Deborah Cox, singer, songwriter, actress (born July 13, 1974 in Toronto, Ontario). She is one of the top Canadian R&B artists and has received numerous Juno Awards and Grammy awards.
She is well known for her powerful, soulful voice and sultry ballads. "Nobody's Supposed To Be Here", from her second album, One Wish (1998), set the record for the longest running No. 1 R&B single in the United States, staying at the top of the Billboard R&B Singles charts for 14 consecutive weeks.
She has six Top 20 Billboard R&B singles and 12 No. 1 hits on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart. She is also a successful actress who has appeared in numerous films and on Broadway. A longtime supporter of LGBTQ rights, she has received numerous awards for her philanthropic work and activism.
Early years and career
Cox was born in Toronto to Afro-Guyanese parents. She grew up in a musical house in Scarborough and showed an early interest in music. Her formative influences included Aretha Franklin, Gladys Knight, and Whitney Houston, whom she called her idols.
She credits Miles Davis in the late 1980s with witnessing the intricacies of his music as a turning point in her career. At the age of 12, she began singing in commercials and entering talent competitions. In her early teens, she began writing songs and performing in nightclubs under the supervision of her mother.
Cox attended John XXIII Catholic Elementary School in Scarborough, Claude Watson School of the Arts, and Earl Haig High School in Toronto. In high school, she met Lascelles Stevens, who later became her husband. As well as a songwriting partner, executive and producer.
After a failed deal with a Canadian label, she moved to Los Angeles in 1994 with Stevens to further her career. Within six months, she became the backing vocalist for Céline Dion, and while on tour, she met renowned music producer Clive Davis, who agreed to produce her self-titled debut album.
Deborah Cox (1995)
Deborah Cox (1995) released a mix of pop and R&B on Davis' Arista label. Through collaborations with notable figures such as Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds and Daryl Simmons, it has been certified platinum in Canada for sales of over 100 copies and gold in the United States for sales of over 000 copies.
The album featured the hit singles "Sentimental" which reached No. 4 on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart and "Who Do U Love" which reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Songs chart and No. 17 on Billboard. Hot 100.
In 1996, Cox won the Juno Award for Best R&B/Soul Recording and was nominated for Best Soul/R&B at the American Music Awards. In 1997, she was nominated for Female Vocalist of the Year at the Juno Awards.
Her song "Things are just not like that", featured in the movie Money Talks (1997), won Best Song
One Wish (1998)
Cox's second album, One Wish (1998), made her a true superstar. Having matched her with her idol Whitney Houston. The single "Nobody's Supposed To Be Here" became a hit and set a new record for the longest No. 1 R&B Single, staying at the top of the chart for 14 consecutive weeks.
The single was also successful on the pop charts; it reached #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was certified platinum in the United States. One Wish has also been certified gold in Canada and platinum in the US. She was also nominated for an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Female Artist.
The Morning After (2002)
In 2002, Cox released her third studio album, which she produced under the title The Morning After. Released on the J label, the album peaked at #7 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and #38 on the Billboard Hot 200 chart. Mr. Lonely and Play Your Role all topped the list of Dance Club songs. Absolutely not was nominated for the 2001 Juno Award for Best Dance Recording.
In 2003, Cox released Remixed, a collection of songs from her previous three albums remastered into high-energy pop songs; and in 2004 she released a greatest hits album titled Ultimate Deborah Cox.
Destination Moon (2007)
In 2007, Cox released an album to jazz singer Deanna Washington called Destination Moon. Cox parted ways with Clive Davis and Sony Records and released this album on Decca Records, part of Universal Music. The album, which features Cox singing with an orchestra of 40 pieces, is a collection of jazz standards and covers from some of Washington.
Top hits including 'Baby, you got what you need' and 'What is the difference in the day' peaked at number 3 on the Billboard Jazz Albums chart and were nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Designed Album. In the same 2007, Cox presented the hit "Everybody is Dancing", which she recorded back in 1978. But now she has released it as a remix, which peaked at number 17 on the Hot Dance Club song chart.
The Promise (2008)
Cox and Stevens founded their own label, Deco Recording Group, in 2008. That same year, she was honored with a star on the Scarborough Walk of Fame.
Cox returned to R&B with her next album, The Promise (2008), released on the Deco label. She has collaborated with songwriters and producers such as John Legend and Shep Crawford.
The album hit No. 14 on the Billboard R&B/Hip Hop Albums Chart and was nominated for R&B/Soul Recording of the Year at the 2009 Juno Awards. The single "Beautiful UR" reached No. 1 on the Songs Chart Dance Club Songs and No. 18 on the Billboard Canadian Top 100 and received a platinum digital download in Canada.
Collaborations and film music
In 2000, Whitney Houston invited Cox to sing a duet with her on "Same Script, Different Cast" for Houston's album Whitney: Greatest Hits. It reached #14 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. That same year, Cox and Stevens, along with songwriter Keith Andes, were nominated for the Genie Award for Best Original Song for the songs "29" and "Our Love" from Clement Dev's Love Come Down, in which Cox starred in her feature film . debut.
She also contributed the song "Nobody Cares" to the soundtrack of the movie Hotel Rwanda (2004) and the song "Definition of Love" for Akeelah and The Bee (2006). In 2008, she wrote the new song "This Gift" for Tyler Perry's The Browns Meeting. That same year, Cox also provided the songs I will not complain and Stand for the film It's hard to find a good person.
Cox toured with legendary musician and producer David Foster on her Foster & Friends Tour in 2009; and in 2010 she sang three duets with famed classical singer Andrea Bocelli at the O2 Arena in London.
Actor career
In 2004, Cox made her Broadway debut as Aida. In 2013, she played the role of Lucy Harris in a revival of the original Broadway production of Jekyll & Hyde which toured North America for 25 weeks and ran on Broadway for 13 weeks. Cox received positive reviews for both performances; Entertainment Weekly called her performance in Jekyll & Hyde "quite amazing".
In 2015, she took part in the free simulcast of the 2015 Tony Awards in Times Square and won the role of Josephine Baker in the Off-Broadway musical Josephine, which premiered in 2016.
She also played the role of Whitney Houston in the film Bodyguard, based on the 1992 film, which starred opposite Kathleen Turner in the Broadway play Will you love me if... which deals with transgender issues.
Charity Participation
Cox has been involved with various charities and has shown a longstanding commitment to numerous issues in the LGBT community and HIV/AIDS awareness (she has three friends who have died of HIV/AIDS). She also pays tribute to the hard work of her family and the staff around her who helped her in her own struggle.
In 2007, Cox received the New York Senate Civil Rights Award and received the California State Senate Award for her work in the fight for human rights and equality in 2014. Cox performed at the 2014 WorldPride festival in Toronto. She received the OutMusic Pillar Award in January 2015 and was awarded on May 9, 2015 at the Harvey Milk Foundation Gala in Florida.
Cox has worked with many other charities. In 2010, she performed at the third annual concert on Broadway in South Africa, which supports arts education for underprivileged youth and children whose lives are affected by HIV/AIDS.
In 2011, she performed at a fundraiser in Florida for the Honey Shine girls' mentoring program, where First Lady Michelle Obama was in attendance. She has also done public announcements for Lifebeat, a music industry-affiliated organization that educates people about HIV.
