Deborah Cox

Deborah Cox was born on July 13, 1974, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. She grew up in Scarborough, Ontario, and began performing in television commercials at age 12. During her teenage years, she participated in various talent shows and performed in nightclubs, also starting to write her own music. Early in her career, she worked as a backup vocalist for Celine Dion for six months. In 1994, Cox moved to the United States and secured a recording contract with Arista Records under Clive Davis.

Her self-titled debut album, released in 1995, achieved platinum status in Canada and gold certification in the U.S., earning her a Juno Award for Best R&B/Soul Recording. This was followed by “One Wish” in 1998, which was certified platinum in the U.S. From this album, the single “Nobody’s Supposed To Be Here” became a significant success, holding the record for 14 consecutive weeks as the number one R&B single and peaking at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 for eight weeks. Throughout her career, Cox has recorded six award-winning albums and has had twelve number one songs on Billboard’s Hot Dance Club Play chart. She was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in 2022.

Beyond music, Cox has an acting career that began with her film debut in “Love Come Down” (2000). She later made her Broadway debut in 2004, starring as Aida in Elton John and Tim Rice’s musical. Her stage roles include Lucy in “Jekyll & Hyde” (2013), Josephine Baker in “Josephine” (2016), and Rachel Marron in “The Bodyguard” musical. In 2015, she provided the vocals for all of Whitney Houston’s songs in the biographical film “Whitney.” Cox has also been recognized for her advocacy, receiving the Civil Rights Award from the New York Senate in 2007 for her work in human rights and equality, and the Out Music Pillar Award in 2015 for her commitment to the LGBTQ community.