R&B singer KeKe Wyatt made her name by duetting with Avant on his 2000 hit “My First Love.” She enjoyed subsequent solo success before facing a series of industry roadblocks.
• Wyatt grew up in Indianapolis with a family that performed gospel music. By age 12, she’d met famed bassist and future American Idol judge Randy Jackson, who mentored the singer for more than a decade.
• During her teens, Wyatt earned money writing and demoing songs. At 16, she recorded “My First Love”—a cover of a 1983 song by René & Angela—with R&B singer Avant. The single later went Top 5 on the R&B charts, helping Avant’s 2000 debut album, My Thoughts, go platinum.
• The success of “My First Love” led to a deal with Avant’s label, MCA Records. Wyatt recorded her gold-selling 2001 debut album, Soul Sista, in a two-week period. Avant features on two songs, including the hit “Nothing In this World.”
• In the years that followed, Wyatt recorded two albums—Emotional Rollercoaster for Cash Money Records and Ghetto Rose for TVT—that were never released.
• She returned in 2010 with Who Knew?, which made the Top 40 of Billboard’s Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.
• Wyatt has since released a series of follow-ups, including 2017’s Keke Covers, featuring versions of songs by Prince, Beyoncé, and Whitney Houston, among others.
Influenced by KeKe WyattKeKe Wyatt has influenced the music of NeQuasia, OfficialAmbria, Sireon and more.