Keyshia Cole

Keyshia Cole formally launched her illustrious career with her first single, “Never,” in 2004, featured on the Barbershop 2: Back in Business soundtrack. Her debut album, The Way It Is (2005), quickly achieved platinum certification and spawned top-ten hits including “Love” and “I Should Have Cheated.” This success led to her BET reality series, Keyshia Cole: The Way It Is, which documented her life over three seasons starting in 2006 and became a highly viewed program. Cole continued her commercial ascendancy with her second album, Just Like You (2007), which also went platinum and debuted at number two on the Billboard 200. The album produced three number-one singles on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, notably “Let It Go.” In 2008, her third album, A Different Me, further solidified her success with another platinum certification and multiple top-ten hits.

After signing with Primary Wave and BMG, she launched her imprint, Hearts and Stars, and released the standalone single “I Don’t Wanna Be in Love” in 2021. In 2023, Cole starred in and executive-produced the Lifetime biographical documentary, Keyshia Cole: This Is My Story, and delivered a notable performance at the MTV Video Music Awards with Diddy. Cole remains a prominent figure in contemporary R&B, having sold over 15 million albums worldwide and earning four Grammy nominations. She actively tours, headlining The Love Hard Tour in 2024, and has announced The Way It Is 20th Anniversary Tour for 2025, celebrating her enduring impact on music.