Keke Wyatt
Born: March 10, 1982
Birthplace: Indianapolis, IN
Zodiac Sign: Pisces
Ke'Tara Shavon "Keke" Wyatt is an American R&B singer and television personality. A
fter performing in several girl bands and working as a songwriter during her teenage years, in 2001, she garnered national attention after her successful collaboration with fellow R&B singer Avant; in 2002, her rendition of "Nothing in This World" led to a nomination for the Best New R&B/Soul/Rap Artist award at the Soul Train Lady of Soul Awards.
in 2012, she starred as a cast member in TV One's R&B Divas: Atlanta, which featured the lives of five 1990s chart-topping R&B singers. She was featured in all three seasons of the show. She also performed with the group at events such as Essence Music Festival.
Wyatt released four official studio albums in her career, including Soul Sista (2001) and Who Knew? (2010), Unbelievable (2011), and Rated Love (2016).
These albums were charted prominently on Billboard, as did her first and only EP release, Ke'Ke' (2014).
Wyatt has also released several charting singles, with her lead single "Sexy Song" from the album Rated Love, peaking at number 29 on the Adult R&B Songs chart. After getting involved with several non-profits, Wyatt was a spokesperson for the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence (NCADV).
Wyatt began singing at the age of two, performing her first live show by age five.
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Wyatt's professional career began at age 10 when she began recording a song called "What If," which would be included on a gospel compilation album for Indianapolis-based R.H. Duncan.
With growing buzz surrounding "the little girl who could sing," news of Wyatt's talent led her to encounter these artists from Bill Woodson, Nathan Alexander, Billy Badd, Chris Kelly, and multi-platinum producer, composer Jorge Corante and Emmanuel Officer.
During adolescence, Wyatt became a student at a school by the Chicago-based producer and songwriter Steve "Stone" Huff. Huff eventually produced and shopped a few of Wyatt's demos, hoping to land her a record deal.
She performed demo songs for various gospel labels during her mid-teens, earning around $1,500 per recording. During that time, Keke extended her skills by writing music as a teenager.
While writing some music, Keke experienced her first coldly dealt disappointment as a music industry professional. She wrote most of the lyrics for a hit song, but received no credit for her work.
At age fifteen, Wyatt recorded "My First Love" with Avant, released two years later, eventually becoming a single for his album My Thoughts.
Wyatt gained much notoriety for the remake of the 1980s ballad by Rene & Angela. Its success, remaining in the top 10 for several weeks, resulted in a solo album contract with MCA Records.
With the help of the late MCA Records executive Louis Silas, her friend and A&R Randy Jackson, whom she met at age twelve, and former Boyz II Men manager Quadri El Amin, Wyatt recorded her first album within two weeks.
Her first single, "Used to Love," helped to create buzz but failed to achieve radio play, though it did chart at No. 65 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart. The follow-up single "Nothing in This World," her second duet with Avant, charted higher on several Billboard charts, including No. 4 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart, No. 27 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, and No. 35 on the Rhythmic Top 40 chart.
Soul Sista, her solo debut in 2001, a platinum album, was released on November 13, 2001. It held a top five position for several weeks on the Billboard 200. Selling more than one million copies, Wyatt's fan base broadened to audiences in Japan, Korea, and Europe.
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In 2012, Wyatt was cast in TV One's R&B Divas which features the lives of five 1990s chart-topping R&B singers including Wyatt, Faith Evans, Nicci Gilbert, Monifah and Syleena Johnson. The show documents the singers living in Atlanta, Georgia as they work towards rebuilding their careers. The first episode aired on August 20, 2012.
Throughout the show, R&B Divas singers collaborated on a charity album commemorating the life of Whitney Houston, featuring the single "Love Yourself" which is also featured in the TV show's introduction. Proceeds of the album went towards benefiting organizations committed to improving the lives of women.
She performed at the 2012 Essence Music Festival in New Orleans along with the other cast-members of R&B Divas, and according to Erika Ramirez of Billboard in a ranking of the top ten performances at the festival, "Keke Wyatt's cover of Houston's 'I Wanna Dance With Somebody' left the audience in awe even after the performance." After the initial season of R&B Divas, Wyatt appeared in the two following seasons as well, when the show was renamed to R&B Divas: Atlanta.
In 2013, she collaborated with Avant on their hit "You & I," which peaked at No. 1 on Billboard’s Urban A/C chart, and remained there close to two months. "You & I" also reached No. 33 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.
In May 2014, Wyatt released her first EP titled Ke'Ke', through The NorthStar Group and her own imprint Aratek Entertainment. The imprint is her birth name backwards, and is also meant as a stand-in for the word erotic.
The EP featured songwriters and producers such as Neyo, Chuck Harmony, Claude Kelly, and Cristyle, while other guest artists include Pusha T on the track "Rain," and Nitty Scott in "Remember." Overall, the EP contains five newly-written and produced songs, and the single "Fall in Love" reached No. 120 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 17 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart.
In August 2014, Wyatt made a cameo in fellow R&B Divas co-star Faith Evans' music video "I Deserve It", featuring Missy Elliott and Sharaya J. Later that year, Wyatt was featured as a vocalist on the track "Make Love" by Faith Evans.
In the fall of 2015, she signed a multi-album distribution deal for her Aratek Entertainment company with INgrooves Music Group, announcing upcoming promo singles.
On November 20, 2015, she released her new R&B single "Sexy Song." The track is set to be the lead single from her upcoming album Rated Love. "Sexy Song" was at No. 26 and trending upward on the Adult R&B Songs chart as of early December 2015. "Love Me" was released as the albums second single on March 18, 2016.
On July 28, 2017, Wyatt released the lead single "Summertime" taken from her upcoming fifth studio album Country Fried Soul.
Wyatt has served as a spokesperson for the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence (NCADV). As spokesperson, she shares her experience as a long-term victim of domestic abuse. She is also a supporter of the Saving our Daughters organization.