- Deborah Cox
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Deborah Cox 
Cox in June 2011Background information Born July 13, 1974 Origin Toronto, Ontario, Canada Genres R&B, pop, soul Occupations Singer-songwriter, actress Years active 1995–present Labels Arista (1995–2000)
J (2000–2003)
Decca (2007)
Deco Recording Group (2008–present)Website DeborahCox.com Deborah 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]
Contents
Early life
Deborah Cox was born in Toronto 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 1990s, 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 in 1994 with producer and songwriting partner, Lascelles Stephens.[1][3]
Career
1995–1997: Deborah Cox
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, titled "Things Just Ain't The Same". A dance mix of the song topped the U.S. dance charts and was included on her second album, 1998's One Wish.
1998–2001: 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.
2002–2005: The Morning After and acting career
Cox's third album The Morning After 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 the song "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, the song "Definition of Love" was used in the movie Akeelah and the Bee, but was not released as a single.
2006–2007: Destination Moon
Between 2005 and 2006 Deborah recorded her fourth album, called Destination Moon. It is a tribute to jazz singer Dinah Washington and was released on June 19, 2007.
Cox performed the Canadian national anthem at the 2008 NBA All-Star Game in New Orleans. She contributed the song "This Gift" to the soundtrack of the 2008 movie Meet the Browns and was part of Cyndi Lauper's True Colors Tour 2008. Deborah has also starred in "A Good Man is Hard to Find" along side Golden Brooks and Darius McCrary.
2008–2009: The Promise
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 fifth R&B studio album, The Promise, was 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.
2010–present: 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: son, Isaiah (born July 1, 2003), and two daughters, Sumayah (born June 29, 2006), and Kaila Michelle (born February 23, 2009).[5]
Discography
Main article: Deborah Cox discography- 1995: Deborah Cox
- 1998: One Wish
- 2002: The Morning After
- 2007: Destination Moon
- 2008: The Promise
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.
External links
- Official website
- Deborah Cox at MySpace
- Deborah Cox at the Internet Movie Database
- Discography
- Deborah Cox at Southern Decadence
Other albums Remixed (2003) · Ultimate Deborah Cox (2004)Singles "Sentimental" · "Who Do U Love" · "Just Be Good to Me" · "Nobody's Supposed to Be Here" · "We Can't Be Friends" · "Same Script, Different Cast" · "Absolutely Not" · "Something Happened on the Way to Heaven"Related article Categories:- 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
- Deborah Cox
- Decca Records artists
- Canadian people of Guyanese descent
- J Records artists
- Juno Award winners
- Living people
- Musicians from Toronto
- People from Scarborough, Ontario
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