former Warner CEOs Lyor Cohen and Kevin Liles (both formerly of Def Jam) but they arranged for his imprint to be a part of the company. In an interview with AndPOP Combs said that he was developing a line of men's suits. He later hosted the 2005 MTV Video Music Awards, and was named one of the 100 Most Influential People of 2005 by ''Time'' magazine. He even earned a mention in the world of country music: The narrator of "Play Something Country" by Brooks & Dunn and Sean Okundaye says he "didn't come to hear P Diddy", which he rhymes with "something bumpin' from the city."

In 2006, after trying to move Mase away from Bad Boy Records, 50 Cent recorded a diss song, "Hip-Hop", in which he implied that Combs knew about The Notorious B.I.G.'s murder. The feud was resolved, with both rappers appearing on MTV's ''TRL'' and ''Sucker Free'', respectively, stating that there were no longer problems.

Combs released his first album in 4 years, ''Press Play'', on October 17, 2006 on the Bad Boy Records label with guest appearances from Christina Aguilera, Keyshia Cole, Mario Winans (signed to his label 'Bad Boy Records'), Nas, Will.i.am (of The Black Eyed Peas), Mary J. Blige, Nicole Scherzinger (of the Pussycat Dolls), Jamie Foxx, Fergie, Big Boi (of Outkast), Ciara, Twista, Just Blaze, Pharrell, Brandy. The album reached number one on its first week in the charts.

It was reported that Combs would be singing on all the tracks of this album but he did not sing at all on the album's first single, "Come To Me" (featuring Nicole Scherzinger of the Pussycat Dolls), but rather did his traditional rapping. He did sing on the third single, "Last Night" (featuring Keyshia Cole). "Tell Me" (featuring Christina Aguilera) was released as the second single. He was asking fans on his MySpace page to help him choose the fourth single, which was "Through the Pain (She Told Me)" (featuring Mario Winans).

In October 2007, he was sued by hip-hop promoter James Waldon for allegedly unleashing three violent bodyguards on him in a New York nightclub. In March 2008, a source for the ''Los Angeles Times'' claimed that The Notorious B.I.G. and Combs orchestrated the '94 robbery and assassination attempt on Tupac, substantiating the claim with supposed FBI documents to that effect; the newspaper later retracted the story, acknowledging that the supporting FBI documents had been fabricated.

In June 2008, Combs' representative denied rumors of another name change. August 2008 saw Combs venture into reality television with the premiere of his VH1 series ''I Want to Work for Diddy''. After the second season finale of ''Making the Band 4'', Combs confirmed that he will be heading back into the studio to record his next album. He posted a Myspace Bulletin on February 19, 2009 that his next album is set to release in November 2009.

Combs has stated that he would like to work with Leona Lewis on his new album. In an interview with ''The Daily Mail'' he said: "I had Christina Aguilera on my last album, but its all about Leona Lewis on my next."

Under his real name of Sean Combs, he starred in two episodes of Season 7 of ''CSI: Miami''; 'Presumed Guilty' and 'Sink or Swim' in the role of the lawyer Derek Powell.

He has created a rap supergroup known as "The Dream Team". The group consists of Diddy, Rick Ross, DJ Khaled, Fat Joe, Busta Rhymes and Red Café. Fabolous is also rumored to be in the group. Since 2009 he has recorded and performed as part of the group Diddy - Dirty Money.

In June 2010, Diddy played a role (as Sean Combs) in the comedy film ''Get Him to the Greek'', as Sergio Roma, a record company executive. An ''Entourage''-series representative announced that Diddy would guest star on an episode of the upcoming season.

On Thursday, March 10, 2011 Diddy-Dirty Money performed the single "Coming Home" with singer/songwriter Skylar Grey and two female background vocalists Dawn Richard and Kalenna Harper, live on American Idol. Forty six minutes into the show, Ryan Seacrest introduced Diddy-Dirty Money featuring Skylar Grey. Grey started the performance seated at a piano singing the song's opening refrain. Diddy-Dirty Money's performance lasted four minutes.

On April 18, 2011, Diddy appeared in the 21st episode of season one of ''Hawaii Five-0'' as an undercover NYPD detective.

Business ventures

In 2002, he was featured on ''Fortune'' magazine's "40 Richest People Under 40" list and was placed number one in the list of the top ten richest people in hip-hop. In 2010 his estimated worth was US $475 million, making him the richest person in the hip hop entertainment business.

Sean John

In 1998, Combs started a clothing line, ''Sean John''. It was nominated for the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) Award for Menswear Designer of the Year in 2000, and won in 2004.

The clothing line was subject to controversy in 2003 when it was discovered that factories producing the clothing in Honduras were violating Honduran labor law. Among the accusations put forth were that workers were subjected to body searches and paid sweatshop wages. Charles Kernaghan of the National Labor Committee, who first exposed the factory, is quoted in the New York Times as saying, "Sean Puff Daddy obviously has a lot of clout, he can literally do a lot overnight to help these workers."

Combs responded that there would be a "zero tolerance" investigation at his company, Sean John. He stated to a group of reporters "I'm as pro-worker as they get." On February 14, 2004, Kernaghann announced on Pacifia station that Combs had made some "unprecedented" changes at factories including adding air conditioning and water purification systems, and allowing a union to form.

In late 2006, MSNBC reported, "Macy's has pulled from its shelves and its Web site two styles of Sean John hooded jackets, originally advertised as featuring faux fur, after an investigation by the nation's largest animal protection organization concluded that the garments were actually made from an animal called a 'raccoon dog'". Combs said he had been unaware of the material, but as soon as he knew about it, he had his clothing line stop using the material. In 2008 he appeared in a Macy's commercial.

In November 2008, Combs launched his latest men's perfume under the Sean John brand called "I Am King" dedicated to Barack Obama, Muhammad Ali and Martin Luther King. In November 2008, he unveiled a new Times Square billboard for the "I Am King" line to replace his iconic Sean John ad. The giant billboard is currently the largest static ad in Times Square. Model Bar Refaeli was chosen to be the face of the fragrance.

Other ventures

In addition to his clothing line, Combs owns an upscale restaurant chain called Justin's, named after his son. The current restaurant is in Atlanta; the original New York location closed in September 2007. He is the designer of the green Dallas Mavericks alternate jersey.

On September 18, 2007, Combs teamed up with 50 Cent and Jay-Z for the "Forbes I Get Money Billion Dollar Remix." He also made appearances with Jay-Z on his ''American Gangster'' concert tour in 2007.

As of October 2007, Combs has inked a multi-year deal, in which he'll help develop the Ciroc brand, one of Diageo PLC's super-premium Vodka lines, for a share in the profits. The agreement is the latest in which a celebrity is going beyond the typical role of endorser to share in a brand's rise and fall. Diageo said the agreement could be worth more than $100 million for Combs and his company, Sean Combs Enterprises, over the course of the deal, depending on how well the brand performs. Since then, he has launched multiple ventures for Ciroc, many of which were featured during the 2008 presidential election.

Combs acquired the Enyce clothing line from Liz Claiborne for $20 million on October 21, 2008.

After a prolific Twitter campaign by comedian Chris Gethard, Combs is set to make an appearance at the comedian's live show in January 2010 at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater in New York City. In February 2010, Combs announced on CNN to Wolf Blitzer, that he plans to open a business school in New York. He announced that he wanted a school, "that’s known for building leaders."

Personal life

Family

Combs has never married, but he is the biological father of five children and the informal stepfather of another child:

His on-again, off-again girlfriend Kimberly Porter has a son, Quincy Jones Brown (born December 1991) with 1980s New Jack Swing romantic singer/producer Al B Sure. Quincy was featured on ''My Super Sweet 16''.

Combs' first biological child is Justin Dior Combs (born December 1993), from a relationship with his high school sweetheart, designer Misa Hylton-Brim. In January 2010 it was widely reported that Combs presented his son Justin with a $360,000 Maybach car (and chauffeur) as a 16th birthday present. Justin was also featured on ''My Super Sweet 16''.

His second child is son Christian Casey Combs (born April 1998) with Kim Porter. Porter is also the mother of Combs' twin daughters, D'Lila Star Combs and Jessie James Combs (born December 2006). In July 2007 Combs and Porter ended their relationship.

In October 2007, Combs took legal responsibility for Chance, his daughter with Sarah Chapman.

Charity work and honors

On October 13, 2006, the mayor of Chicago, Richard M. Daley, gave Combs the key to the city and a pair of cufflinks to commemorate the inauguration of an annual October 13 "Diddy Day". He received the honor as a reward for certain charitable work at Chicago's City Hall.

In 2008 Combs was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Wardrobe style

In the February 2007 issue of ''Blender'' magazine, Combs spoke about his wardrobe. He describes his style in three words: "Swagger. Timeless. Diverse." On September 2, 2007, Combs held his ninth annual "White Party" in which all guests are limited to an all white dress code. The White Party, which has also been held in St. Tropez, was held in his Long Island home in East Hampton. It featured a white carpet to go along with the white dress code. Combs stated, "This party is up there with the top three that I've thrown, It's a party that has legendary status. It's hard to throw a party that lives up to its legend."

Discography

;Studio albums

1997: ''No Way Out''

1999: ''Forever''

2001: ''The Saga Continues...''

2002: ''We Invented the Remix''

2006: ''Press Play''

2010: ''Last Train to Paris''

Accolades

NAACP Image Awards

* 2009, Outstanding Actor in a Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special, ''A Raisin in the Sun'' (Winner)

MOBO Awards

* 2007, Best International Act (Nominated)

BET Awards

* 2007, Best Male Hip Hop Artist (Nominated)

MTV Video Music Awards

* 1997, Best R&B; Video: "I'll Be Missing You" (Winner)

* 1998, Viewers Choice: "It's All About The Benjamins (Rock Remix)" (Winner)

Grammy Awards {| class=wikitable |- ! Year ! Category ! Genre ! Song ! Result |- align=center | 1998 | Best New Artist | General | N/A | |- align=center | 1998 | Best Rap Performance By a Duo or Group | Rap | "Can't Nobody Hold Me Down" | |- align=center | 1998 | Best Rap Performance By a Duo or Group | Rap | "Mo Money Mo Problems" | |- align=center | 1998 | Best Rap Performance By a Duo or Group | Rap | "I'll Be Missing You" | |- align=center | 1998 | Best Rap Album | Rap | ''No Way Out'' | |- align=center | 2000 | Best Rap Performance By a Duo or Group | Rap | "Satisfy You" | |- align=center | 2002 | Best Rap Performance By a Duo or Group | Rap | "Bad Boy For Life" | |- align=center | 2003 | Best Rap Performance By a Duo or Group | Rap | "Pass the Courvoisier (Part 2)" | |- align=center | 2004 | Best Rap Performance By a Duo or Group | Rap | "Shake Ya Tailfeather" | |}

Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time (Albums Executive Produced by Sean Combs)

{|class=wikitable |- ! Rank ! Artist ! Album ! Year |- align=center |133 |The Notorious B.I.G. |''Ready To Die'' |1994 |- align=center |279 |Mary J. Blige |''My Life'' |1994 |- align=center |483 |The Notorious B.I.G. |''Life After Death'' |1997 |}

References

External links

Official website

Sean Combs at MTV

Category:1969 births Category:Living people Category:Actors from New York City Category:African-American businesspeople Category:African American film actors Category:African American rappers Category:African American record producers Category:American dance musicians Category:American fashion designers Category:American hip hop record producers Category:American male singers Category:American music video directors Category:American socialites Category:Bad Boy Records artists Category:Businesspeople from New York City Category:Grammy Award winners Category:Howard University alumni Category:Participants in American reality television series Category:People from Harlem Category:People from Westchester County, New York Category:Rappers from New York City

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Coordinates	45°30′″N73°40′″N
name	Skylar Grey
background	solo_singer
birth name	Holly Brook Hafermann
alias	Holly Brook
birth date	February 23, 1986
origin	Mazomanie, Wisconsin,
instrument	Vocals, piano, guitar
genre	Pop, soul, folk rock, rock, hip hop
occupation	Singer, songwriter, record producer
years active	2004–present
label	KIDinaKORNER, Interscope, Machine Shop
website	}}

Holly Brook Hafermann (born February 23, 1986), better known by her stage name Skylar Grey, is a Grammy-nominated American multi-instrumentalist, singer, songwriter, and record producer. Grey was signed to Machine Shop Recordings under the name Holly Brook. She released her debut album as Holly Brook, ''Like Blood Like Honey'', in 2006. She co-wrote the three versions of "Love the Way You Lie" with Alex da Kid, who signed her to his Wonderland Music label. She was featured as a guest vocalist on Fort Minor's "Where'd You Go" and "Be Somebody", Diddy-Dirty Money's "Coming Home", Dr. Dre's "I Need a Doctor" and Lupe Fiasco's "Words I Never Said".

Life and career

2001–2010: Early life and career beginnings

Grey performed professionally as a child in a folk duo with her mother called Generations. Together, (with producer/engineer Randy Green) they independently produced three albums, ''Dream Maker'', ''Lift Me'', and ''Millennial Child/Waiting For You''. Grey started her first band at the age of fifteen after 'sneaking' into bars, working with jazz musicians including Jeff Eckles, Tim Whalen and Leo Sidran in Madison, Wisconsin.

In 2003, Brook moved to Los Angeles and recorded a demo, which led to her being signed by Linkin Park guitarist Brad Delson to the band's vanity label, Machine Shop Recordings, at age 18 in the fall of 2004. Her voice is featured on the Fort Minor songs "Where'd You Go" and "Be Somebody". Working with producer Jonathan Ingoldsby, Brook released her debut album, ''Like Blood Like Honey'', on June 6, 2006. She landed opening spots for tours with Jamie Cullum, KD Lang, Daniel Powter, Teddy Geiger and Duncan Sheik.

In 2010, Brook lent both her song "It's Raining Again" and her image to a promotional campaign for Ciao Water. Prior to this, she has appeared on albums by other artists, including Brie Larson's ''Finally Out of P.E.'', and Fort Minor's ''The Rising Tied''. Brook has toured with as part of Duncan Sheik's band, and appears heavily on his 2009 album ''Whisper House''. At the beginning in 2010 she also performed in the theatrical version of "Whisper House," playing one of the two lead ghost vocalists along with David Poe. Also in 2010, she self-released the seven-song ''O’Dark:Thirty EP'', produced by Duncan Sheik and Jon Ingoldsby. In 2009, Brook appeared as a backing vocalist on Eurovision contestant, Yohanna's debut album, ''Butterflies and Elvis''.

2011–present: ''Invinsible''

Brook later changed her name to Skylar Grey. She explained that “it represents the unknowns in life. People seem to be afraid of the unknowns, but I’m the complete opposite. I dive into the unknown because I feel like that’s where all your possibilities come from.”

She was still living in Oregon and had no recognition as Skylar Grey. Grey went to New York to meet her publicist and was introduced to Alex da Kid, who played Grey the song "Airplanes" by B.O.B and Hayley Williams which he produced. Grey liked what she heard and sent Alex da Kid the songs "Love The Way You Lie" Parts I, II and III.

Producer Alex da Kid signed her to a production deal on his KIDinaKORNER imprint. She helped write sections of all three versions of "Love the Way You Lie" by rapper Eminem and Rihanna as well as performing the demo for the song. Grey earned a Grammy nomination for Song of the Year for her writing contributions to "Love the Way You Lie". She also co-wrote Diddy-Dirty Money's "Coming Home", along with "Castle Walls" by T.I. and Christina Aguilera. On March 10, 2011, Diddy-Dirty Money performed the single "Coming Home" with Grey and two female background vocalists Dawn Richard and Kalenna Harper, live on ''American Idol''.

She is also a featured guest on "I Need a Doctor". Grey is also featured on Lupe Fiasco's third studio album ''Lasers'', on the second single, "Words I Never Said" and was also featured in the live performance of the song, with Lupe, on ''The Colbert Report'' on May 9, 2011. Grey made her live performance debut under her new alias during the 53rd Grammy Awards, performing "I Need a Doctor" alongside Eminem and Dr. Dre. She is currently working on her solo studio album ''Invinsible'' with Alex Da Kid. She has signed to Interscope Records through Da Kid's KIDinaKORNER, and her first promotional buzz single "Dance Without You" was released on June 6, 2011, with the official music video being released on July 5. The first official single "Invisible" was released to radio on June 16. On July 9, 2011, Grey performed live at the World Peace Event in Washington, DC, appearing along with the 14th Dalai Lama. On the 6th of August, she peformed at the 20th Lollaplooza festival as both a solo artist and with Eminem during the song "I Need A Doctor". The next day, while passing by the area where YouTube sensation Karmin was recording their cover of "I Need A Doctor," Skylar joined the duo for an impromptu performance.

Influences

Grey has listed Marilyn Manson, Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Sarah McLachlan and Death Cab for Cutie as her influences.

Discography

''Like Blood Like Honey'' (2006)

''Invinsible'' (2011)

References

External links

Category:1986 births Category:American singer-songwriters Category:American female singers Category:American pop pianists Category:American female guitarists Category:Living people Category:People from Dane County, Wisconsin Category:Songwriters from Wisconsin

ar:سكايلر غري da:Skylar Grey de:Skylar Grey fr:Skylar Grey it:Skylar Grey he:סקיילר גריי nl:Skylar Grey no:Holly Brook pl:Skylar Grey pt:Skylar Grey ru:Скайлар Грей zh-yue:Holly Brook

Coordinates	45°30′″N73°40′″N
Birth name	Faith Renee Evans
Background	solo_singer
Born	June 10, 1972Lakeland, Florida
Married to	Christopher "The Notorious B.I.G." Wallace, Todd Russaw
Origin	Newark, New Jersey,United States
Voice type	Mezzo_soprano
Genre	R&B;, soul, hip hop soul, hip hop
Occupation	Singer-songwriter, record producer, actress, author
Years active	1993–present
Label	Bad Boy (1994–2004)Capitol (2004–2007) Prolific/E1 Music (2009–present)
Associated acts	Sean Combs, Keyshia Cole, Mary J. Blige, 112, Lil' Mo
Website	FaithEvansOnline.com }}

Faith Renée Evans (born June 10, 1972) is an American singer-songwriter, recording artist, record producer, actress and author. Born in Florida and raised in New Jersey, Evans relocated to Los Angeles during 1993 for a career with the music business. After working as a backing vocalist for Al B. Sure and Christopher Williams, she became the first female artist to be contracted with Sean "Puff Daddy" Combs' Bad Boy Entertainment recording company during 1994, for which she released three platinum-certified studio albums between the years 1995 and 2001. During 2003, she ended her relationship with the company to contract with Capitol Records.

Other than her recording career, Evans is known as the widow of New York rapper Christopher "The Notorious B.I.G." Wallace, whom she married on August 4, 1994, a few weeks after meeting at a Bad Boy photoshoot. The turbulent marriage resulted in Evans' involvement in the East Coast-West Coast hip hop feud, dominating the rap music news at the time, and ended with Wallace's murder in a yet-unsolved drive-by shooting in Los Angeles, California during March 1997. A 1997 tribute single featuring Puff Daddy and the band 112, named "I'll Be Missing You", became Evans' best-selling song to date and won her a Grammy Award during 1998.

Also an avocational actress and writer, Evans made her screen debut in the 2000 musical drama ''Turn It Up'' by Robert Adetuyi. Her autobiography ''Keep the Faith: A Memoir'' was released by Grand Central Publishing during 2008 and won a 2009 African American Literary Award for the Best Biography/Memoir category.

Early life

Evans was born in Lakeland, Florida to an African-American mother, Helene Evans, a professional singer. Her father, Richard Swain, was a musician who left before Evans was born (Evans has said "I've heard people mumble something about him being Italian, but I don't know for sure"). A half year later, 19-year-old Helene returned to Newark, New Jersey and left Faith with her cousin Johnnie Mae and husband Orvelt Kennedy, the foster parents of more than a hundred children they raised in the time that Faith lived with them. It was not until a couple of years later that Helene's career floundered and she tried to take Evans back home. Faith, however, was afraid to leave what she'd "been used to", and instead, Helene relocated next door.

Raised in a Christian home, Evans began singing at church at age two. At age four, she caught the attention of the congregation of the Emmanuel Baptist Church (in Newark) when she sang The 5th Dimension's song "Let the Sunshine In". While attending University High School in Newark, she sang with several jazz bands and, encouraged by Helene, entered outside pageants, festivals and contests, where her voice would be noticed and praised. After graduating from high school during 1991, Evans attended Fordham University in New York City to study marketing but ended out a year later to have daughter Chyna with music producer Kiyamma Griffin. A couple of months later , she relocated to Los Angeles, where she worked as a backup vocalist for singer Al B. Sure, when she was noticed by musician Sean "Puff Daddy" Combs. Impressed with her persona, Combs contracted her as the company's first female artist to his Bad Boy Entertainment during 1994.

Recording career

1994—2004: Bad Boy Records

Newly contracted to Bad Boy Records, Evans was consulted by executive producer Combs to contribute backing vocals and writing skills to Mary J. Blige's ''My Life'' (1994) and Usher's self-titled debut album (1994) prior to starting work on her debut record album ''Faith''. Released on August 29, 1995 in North America, the album was a collaboration with Bad Boy's main producers "The Hitmen", including Chucky Thompson and Combs, but it resulted in recordings with Poke & Tone and Herb Middleton. ''Faith'' became a success based on the singles "You Used to Love Me" and "Soon as I Get Home". The album was certified Platinum with 1,500,000 copies sold, according to RIAA.

After Biggie's murder during March 1997, Combs helped Evans produce her tribute song named "I'll Be Missing You", based on the melody of The Police's 1983 single "Every Breath You Take". The song, which featured Combs, Evans, and all-male group 112, became a worldwide number-one success and debuted at #1 on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart during 1997, scoring that for eleven weeks. It eventually won Puffy and Evans the 1998 Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group. The next year, she received another two Grammy nominations for "Heartbreak Hotel", a collaboration with singers Whitney Houston and Kelly Price, that scored number two on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart.

Two years in the making, Evans' second solo effort, ''Keep the Faith'', was released during October 1998. Almost entirely written and produced by her, Evans considered the album difficult to complete as she had initially felt discouraged about the progress at first. Upon its release, however, the album garnered generally positive reviews by music critics, with Allmusic noting it "without a doubt a highlight of 1990s soul-pop music". Also enjoying commercial success, it eventually went platinum and produced the top ten singles "Love Like This" and "All Night Long", prompting Evans to start an 18-city theater tour with Dru Hill and Total the following year.

Evans' third album on the Bad Boy imprint, named ''Faithfully'' (2001), involved her working with a wider range of producers, including The Neptunes, Mario Winans, Buckwild, Vada Nobles, Cory Rooney, and others. Her first project with husband Todd Russaw as executive producer and creative partner, the album scored number 14 on the ''Billboard'' 200 album chart and number two on the Top R&B;/Hip-Hop Albums chart, eventually being certified platinum, but yielded moderately successful singles, with the Jennifer Lopez-written "I Love You" becoming the only top twenty entry. Released amid Bad Boy Records' transition from distributor Arista Records to Universal, Evans felt ''Faithfully'' received minimum assistance by the company, and during 2004, she finally decided to end her business with Bad Boy as she was convinced Combs couldn't improve her career any more due to his other commitments.

2004—2007: Capitol Records

After ending with Bad Boy Entertainment Evans contracted with Capitol Records company, becoming the first contemporary R&B; artist to do so, and started work on her fourth studio album ''The First Lady'', named after her nickname on her former label. As opposed to having an in-house team of producers who supplied most of the previous material, she and Russaw were able to gain more creative control of the album and consulted producers such as Bryan-Michael Cox, Jermaine Dupri, Mike Caren, Pharrell Williams, and Chucky Thompson to contribute to it. Upon its release in April 2005, ''The First Lady'' scored at number two on the ''Billboard'' 200 and #1 of the Top R&B;/Hip-Hop Albums chart, becoming Evans' best-charting album to date. It was eventually certified gold by the RIAA.

At the end of the year, Evans released ''A Faithful Christmas'', a holiday album of traditional Christmas songs and original tracks. The effort would become her last release on Capitol Records as the company was bought during 2007.

2008—present: Hiatus and E1 Entertainment

Following a longer hiatus, Evans signed a deal with E1 Entertainment - the largest independent record label in the United States - in 2010. Her sixth studio album ''Something About Faith'' was released on October 5, 2010 in the United States and December 6, 2010 in the UK. In the US, the album debuted and peaked at number fifteen on the ''Billboard'' 200, number four on the Top R&B;/Hip-Hop Albums chart and number one on the Indepedent Albums chart, failing however to chart oustide the US - making it Evans' only album since her debut ''Faith'' to chart in the US only. ''Something About Faith'' has spawned the single and music video "Gone Already"; which spent over thirty-three weeks on the US ''Billboard'' Hot R&B;/Hip-Hop Songs chart, where it peaked at number twenty-two. On February 14, 2011, a high definition music video for "Right Here" was released on Evans' official YouTube account, suggesting that it is the second single from the album, though this is yet to be confirmed.

Other ventures

Acting

Having previously appeared in stage plays as a teenager, Evans began acting with a supporting role in director Robert Adetuyi's 2000 music drama ''Turn It Up'', featuring Jason Statham and Ja Rule. Released to generally negative reviews from critics, who noted it "patently absurd in both the details and larger aspects", the indie film had a short play and became a financial disappointment, gaining US$1.24 million during its U.S. run only.

During 2003, Evans acted in the MTV-produced romantic comedy ''The Fighting Temptations'' in which she appeared in a brief but major role portraying a single mother and night club singer. Filmed in Columbus, Georgia and headed by Cuba Gooding, Jr. (her character is his mother) and Beyoncé Knowles, the film garnered mixed reviews by critcs, but scored top top three of the U.S. box office, resulting in a domestic gross of US$30.2 million. In addition, Evans recorded a contemporary cover version of Donna Summer's 1978 success "Heaven Knows" for the film which her characters performs during one of the first in sequence in the film. The accompanying soundtrack scored the top twenty of the U.S. ''Billboard'' 200.

During 2004, Evans earned a brief guest stint on the UPN situation comedy ''Half & Half''. Evans announced that she had been working on a synopsis for her own situation comedy that would be based largely on her life but with a more comedic aspect. It is unknown whether she has officially pitched the sitcom to any television networks at this time.

Writing

Evans released her autobiographic book called ''Keep the Faith: A Memoir'' on August 29, 2008. It detailed the singer's life, but also discussed Evans' controversial relationship with her late husband, the Notorious B.I.G.:

"I want people to understand that although he was a large part of my life, my story doesn't actually begin or end with Big's death. My journey has been complicated on many levels. And since I am always linked to Big, there are a lot of misconceptions about who I really am. It's not easy putting your life out there for the masses. But I've decided I'll tell my own story. For Big. For my children. And for myself."

In its initial release, "Keep the Faith: A Memoir" landed in the Top 20 on New York's Best Seller's List two consecutive weeks in a row. During 2009, the book received The 2009 African American Literary Award for Best Biography/Memoir.

Personal life

Prior to Evans meeting and having a relationship with The Notorious B.I.G., she was involved in a relationship with Kiyamma Griffin. She and Griffin had a daughter named Chyna (born April 1, 1993).

On August 4, 1994, Evans married rapper and label mate The Notorious B.I.G., after having met him at a Bad Boy photoshoot. The couple had one child together, Christopher Wallace, Jr. (born October 29, 1996), but the marriage was turbulent as Wallace reportedly had several affairs during their union, including relationships with fellow rappers Lil' Kim and Charli Baltimore. Additionally, it led to Evans' involvement in the East Coast-West Coast hip hop feud, dominating the rap music news at the time, which ended with Wallace's murder in a yet-unsolved drive-by shooting in Los Angeles, California in March 1997, and made Evans "Rap's most famous widow".

During early 1997, after her separation from Wallace, but before his death, Evans was introduced to record company executive Todd Russaw. Faith began dating Russaw during her and Wallace's separation and eventually, after Wallace died, Evans became pregnant by Russaw. The couple had their first son Joshua on June 8, 1998. During the summer of 1998, Evans and Russaw were married, and on March 22, 2007, they had their second son Ryder Evan Russaw.

During January 2004, Evans and Russaw were arrested and charged with possession of marijuana and cocaine and an improper tag violation during a traffic stop in Hapeville, a suburb of Atlanta, Georgia. In 2011, Evans filed for divorce against Russaw. The couple agreed to spend 13 weeks in a drug-treatment program in exchange for halting any further prosecution of their drug-possession case.

In May 2011, Evans and Russaw announced they were getting a divorce, and stated they would like to keep it quiet for the children's sake.

Discography

Studio albums

1995: ''Faith''

1998: ''Keep the Faith''

2001: ''Faithfully''

2005: ''The First Lady''

2005: ''A Faithful Christmas''

2010: ''Something About Faith''

Tours

''The First Lady Tour'' (2005)

Filmography

2000: ''Turn It Up''

2003: ''The Fighting Temptations''

Awards and nominations

African American Literary Award

*2009: African American Literary Award: ''Keep the Faith (A Memoir)'' (won)

BET Awards

*2002: Best Female R&B; Artist (nominated)

Grammy Awards

*2011: Best Female R&B; Vocal Performance: "Gone Already" (nominated)

*2003: Best Contemporary R&B; Album: ''Faithfully'' (nominated)

*2001: Best R&B; Performance by a Duo or Group: "Can't Believe" w/ Carl Thomas (nominated)

*2000: Best R&B; Performance by a Duo or Group: "Heartbreak Hotel" w/ Whitney Houston & Kelly Price (nominated)

*1999: Best Female R&B; Vocal Performance: "Love Like This" (nominated)

*1998: Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group: "I'll Be Missing You" w/ Diddy (won)

Lady of Soul Awards

*2000: Outstanding Music Video: "Love Is Blind" (by Eve ft. Faith Evans) (nominated)

*1996: Best Female R&B;/Soul Album: ''Faith'' (won)

*1996: Best R&B;/Soul or Rap New Artist: "You Used to Love Me" (nominated)

MTV Video Music Awards

*2000: Best Rap Video: "Love Is Blind" (by Eve ft. Faith Evans) (nominated)

*1999: Best R&B; Video: "Heartbreak Hotel" (nominated)

*1997: Best R&B; Video: "I'll Be Missing You" (won)

*1997: Viewer's Choice: "I'll Be Missing You" (nominated)

Soul Train Awards

*2006: Best Female R&B;/Soul Album: ''The First Lady'' (nominated)

*1998: Outstanding Music Video: "I'll Be Missing You" (won)

References

External links

Official site

Faith Evans interview by Pete Lewis, 'Blues & Soul' November 2010

''The Observer'' interview, 2005

''Vibe'' interview, 2005

Category:1973 births Category:Living people Category:Actors from New Jersey Category:African American actors Category:African American female singers Category:African American singer-songwriters Category:American Christians Category:American film actors Category:American record producers Category:American rhythm and blues singer-songwriters Category:American soul singers Category:Hip hop singers Category:Beatboxers Category:Bad Boy Records artists Category:Capitol Records artists Category:Grammy Award winners Category:Musicians from New Jersey Category:People from Lakeland, Florida Category:People from Newark, New Jersey

de:Faith Evans es:Faith Evans fr:Faith Evans it:Faith Evans nl:Faith Evans ja:フェイス・エヴァンス pl:Faith Evans pt:Faith Evans ro:Faith Evans simple:Faith Evans sv:Faith Evans tr:Faith Evans

Coordinates	45°30′″N73°40′″N
name	Keyshia Cole
background	solo_singer
birth name	Keyshia Myeshia Johnson
alias	KC, The Princess of Hip-Hop Soul
birth date	October 15, 1981
origin	Oakland, California, U.S.
instrument	Vocals
genre	R&B;, hip hop, soul, hip hop soul
occupation	Singer–songwriter, actress
years active	2004–present
label	A&M;, Geffen
associated acts	Snoop Dogg, Pharrell, Monica, Faith Evans, Eve, Jadakiss, Chink Santana, Kanye West, Missy Elliot, Lil' Kim, Amina Harris, Too $hort, Anthony Hamilton, Diddy, Nicki Minaj, Tank, Timbaland
website	www.keyshiacole.com }}

Keyshia Myeshia Cole-Gibson (born October 15, 1981) is an American recording artist from Oakland, California. She gained nationwide success when she released her platinum selling debut, ''The Way It Is'' in June 2005. Her sophomore album ''Just Like You'' came in production shortly after that and was released in September 2007. Her third studio album, ''A Different Me'' was released on December 16, 2008 and is certified Gold for selling 900,000+ units in the United States. She also achieved moderate success for her reality/documentary series ''Keyshia Cole: The Way It Is'' which aired on BET from 2006-2008 which gave a close look at Cole's career and personal life with her biological mother and sister. In December 2010, she released her fourth studio album, Calling All Hearts.

Career

Early life

Keyshia Myeshia Cole was born on October 15, 1981 in Oakland, California, where she was also raised. Cole was born to Francine "Frankie" Lons and Sal, her deceased father. She was later adopted by Yvonne Cole and her husband's family-friends who raised her since the age of two. Along with her brother Sean, Keyshia was first introduced to the music industry at the age of 12, when she met and recorded with MC Hammer. She later formed a friendship with Tupac Shakur, who promised to help start her singing career before he died unexpectedly. Cole moved to Los Angeles when she was 18 to pursue a music career. In 2002, she attracted the attention of A&M; Records executive Ron Fair, who signed her and began mentoring her. She would later release a mixtape in 2004.

Before being signed, Cole collaborated with artists from her native Bay Area, among them D'Wayne Wiggins of Tony Toni Tone and Messy Marv.

In anticipation of her debut album, Keyshia and DJ Green Lantern released a mixtape, ''Team Invasion Presents Keyshia Cole'', in June 2005. It featured appearances by Shyne, Remy Ma, Fat Joe and Ghostface Killah. The mixtape was composed mostly of songs recorded over popular hip-hop instrumentals, including 2Pac's "I Get Around", Nas' "Ether", Mobb Deep's "Shook Ones (Part II)" and Scarface's "Guess Who's Back", among others. The singles "(I Just Want It) To Be Over", a remix of "I Changed My Mind", and "I Should Have Cheated" were also included.

2004–2005: ''The Way It Is''

Cole's debut single, "Never", featuring Eve, was released on March 23, 2004 to promote the soundtrack to the film, ''Barbershop 2: Back in Business''. The single failed to chart, and Cole proceeded to record her debut album for the rest of 2004 and into early 2005. "Never" eventually became the final song on ''The Way It Is''.

On November 9, 2004, Cole released her first single, "I Changed My Mind", featuring Kanye West. The single reached #71 in the US, and was not a huge hit for Cole. The second single from the album, "(I Just Want It) To Be Over", was released on April 5, 2005, and reached #1 on the Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 (#101).

Cole completed her debut album in early 2005. ''The Way It Is'' was released on June 21, 2005. It debuted at number six on the ''Billboard'' 200, selling 89,000 copies in the first week of release. It has since sold 1.5 million copies in the US, receiving a Platinum certification from the RIAA.

The third single from the album, "I Should Have Cheated" was released on August 3, 2005, and reached #30 on the Hot 100. The fourth and final single, "Love" was released on January 6, 2006 and reached #19 on the Hot 100. It has been regarded as Cole's "breakthrough single" by many.

2006-2007: ''Just like You''

Cole began work on her second album in early 2006, shortly after the release of her debut album. She was featured on the single "Last Night" by Diddy, which was the third single from his fourth studio album, ''Press Play''. The recording of her second album was documented on her reality TV show, ''Keyshia Cole: The Way It Is'' in late 2006 and early 2007.

Cole's second album, ''Just like You'', was due for a release on July 8, 2007, but wasn't released until September 25, 2007. It featured the singles "Let It Go" featuring Missy Elliott and Lil' Kim, "Shoulda Let You Go" featuring Amina, "I Remember", and "Heaven Sent". Other guest artists included Too $hort, Anthony Hamilton, Young Dro, and T.I.

''Just like You'' debuted at #2 on the US Billboard 200 chart, selling 281,000 copies in its first week, and has proceeded to sell 1.6 million copies in the US, earning a Platinum certification from the RIAA, like her debut. The album was nominated for four Grammys, Best Contemporary R&B; Album and Best Rap/Sung Collaboration at the 2008 Grammy Awards and Best Female R&B; Vocal Performance and Best R&B; Song at the 2009 Grammy Awards, however Cole failed to win any of them.

The lead single from the album, "Let It Go", featuring Missy Elliott and Lil' Kim, was released on June 19, 2007. The single is Cole's most successful single to date, as it reached #7 in the US and #1 on US Hip/Hop R&B; charts. The second single, "Shoulda Let You Go", featuring and introducing Cole's best friend Amina, was released on October 19, 2007, and was mildly successful, by reaching #41 in the US.

The third single from the album, "I Remember" was released on December 5, 2007. The single was highly successful, by reaching #24 in the US. The fourth and final single was the critically acclaimed "Heaven Sent", was released on March 7, 2008. It reached #1 on the Billboard Hot R&B;/Hip-Hop Songs chart for nine weeks, and #28 in the US.

Cole was featured on Jaheim's third single, "I've Changed", off his fourth album, ''The Makings of a Man''.

2008–2009: ''A Different Me''

In 2008, Cole made guest appearances on songs such as "I Got a Thang for You" with rapper Trina on her album ''Still Da Baddest'' and "Boyfriend/Girlfriend" with hip-hop band C-Side on their album ''Class In Session''. She also made a guest appearance in the music video for "She Got Her Own", by singers Ne-Yo Jamie Foxx and in the song "Game's Pain" by Compton-based rapper The Game.

Cole is also featured on the charity song "Just Stand Up", which was released in August 2008 and raises money for cancer research along with various pop, hip-hop, and R&B; artists that year. As a result of SU2C fund raising endeavors, the SU2C scientific advisory committee, overseen by the American Association for Cancer Research was able to award 73.6 million dollars towards novel, groundbreaking cancer research.

Cole embarked on the I Am Music Tour with Keri Hilson, Lil' Wayne, and T-Pain from December 2008 to February 2009.

She released her third studio album, ''A Different Me'', on December 16, 2008. It debuted at number two on the US ''Billboard'' 200, selling 322,000 copies in its first week. The album has gone on to sell over 950,000+ copies in the US, and 5,000,000+ worldwide receiving a gold certification from the RIAA. The album was preceded by lead single "Playa Cardz Right", featuring the late rapper 2Pac, which was released on October 28, 2008, and reached #63 on the Hot 100. The second single from the album, "You Complete Me", was released on January 20, 2009, and reached #62 on the Hot 100, making the first and second singles mild hits.

Cole released the third and final single from the album, "Trust", a duet with Monica, on May 5, 2009, and reached #5 on the Billboard Hot R&B;/Hip-Hop Songs chart, and #70 on the US Hot 100. The fourth single from ''A Different Me'' was confirmed as "This is Us", and was due for a release in September 2009, but it was never released.

For promotion towards ''A Different Me'', Cole went on her first headlining tour, A Different Me Tour in summer of 2009 with opening acts, Keri Hilson, The-Dream, and Bobby Valentino.

Cole was on the cover of the March 2009 issue of ''Vibe'', and was on the cover of the Summer 2009 final double-cover issue of ''King''. Keyshia and Yvonne Cole appeared on the June issue of ''Sister 2 Sister'' magazine.

In 2009, she also made a guest appearance on Keri Hilson's "Get Your Money Up" from her debut album ''In a Perfect World…''. Keyshia began work on her fourth studio album in early 2009 also with Jasmyne. In September 2009, Cole was featured on the remix of R. Kelly's single "Number One" along with T-Pain. She is also currently listed as one of the inspirations for Pepsi: We Inspire. Cole also worked with Gucci Mane on the song "Bad, Bad, Bad" from ''The State vs Radric Davis''.

2010-present: ''Calling All Hearts''

On June 27, 2010 she returned to the spotlight for her first televised appearance since the birth of her son, filling in for Hayley Williams to sing the chorus to B.o.B.'s "Airplanes (Part II)", featuring Eminem during the 2010 BET Awards. Cole featured on Faith Evans album ''Something About Faith''.

In August 2009, Keyshia Cole announced that she was beginning work on her fourth studio album ''Calling All Hearts'' which was released on December 21, 2010.

This album contains featured tracks from artists such as Timbaland, Nicki Minaj, Tank and Faith Evans. As a special feature, Cole's mother, Dr. Yvonne Cole, is featured on the album as well. In September 2010, Cole stated that her fourth studio album will be released on December 21, 2010. The album's first single, entitled "I Ain't Thru", features Nicki Minaj and was released by Keyshia herself via Twitter on October 15, 2010. She released the video to "I Ain't Thru" on 106 and Park along with "Long Way Down" which Interscope Records did not release as a commercial single.

In February 2011, Cole released her third single from "Calling All Hearts", Take Me Away, to urban radio after being chosen in a poll by her fans on Twitter. Cole performed the single on January 19, 2011 on Conan" after releasing Imani Entertainment as her management. The single's video, directed by Taj Stansberry, premiered on VEVO on April 18, 2011 and was also released on 106 and Park on the same day. The song has since then peaked on the Billboard US Hot R&B;/Hip Hop Songs at #27.

To promote "Calling All Hearts", Cole was a part of the Love Letter tour with R. Kelly and Marsha Ambrosius.

She has disclosed that her new management is Kevin Liles.

Reality TV

''Keyshia Cole: The Way It Is''

In 2006, BET broadcast a reality show/documentary entitled Keyshia Cole: The Way It Is to show Keyshia's life in making music, touring, and being with her family. Although being a rating success, the show failed to promote her debut, The Way It Is as the album stayed at selling 1.5 million units. In conjunction with her sophomore album release, Just Like You, BET began airing the second season on October 30, 2007. The show premiered to record breaking ratings for BET. It is the top returning series premiere in BET history, as well as the number one original series premiere of the year. A reported 2.9 million viewers and 2.0 million households watched the season 2 finale. It is now the #1 series telecast in BET history. Season 3 of the series was filmed in Summer 2008 and premiered on November 11, 2008 and featured the process of recording and touring for Keyshia's third album, A Different Me. The show was rumored to be having a fourth season, however; Cole has concluded that there will not be a fourth season. On Tuesday, August 25, 2009, Cole's mother and sister debuted their own reality show titled ''Frankie & Neffe'' on BET. Their show's season finale aired on Tuesday, October 6, 2009.

''Family First''

In mid-July, Keyshia tweeted that she, her husband Daniel, and James DeBose will be launching a new reality TV show entitled ''Family First'' which began shooting shortly after the announcement. During the six episode series, Keyshia Cole will be crafting her follow up album to "Calling All Hearts" (2010). "I just kind of lay out all my emotions then we start from there. 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," Keyshia said. Aside from a look into the making of her yet to be titled album, Keyshia Cole and husband, Daniel "Boobie" Gibson, plan to re-wed during the taping of Family First.

Personal life

In 2006, Cole dated rapper Young Jeezy, but the relationship ended after she declined a marriage proposal from him.

In March 2009, Cole began dating Daniel Gibson of the NBA's Cleveland Cavaliers. and became engaged to him on January 1, 2010. On February 4, 2010, the pregnant Cole was hospitalized for precautionary reasons. On March 1, 2010 Cole was admitted into the hospital with labor pains. One of Keyshia's closest friends, R&B; singer Monica, confirmed the labor situation via her official twitter page.

On March 2, 2010, Cole gave birth to her first child, a boy, named Daniel Hiram Gibson Jr. On May 21, 2011, Cole and Gibson went to Cleveland for a private wedding ceremony. Cole stated on her Twitter that she is having an official wedding ceremony when she is done with her touring. Cole currently resides in Cleveland, Ohio and Johns Creek, Georgia.

Musical style

Keyshia is known differently for the way she uses her vocals. She is a soprano with a 2.5/3 octave. Her voice is favored because it is said, mostly by critics, that it is powered by angst. She grew up listening to Shirley Murdock, As We Lay being one of her favorites, Tupac, and Janet Jackson. She considers Mary J. Blige and Brandy to be the biggest of her many musical inspirations.

Discography

''The Way It Is'' (2005)

''Just like You'' (2007)

''A Different Me'' (2008)

''Calling All Hearts'' (2010)

Tours

Sweatsuit Tour (opening for Nelly) (2005)

Dreamin' Tour (performing with Young Jeezy) (2007)

Double Up Tour (opening for R.Kelly) (2007)

I Am Music Tour (opening for Lil Wayne) (2008)

A Different Me Tour (headliner) (2009)

Love Letter Tour (opening for R. Kelly) (2011)

Filmography

Television

Year	Title
2005	''All of Us'' (Guest Appearance)
2006	''The Shop'' (Guest Appearance)
2006–2008	''Keyshia Cole: The Way It Is''
	''Snoop Dogg's Father Hood'' (Guest Appearance)
''Paris Hilton's My New BFF'' (Guest Appearance)
''BET's 106 and Park (Guest Appearance)
''BET Awards

Films

''How She Move'' (2008) - Herself

Awards and nominations

style="background:#B0C4DE;"	Year	Award/nomination
rowspan="3"	2005
Vibe Award Nomination for ''R&B; Voice of the Year'' & ''Vibe Vixen''
NAACP Image Awards Nomination for ''Best New Artist''
	BET Awards Nomination for ''Best Female R&B; Artist'' & ''Viewer's Choice''
Soul Train Awards Nomination for ''Best Female R&B;/Soul Single'' & ''Best Female R&B;/Soul Album''
American Music Awards Nomination for ''Favorite Female Artist''
	Soul Train Music Awards Nomination for ''Best Female R&B;/Soul Single''
Urban Music Awards Nomination for ''Best Collaboration 2007''
BET Awards Nomination for ''Best Collaboration''
Win ASCAP Award for ''R&B;/Hip Hop Song'' ("Love")
	Grammy Awards Nomination for ''Best Rap/Sung Collaboration'' ("Let It Go")
Grammy Awards Nomination for ''Best Contemporary R&B; Album'' (Just Like You)
BET Awards Nomination for ''Best Female R&B; Artist''
BET Awards Nomination for ''Best Collaboration'' ("Let It Go")
BET Awards Nomination for ''Viewer's Choice Award''
Early Entertainment Awards Win for ''Video of The Week'' (Heaven Sent)
	Grammy Awards Nomination for ''Best R&B; Song'' (Heaven Sent)
Grammy Awards Nomination for ''Best Female R&B; Vocal Performance'' (Heaven Sent)
BET Awards Nomination for ''Best Female R&B; Artist''
American Music Award Nomination for ''Favorite Female R&B;/Soul Artist''
Soul Train Music Award Nomination for ''Best Collaboration'' (Trust feat. Monica)

References

External links

Official website

Category:1981 births Category:African American female singer-songwriters Category:American adoptees Category:American hip hop musicians Category:American people of Italian descent Category:American rhythm and blues singers Category:American sopranos Category:Living people Category:Musicians from California Category:People from Oakland, California Category:Reality television participants

ar:كيشيا كول bg:Кийша Коул de:Keyshia Cole el:Κίσια Κόουλ es:Keyshia Cole fr:Keyshia Cole ko:키샤 콜 hi:कीशिया कोल it:Keyshia Cole sw:Keyshia Cole nl:Keyshia Cole ja:キーシャ・コール no:Keisha Cole pl:Keyshia Cole pt:Keyshia Cole ro:Keyshia Cole simple:Keyshia Cole fi:Keyshia Cole sv:Keyshia Cole tr:Keyshia Cole

Coordinates	45°30′″N73°40′″N
name	Graham Norton
birth name	Graham William Walker
birth date	April 04, 1963
birth place	Clondalkin, Dublin, Ireland
medium	Television, radio, stand-up
nationality	Irish
active	1992–present
genre	Observational comedy
subject	Everyday life, pop culture, current events, celebrities, sex
awards
notable work	''So Graham Norton''''V Graham Norton''''The Graham Norton Effect''''Graham Norton's Bigger Picture''''The Graham Norton Show'' }}

Graham William Walker, known by his stage name Graham Norton, (born 4 April 1963) is an Irish actor, comedian, television presenter and columnist. He is the host of comedy chat programme ''The Graham Norton Show'' on BBC One in the UK. ''Hot Press'' has described him as "the 21st century's answer to Terry Wogan", with both men sharing an Irish background and the common link of being a BBC Radio 2 presenter and the BBC television commentator of the Eurovision Song Contest.

Early life and career

Norton was born in Clondalkin, a suburb of Dublin, but grew up in Bandon, County Cork, Ireland. He was educated at Bandon Grammar School, in County Cork.

In 1992 his stand-up comedy drag act in the Edinburgh Festival Fringe as a tea-towel clad Mother Teresa of Calcutta made the press when Scottish Television's religious affairs department mistakenly thought he represented the real Mother Teresa.

His first appearances in broadcasting were in his spot as a regular comedian and panellist on the BBC Radio 4 show ''Loose Ends'', when the show ran on Saturday mornings, in the early 1990s. His rise to fame began as one of the early successes of Channel 5, when he won an award for his performance as the stand-in host of a late-night TV talk show usually presented by Jack Docherty. This was followed by a comic quiz show on Channel 5 called ''Bring Me the Head of Light Entertainment'', which was not well received as a programme, but did further enhance Norton's individual reputation as a comic and TV host. In 1996, Norton co-hosted the late-night quiz show ''Carnal Knowledge'' on ITV with Maria McErlane.

In 1996, Norton played the part of Father Noel Furlong in three episodes ("Hell", "Flight Into Terror", "The Mainland") of the Channel 4 series ''Father Ted''. Father Noel Furlong was often seen taking charge of a small youth folk-group.

Channel 4

After this early success, Norton moved to Channel 4 to host his own chat shows including ''So Graham Norton'' and ''V Graham Norton''. As a performer who is not only openly gay, but also camp and flamboyant, it was here that Norton's act was fully honed as a cheeky, innuendo-laden joker.

In 2003, he was the subject of controversy when, on his show on Channel 4, he made a comedic reference to the recent death of Bee Gees singer Maurice Gibb. The Independent Television Commission investigated after complaints about this insensitivity were forwarded to it and eventually Channel 4 had to make two apologies: one in the form of a caption slide before the show, another from Norton in person.

Also in 2003, he was listed in ''The Observer'' as one of the 50 funniest acts in British comedy (though Norton is Irish, the bulk of his television career has been in the UK).

In the summer of 2004, Norton moved across the Atlantic to start a new venture in American television. ''The Graham Norton Effect'' debuted on 24 June 2004 on Comedy Central, and was also broadcast in the UK on BBC Three. In the midst of controversy surrounding Janet Jackson's Super Bowl performance, Norton was wary of moving into the market.

BBC

In 2005, Norton moved to the BBC and began hosting the Saturday evening reality TV series ''Strictly Dance Fever'' on BBC One, as well as a new comedy chat show, ''Graham Norton's Bigger Picture''. He also read stories some nights on the BBC children's channel CBeebies as part of ''Bedtime Hour''.

In 2006, Norton hosted the BBC One series ''How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria?'' in which Andrew Lloyd Webber tried to find a lead actress for his West End version of ''The Sound of Music''. Norton has subsequently presented the 3 follow-up series: ''Any Dream Will Do'' in 2007, in which a group of males competed to win the role of Joseph in the West End production of ''Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat''; ''I'd Do Anything'' in 2008, in which Andrew Lloyd Webber seeks to find the part of Nancy and Oliver for Sir Cameron Mackintosh's production of Lionel Bart's ''Oliver!''; and ''Over the Rainbow'' in 2010, following a similar format to find a new Dorothy for a ''Wizard of Oz'' West end Production.

Norton hosted various other shows for the BBC during this time, including ''When Will I Be Famous?'' (2007), ''The One and Only'' (2008) and ''Totally Saturday'' (2009). Since 2007, Norton has also been a regular host of The British Academy Television Awards. On 7 July 2007, Norton presented at Live Earth and undertook a trip to Ethiopia with the Born Free Foundation to highlight the plight of the Ethiopian wolf – the rarest canid in the world. In the same year, he was the subject of an episode of the BBC1 genealogy documentary ''Who Do You Think You Are?''.

Norton's chat show, ''The Graham Norton Show'', began on 22 February 2007 on BBC Two. Although in a format that he had not been involved in for 4 years, it is very similar to his previous Channel 4 shows. On 6 October 2009, the show moved to BBC One, in a new one-hour format.

In May 2010, he stood in for Chris Evans' breakfast show on BBC Radio 2. Later that month, it was confirmed that he would be replacing Jonathan Ross's Saturday morning slot on the same station.

In December 2011, the panel show ''Would You Rather...? with Graham Norton'' premiered on BBC America in the time slot immediately following ''The Graham Norton Show''. Recorded in New York, it is one of BBC America's earliest efforts at producing original programming, and is also the first panel game the channel has shown, either of British or American origin.

In January 2012, he called on listeners to his Radio 2 show to help find his car hours after it was stolen. He called it "The Great Car Hunt" and told listeners to “Keep your eyes out for it. It was filthy by the way."

Eurovision

Norton hosted the first annual ''Eurovision Dance Contest'' alongside Claudia Winkleman which was held on 1 September 2007 in London, England. The format was based on the BBC's ''Strictly Come Dancing'' and the EBU's ''Eurovision Song Contest''. Norton and Winkleman also hosted the 2008 Contest in Glasgow, Scotland.

In October 2008, it was confirmed by the BBC that Norton would replace Terry Wogan as the BBC's presenter for the UK heats of the ''Eurovision Song Contest'', in a show to be called ''Your Country Needs You''.

On 5 December 2008 it was announced that Norton would also take over from Wogan as the presenter of the main Eurovision Song Contest. The 54th Eurovision Song Contest was held in the Olimpiyskiy (Olympic) Stadium, Moscow on 16 May 2009.

Norton's jokes during his debut received some positive reviews from the British media. ''The Guardian'' noted his comments on Iceland's entry, which finished in second place, had "rooted around in a cupboard and found an old bridesmaid dress from 1987" and the Armenian singers, who finished in tenth place, were sporting traditional dress, "which would be true if you come from the village where Liberace is the mayor."

His comment “The bad news is you’re about to watch Albania. She’s only 17 so please bear that in mind. Where was her mother? Why didn’t she step in and say no?” which was made just before Albanian singer Kejsi Tola was set to take the stage dubbed an insult by many, sent ripples of outrage through not only Albania, but also the Albanian population in Britain. There was even a petition circling the net calling for a formal apology from Norton. The petition, which called his comment “very rude and insulting,” had drawn over 1,000 signatures.

Other

In July 2000 Graham was one of three judges of the Miss Lesbian Beauty Contest 2000 held at The Talk of London, Dury Lane. The contest was won by 42 year old Carol Hutchins who wowed the audience with her sit-down comedy routine from a wheelchair. Graham described Carol as a "very bright, funny lady."

Graham Norton played Mr. Puckov in the 2006 American comedy spoof film ''Another Gay Movie''. In 2007, Norton played Taylor in the romantic comedy film ''I Could Never Be Your Woman''.

Norton was involved in a high-publicity advertising campaign for the UK National Lottery as an animated unicorn, the stooge to a character based on Lady Luck (played by Fay Ripley). He has also advertised McVitie's biscuits.

In 2007, Norton featured in Girls Aloud and Sugababes' Comic Relief video for the single "Walk This Way."

In January 2009, Norton made his West End stage debut in a revival of ''La Cage Aux Folles'' at the Playhouse Theatre.

Since 2009, Norton has been the host of the comedy game-show ''Most Popular'' on US cable television channel WE tv.

Norton currently writes an advice column in ''The Daily Telegraph'' newspaper. In October 2010, these columns were made into a book entitled ''Ask Graham'', published by John Blake Publishing.

Personal life

Norton has stated that he felt "out of place" growing up in Ireland; his family are Protestant yet the Republic of Ireland is overwhelmingly Catholic. Norton took part in the TV programme, ''Who Do You Think You Are?'', to trace his ancestry. It was discovered that his family were originally planters sent over from England to take over Irish land. Some members of his family had fought for the British Monarchy during the Irish Rebellion of 1798 and taken part in a massacre of Catholics in Carnew Castle. Another member of his family was later killed in battle by the United Irishmen. Norton said he was comforted to find out that his family had resided in Ireland for generations.

In 1989, Norton was mugged, beaten and stabbed by a group of attackers on the street. He says he lost half his blood and nearly died, and he was hospitalised for two and a half weeks.

Norton is openly gay.

Norton suffers from vitiligo, a skin disorder in which patches of depigmented skin occur.

Norton caused controversy on 7 October 2006, when he described ecstasy as "fantastic."

Immediately after hosting the BAFTAs in 2009, he said he returned home only to fall down his stairs and break two ribs. Some sources claimed that he presented the next Graham Norton Show on crutches, but this is not true, although he did make a comment about it, related to ''Pushing Daisies'', by saying "in ''Pushing Daisies'' people die in all sorts of bizarre ways... someone else was killed by a man dressed as a crash-test dummy, and some idiot almost died when he got drunk and fell down the stairs after presenting the BAFTAs. As if that could happen in real life!"

TV appearances

Main presenting credits

''Carnal Knowledge'' (TV series, co-presenter) (1996, 27 one hour shows)

''Bring Me the Head of Light Entertainment''

''So Graham Norton'' (1998–2002)

''V Graham Norton'' (2002–2003)

''NY Graham Norton'' (2004)

''The Graham Norton Effect'' (2004–2005)

''Graham Norton's Bigger Picture'' (2005–2006)

''Strictly Dance Fever'' (2005–2006)

BBC/Andrew Lloyd Webber musical theater talent searches (2006–present)

* ''How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria?'' (2006)

* ''Any Dream Will Do'' (2007)

* ''I'd Do Anything'' (2008)

* ''Over the Rainbow'' (2010)

''The Big Finish'' (2006–)

''When Will I Be Famous?'' (2007)

''The Graham Norton Show'' (2007–present)

''The British Academy Television Awards'' (2007)

''Live Earth'' (2007)

''Eurovision Dance Contest'' (2007)

''The One and Only'' (2008)

''Eurovision Dance Contest'' (2008)

''Eurovision: Your Country Needs You'' (2009–present)

''Eurovision Song Contest'' (UK commentator, 2009–present)

''Totally Saturday'' (2009)

''Most Popular'' (2009–present)

''Would You Rather...? with Graham Norton'' (BBC America, 2011–present)

Other television credits

''Rex the Runt'': A Crap Day Out ''Absolutely Fabulous'': Gay ''Who Do You Think You Are? (British TV series)

!Year!!Title!!Character!!Broadcaster
1996–98	''Father Ted'':	* Hell	* Flight into Terror	* The Mainland	Father Noel Furlong	Channel 4
rowspan=3	2001	|	The Plants voice	BBC
''Rex the Runt'': Patio	Osvalde Halitosis voice
''The Kumars at No. 42''	Himself
2002	|	Himself	BBC
rowspan=4	2007	Who Do You Think You Are?'' ||	Himself	BBC
''Saving Planet Earth''	*Saving Wolves	Himself	BBC
''Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List''
''Robbie the Reindeer'' in Close Encounters of the Herd Kind	Computer voice

Radio

''Just a Minute''

Sitting in for Steve Wright August 2009 BBC Radio 2

Sitting in for Chris Evans May /July 2010 BBC Radio 2

On 2 October 2010, he began his weekly BBC Radio 2 Saturday show taking over from Jonathan Ross. The show airs from 10.00am-1.00pm and combines a mixture of music, chat and celebrity guests.

2011/12 Radio 2 Saturday mornings

Filmography

''Stargay'' ''Another Gay Movie'' ''I Could Never Be Your Woman''

!Year!!Title!!Character!!Production
1999	|	Graham Solex	Canal+
2006	|	Mr. Puckov	Luna Pictures
2007	|	Taylor	The Weinstein Company

Stand-Up videos

''Live At The Roundhouse'' (19 November 2001)

Awards

1999 : Gaytime Award for ''Gay Entertainer of the Year''

2000, 2001, 2002 : BAFTA Award for Best Entertainment Performance - ''So Graham Norton''

2001 : RTS Television Award for Best Presenter - ''So Graham Norton''

2001 : TRIC Award TV Personality of the Year

2011 : BAFTA Award for Best Entertainment Performance - ''The Graham Norton Show''

References

External links

Category:1963 births Category:Living people Category:Alumni of University College Cork Category:BBC Radio 2 presenters Category:Gay actors Category:Irish columnists Category:Irish expatriates in the United Kingdom Category:Irish male comedians Category:Irish people of English descent Category:Irish television talk show hosts Category:LGBT comedians from Ireland Category:LGBT people from Ireland Category:LGBT radio personalities from Ireland Category:LGBT television personalities from Ireland Category:People from County Cork Category:People from Dublin (city) Category:Survivors of stabbing Category:United Kingdom in the Eurovision Song Contest

cy:Graham Norton de:Graham Norton es:Graham Norton fy:Graham Norton ga:Graham Norton nl:Graham Norton no:Graham Norton pl:Graham Norton ro:Graham Norton sv:Graham Norton