Deborah Cox
Deborah Cox |
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Deborah Desirea Cox (born July 13, 1974) is a Canadian R&B singer-songwriter and actress. Her 1998 song "Nobody's Supposed to Be Here" held the record for longest-running number one single on Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart (14 weeks), a record held for nearly eight years. She has achieved ten number-one hits on Billboard's Hot Dance Club Play chart. She is often cited as Canada's top R&B artist.[1]
Early life and career
Deborah Cox was born in Toronto, Ontario to parents of Afro-Guyanese descent, grew up in Scarborough, Toronto and attended Earl Haig Secondary School.[1] She began singing for TV commercials at age 12, and entered various talent shows with the help of her mother. She performed in nightclubs as a teenager, and began to write music around the same time.[2] Cox entered the music industry in the early '90s, performing as a backup vocalist for Celine Dion for six months.[1][3] After receiving many rejection letters from Canadian record labels that claimed their "quota" had been reached, Cox moved to Los Angeles, California in 1994 with producer and songwriting partner, Lascelles Stephens.[1][3]
In 1995, label executive Clive Davis signed Cox to Arista Records, and she released her self-titled debut album the same year. After middling success, Cox released a non-album single for the soundtrack to the 1997 movie Money Talks, entitled "Things Just Ain't The Same", which failed to make the U.S. top forty. A dance mix of the song topped the U.S. dance charts, however, and was included on her second album, 1998's One Wish. The first single from that album, "Nobody's Supposed to Be Here", spent fourteen weeks at #1 on the Hot R&B charts in the USA, as well as eight consecutive weeks at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100. The album went platinum, becoming Cox's biggest-selling album to date. Cox then recorded a new song, "Absolutely Not", for the soundtrack to Dr. Dolittle 2. Remixes of the song repeated the success of One Wish's singles on the dance charts, and the Chanel mix of "Absolutely Not" was included on her third album entitled The Morning After, which was released in November 2002 on J Records. On February 17, 2004, she made her Broadway debut in the Elton John-Tim Rice musical Aida, returning to recording only to release a dance remix of "Easy As Life" as a single.
Cox also has been involved in a number of movies and soundtracks. In 2000, she played Niko Rosen in Love Come Down. In 2001, her hit-song "Absolutely Not" was featured in Dr. Dolittle 2. In 2005, in the movie Blood of a Champion she played the role of Sharon, and again in 2005, her voice was featured in the movie Hotel Rwanda in a song entitled "Nobody Cares".
To sustain demand for Cox's club appearances, while focused on her family and new album projects, she released a dance single titled House Is Not a Home on Nervous Records in January 2006. Later in the year, a new song entitled "Definition Of Love" was used in the movie Akeelah and the Bee, but was not released as a single. Between 2005 and 2006 Deborah recorded a new album called Destination Moon as a tribute to jazz singer Dinah Washington. Destination Moon, her fourth studio album, was released on June 19, 2007.
Cox performed the Canadian national anthem at the 2008 NBA All-Star Game in New Orleans, Louisiana. She contributed a song entitled "This Gift" to the soundtrack of the 2008 movie Meet the Browns and was part of Cyndi Lauper's True Colors Tour 2008.
In early 2008 Cox & Stephens created the Deco Recording Group, her very own independent label, which is distributed through Image Entertainment. Soon she started recording songs for a new album. Her fourth R&B studio album, entitled The Promise, has been released on November 11, 2008. The first single "Did You Ever Love Me" was released to radio on August 26, 2008 and peaked at #69 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Chart. The song "Beautiful U R" has been released digitally to iTunes and Amazon.com on September 16, 2008. It has recently reached #3 on the Canadian Radio Chart becoming her most successful single in nearly ten years. It also peaked at #3 on the Canadian Hot AC Chart (January, 2009 Chart) and hit #1 on the US Dance chart becoming her tenth song to do it. Deborah has also appeared during her promotion for "The Promise" with interviews on Entertainment Tonight Canada, E-Talk, CHUM FM, Proud FM, various CBC radio shows, and over 70 interviews across the country. The video for "Beautiful U.R." is directed by Lil X, and has been serviced on November 15, 2008. The song was certified gold for digital downloads in January, 2009. "Saying Goodbye" was sent to Urban/AC radios in February, while "The Promise" is scheduled to be released as a single in July. Cox joined forces with Kenny Lattimore for the "Timeless Promise Tour" in July 2009.
The Promise debuted and peaked at #106 on the US Top 200 and on #14 on the US R&B Album Chart selling 6,419 copies in its first week. As of September 19, 2009 it has sold about 38,700 copies in the US.
In April 2009, she was featured on the single "Leave The World Behind". The house track was produced by four DJs — Axwell, Steve Angello, Sebastian Ingrosso and Laidback Luke. It peaked at #40 on the US Dance chart.
The Queen Project
In September 2009 it was announced she would be joining Kelly Price and Tamia to form the super group The Queen Project. Their first single "Queen" will be released this fall with a self-titled album due early 2010. Shep Crawford will be the sole producer of this album. The women seek to empower women of all ages, races and backgrounds by doing a number of community service projects.
Personal life
Cox currently lives in Miami, Florida. She is married to her high school sweetheart and manager, Lascelles Stephens.[4] They have three children: Isaiah (born July 1, 2003), Sumayah (born June 29, 2006), and Kaila Michelle (born February 23, 2009).[5]
Discography
Studio albums
| Album Information |
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Deborah Cox
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One Wish
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The Morning After
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Destination Moon
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The Promise
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Compilation albums
| Album information |
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Remixed
|
Ultimate Deborah Cox
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Singles
| Year | Single | Chart positions | Album | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. Hot 100 | U.S. R&B | U.S. Dance | CAN | UK[6] | AUS | NZ | |||
| 1995 | "Sentimental" | 27 | 4 | 33 | 31 | 34 | 49 | 46 | |
| 1996 | "Who Do U Love" | 17 | 12 | 1 | 15 | 31 | 11 | 2 | |
| "Where Do We Go From Here" | 48 | 28 | – | 37 | – | – | 20 | ||
| "The Sound of My Tears" | 97 | 51 | – | – | – | – | – | ||
| "It Could've Been You" | – | – | 19 | – | – | – | – | ||
| "Just Be Good to Me" | – | – | 8 | – | – | – | – | ||
| 1997 | "Things Just Ain't the Same" | 56 | 22 | 1 | 29 | – | – | – | |
| 1998 | "Nobody's Supposed to Be Here" | 2 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 55 | – | – | |
| 1999 | "It's Over Now" | 70 | 20 | 1 | – | 49 | – | – | |
| "We Can't Be Friends" (feat. R. L. Huggar of Next) | 8 | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | ||
| 2000 | "I Never Knew" | – | – | 1 | – | – | – | – | |
| "Same Script, Different Cast" (Duet with Whitney Houston) | 70 | 14 | 4 | – | – | – | – | Whitney: The Greatest Hits | |
| 2001 | "Absolutely Not" | – | – | 1 | – | – | – | – | |
| 2002 | "Mr. Lonely" | – | – | 1 | – | – | – | – | |
| "Up & Down (In & Out)" | – | 58 | – | – | – | – | – | ||
| 2003 | "The Morning After" | – | 63 | – | – | – | – | – | |
| "Play Your Part" | – | – | 1 | – | – | – | – | ||
| "Something Happened on the Way to Heaven" | 95 | – | – | – | – | – | – | ||
| 2004 | "Easy As Life" | – | – | 24 | – | – | – | – | |
| 2006 | "House Is Not a Home" | – | – | 1 | – | – | – | – | |
| 2007 | "Everybody Dance (Clap Your Hands)" | – | – | 17 | – | – | – | – | |
| 2008 | "Did You Ever Love Me" | – | 69 | – | – | – | – | – | |
| "Beautiful U R" | – | – | 1 | 10 | – | – | – | ||
| 2009 | "Saying Goodbye" | – | 109 | – | – | – | – | – | |
| "Leave the World Behind" | – | – | 40 | – | – | – | – | ||
Awards and nominations
- 1996
- Won: Juno Award for Best R&B/Soul Recording (Deborah Cox).
- Nominated: American Music Award for Favorite New Artist - Soul/Rhythm & Blues.
- 1997
- Nominated: Juno Award for Best Female Vocalist.
- 1998
- Won: Juno Award for Best R&B/Soul Recording ("Things Just Ain't the Same").
- Won: Soul Train Award for Best R&B/Soul Single - Female ("Nobody's Supposed to Be Here").
- 1999
- Won: Juno Award for Best R&B/Soul Recording (One Wish).
- Nominated: Juno Award for Best Female Vocalist.
- Won: Soul Train Lady of Soul Award for Best R&B/Soul Song of the Year ("Nobody's Supposed to Be Here").
- 2000
- Nominated: Genie Award for Best Original Song ("Our Love" and "29").
- Nominated: Soul Train Award for Best R&B/Soul Single - Group, Band or Duo ("Same Script, Different Cast" feat. Whitney Houston).
- Nominated: Image Award for Outstanding Female Artist ("We Can't Be Friends")
- 2002
- Nominated: Juno Award for Best Dance Recording ("Absolutely Not").
- 2008
- Nominated: Juno Award for Vocal Jazz Album of the Year (Destination Moon).
- Received a star on walk of fame, in Toronto's Scarborough Town Centre.
- 2009
- Nominated: Juno Award for R&B/Soul Recording of the Year (The Promise).
See also
- List of number-one dance hits (United States)
- List of artists who reached number one on the US Dance chart
References
- ^ a b c d Lilith love affair JAM! Music. Accessed on March 9, 2009.
- ^ Biography - Deborah Cox Billboard. Accessed on December 5, 2007.
- ^ a b Fair not over till it's over, Cox insists JAM! Music. Accessed on March 9, 2009.
- ^ Deborah Cox’ promising indie decision JAM! Music. Accessed on March 9, 2009.
- ^ She Popped! Perez Hilton. Accessed on February 23, 2009.
- ^ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 124. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
External links
- 1974 births
- Arista Records artists
- Black Canadian musicians
- Canadian house musicians
- Canadian expatriate musicians in the United States
- Canadian film actors
- Canadian female singers
- Canadian musical theatre actors
- Canadian pop singers
- Canadian rhythm and blues singers
- Canadian television actors
- Decca Records artists
- Guyanese Canadians
- J Records artists
- Juno Award winners
- Living people
- People from Scarborough, Toronto
- Musicians from Toronto