Ketara Shavon "Keke" Wyatt (born March 10, 1982) is a
multi-talented American R&B recording artist. She became popular
after a highly successful collaboration with R&B singer Avant on
his platinum album My Thoughts. This led to her debut Certified
Gold album Soul Sista in 2001, and a promising solo career with MCA
Records.
Born in Indianapolis, Indiana to Lorna Wyatt, a vocalist, and Keever Wyatt
II, an organist/vocalist, Ketara Wyatt (who goes by her nickname Keke) hails
from a musical family rooted in church music.[1][3] Despite the family's religious
background, the singer's parents exposed her to R&B at home encouraging
her to pursue secular music.[4] This musical household cultivated a singer
with the ability to perform several genres of music that include gospel, R&B,
pop, country and opera. Subsequently, Keke can write music equally as well.
Belonging to a family of regular church musicians, Wyatt began singing at
the age of two. By age five Keke made her first performance in front of a live
audience. The song she performed, entitled "Beautiful",[5] was taught
to her by her mother. The young singer later performed a song she learned from
her father, entitled "How Beautiful".[4] Growing up in Indianapolis,
spending time in both Kentucky and Texas, Wyatt became influenced by the likes
of Stevie Wonder, Donny Hathaway and Ella Fitzgerald.[4] Inspired by many preceding
musical greats, Wyatt would sing with various girl groups as a teen.[2] As
a young girl and teen Keke was often recognized for possessing a level of maturity
that exceeded her in age.[1] She attended high school in Indianapolis where
she was a member of her high school's varsity wrestling team.[6][7]
[edit] Career
[edit] Early years
Her professional career began at age ten, recording the song "What If" 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 would
lead to a long line of encounters with people like Bill Woodson, Nathan Alexander,
Billy Badd, Chris Kelly, multi-platinum Producer/Composer Jorge Corante and
Emmanuel Officer.[2]
During adolescence Keke Wyatt became a student of Chicago-based producer/songwriter
Steve "Stone" Huff,[2] famous for his work with the Isley Brothers,
the artist Joe of "Things Your Man Won't Do" fame, Avant, and other
successful R&B artists. Huff eventually produced and shopped a few demos
for the singer in hopes of landing her a record deal.[2][3] During her mid-teens
she performed demo songs for various gospel labels, earning $1,500 per recording.
Keke wrote the majority of the lyrics for a hit song of which the title, recording
label and name of the performing artist is unknown. As a minor she began paying
her dues early on when she experienced one of her first coldly dealt disappointments
as a music industry professional, she would not receive credit for her work.[1]
[edit] Soul Sista
At age eighteen Wyatt recorded the song My First Love with Avant, which eventually
turned into a single, on the MCA Records label for his album entitled My Thoughts.
Wyatt gained much notoriety for the remake of the lush 1980s ballad by Rene & Angela.
The single was released two years after being recorded. Its success, remaining
on the Top 10 for several weeks, resulted in a solo album contract with MCA
Records. With the help of the late MCA Record executive Louil Silas, her friend
and A&R Randy Jackson (of American Idol fame who she met at age twelve[5])
and former Boyz II Men manager Quadri El Amin, Wyatt recorded her first album
in only two weeks time.
Unfortunately, her first single, Used to Love went virtually unnoticed. However
the follow-up Nothing in This World, her second duet with Avant, became a huge
smash single. Incidentally, controversy surrounding accusations in a domestic
dispute between Wyatt and her husband/manager helped propel her debut album
Soul Sista into gold-certified status.[citation needed] The album held the
Top 5 position for several weeks and sold more than one million copies reaching
audiences in Japan, Korea and Europe.[1] The video for her third single, I
Don't Wanna, features her former real-life spouse, Rahmat Morton, playing her
husband as well as her son from a previous relationship in the beginning intro.
[edit] Album/Label problems
By 2004, Keke Wyatt departed from MCA Records and signed with Cash Money Records/Universal
Motown Records under the management of Cassandra Ware. Rahmat Morton, Wyatt's
spouse and long-time road manager, negotiated the contract.[5] Her second album
Emotional Rollercoaster was originally set for release on May 31, 2005, but
the release date was later pushed back to early 2006. The set's first single,
Put Your Hands on Me, became the #1 most added urban track to radio in April
2005. However, the single failed to chart or gain radio airplay, and her album
was subsequently shelved.
Songs slated to appear on her second album included the first single Put Your
Hands On Me, Look at What You Made Me Do, Insecurity (written by Bryan Michael
Cox), My Man, Six Questions (featuring Avant), Cheaters, Who Knows (written
by R&B singer Tank), Peace On Earth (remake of a Rachelle Ferrell single),
and the title track (featuring Ginuwine).
Late 2006 saw the release of Wyatt from her contract with Cash Money Records,
the singer citing management as the reason for her departure.[5] She then signed
with TVT Records, reuniting with her former manager Quadri El Amin. Work on
her TVT Records debut, Ghetto Rose was completed in 2007. The title track was
the set's lead single, which was released to Urban radio outlets late August/early
September. Ghetto Rose was written by veteran song writer Franne Golde, Kasey
Livingston and Curt Schneider. Golde is known for her work with The Commodores;
she also wrote Stickwitu with Livingston for the Pussycat Dolls. The album
was originally set to be released on October 23, 2007, but was later pushed
back to early 2008. However, in February 2008, Wyatt's record label (TVT Records)
filed for bankruptcy [1]. TVT Records founder and president Steve Gottlieb
reported - "This is not the end of TVT." For the second time, the
release of Wyatt's album was ultimately shelved by the record label.[8]
[edit] Current projects
In 2010, Wyatt released the single Who Knew? which served as the title track
for her album, released on February 23, 2010. Additionally, in an interview
with UrbanBridgez.com she has said that her and Avant are in works for their
long-awaited duets album.
[edit] Theatre
In 2009, Wyatt played a leading role in a United States based nationally touring
production entitled "Love Over Board". The production also included
many seasoned cast members such as actress Karen Malina White, singer Avant,
actor Khalil Kain, actor Carl Payne and funny man Miguel Nunez Jr.
[edit] Discography
Main article: Keke Wyatt discography
2010: Who Knew?
2011: Unbelievable
[edit] Awards and nominations
2002 Soul Train Lady of Soul Awards
Nominated: Best R&B/soul or rap new artist
"Nothing in This World," Keke Wyatt featuring Avant
[edit] Interviews
Video: BET Awards Backstage, June 2007
KeKe Wyatt: Still Standing, July 2007
No More Drama: Keke Wyatt on Her Music and Marriage, August 2007
Podcast: EURweb.com, September 25, 2007
S2S Magazine, September 2007
Enfluenz Magazine Dec 07/Jan 08 covermodel
[edit] Personal life
Wyatt is a mother of three through her seven year marriage to Rahmat Morton.
Eleven years her senior, he is her former road manager whom she married at
age eighteen. In 2009 Wyatt reported that she was in the process of divorcing
Morton.[8]
The singer has two younger brothers who also work as entertainers. Keever
Wyatt, III is an R&B/Hip-Hop artist. Kendall Wyatt is a writer for the
Christian Music industry.[1]
[edit] Cultural heritage
Wyatt is bi-racial, and has a diverse background. In addition to identifying
as a person of mixed race, Wyatt synonymously identifies with the Black community.[1]
Wyatt's maternal grandfather and grandmother are both white. Together her
maternal grandparents had eight children, including Keke's mother - Lorna Wyatt.
After divorcing her first husband, Keke's maternal grandmother married an African-American
with whom she bore one child named Tony, Keke's biracial uncle. Wyatt's eight
(8) aunts and uncles from her maternal grandmother's first marriage were rejected
by her maternal grandfather and his family.[9] However they were embraced by
Wyatt's maternal step-grandfather's family which resulted in them being raised
in an African-American household.[1][5] In addition to her mother's and maternal
grandmother's interracial marriage, two of Wyatt's maternal aunts also married
African American men.
Wyatt's father, who is Black identified despite his multi-racial heritage,
has ancestral roots in the West Indies. The singer's paternal grandmother is
part Cherokee.[5] [6] Despite being born to parents from different racial backgrounds,
Keke Wyatt was raised exclusively in an African-American household and community
setting. Growing up the singer had little to no interaction with whites outside
of those related to her.