Keyshia Cole

Hailing from Oakland, California, Keyshia Cole fell in love with music at a young age. Talented and determined, she recorded with a diverse group of local artists (MC Hammer, Messy Marv, Dwayne Wiggins) as a teenager, before leaving the Bay Area and relocating to Los Angeles. Once in L.A., she was quickly signed to a major label, and hasn't looked back since. She contributed songs to several movie soundtracks, then released her debut solo album The Way It Is in 2005. The record was a hit thanks to popular singles like "I Changed My Mind" and "I Should've Cheated," setting Cole on the path to R&B stardom. Her sophomore album Just Like You (2007) finds Cole's heart and mind in the same contemplative tug of war on love, but this time around, she mixes lachrymose balladry with some "I'm-so-over-you" dance-floor heat (i.e. "Let It Go").