About Keke Wyatt
Ke'Tara Shavon "KeKe" Wyatt is an American singer-songwriter and television personality. After performing in a number of girl bands and working as a songwriter during her teenage years, in 2000 she garnered national attention after her successful collaboration with fellow R&B singer Avant, In 2001 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. After a number of charting collaborations and solo releases, 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 3 seasons of the show. She also performed with the group at events such as Essence Music Festival.
In her career, Wyatt released official studio albums, including Soul Sista , Who Knew? , Unbelievable , and her latest and recent release, Rated Love . All of these albums charted prominently on Billboard, as did her first and only EP release, Ke'Ke' . Wyatt has also released a number of charting singles, with the lead single "Sexy Song" from the album Rated Love peaking at number 29 on the Adult R&B Songs chart. After getting involved with a number of non-profits, Wyatt served as a spokesperson for the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence .
Wyatt was born March 10, 1982, in Indianapolis, Indiana, to Lorna Wyatt, a vocalist and Keever Wyatt II, an organist and also a vocalist. Ke'Tara "Keke" Wyatt was raised in a musical family rooted in gospel music. She has four brothers. Despite her religious background, Wyatt was also exposed to Contemporary R&B and secular music, and she would perform with her vocals in genres as diverse as gospel, pop and opera. Wyatt began singing at the age of 2, experiencing her first live show by the age of 5. While of mixed white and black heritage, Wyatt and her four brothers, who were raised in a predominantly African-American household and community setting, identify as African-American. Wyatt grew up in Indianapolis, but also spent time in both Kentucky and Texas. She attended high school in Indianapolis, where she was a member of her high school's varsity wrestling team. As she grew, her musical tastes were influenced by the likes of R&B greats like Stevie Wonder, Donny Hathaway and Ella Fitzgerald. Inspired by many preceding musical greats, Wyatt found herself performing with various girl groups as a teen. She was often recognized for a maturity exceeding her teenage years.
Wyatt's professional career began at the age of ten, 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 with these artists from the likes of Bill Woodson, Nathan Alexander, Billy Badd, Chris Kelly, and multi-platinum producer, composer Jorge Corante and Emmanuel Officer. During the years of adolescence, Wyatt became as a student of a school by the Chicago-based producer and songwriter Steve "Stone" Huff. Huff eventually produced and shopped a few of Wyatt's demos in hopes of landing her a record deal. During her mid-teens, she performed demo songs for various gospel labels, earning around $1,500 per recording. During that time, Keke extended her skills by also writing music as a teenager, and while she was writing some music, Keke would experience her first coldly dealt disappointment as a music industry professional. She wrote the majority of the lyrics for a hit song but received no credit for her work.
At age 15, Wyatt recorded "My First Love" with Avant which was released two years later, eventually becoming a single for his album entitled 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 Louil 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 time.
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 a number of 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.
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