Tweet feat. Missy Elliott

Biography

Tweet (born Charlene L. Keys on January 21, 1971) is an American R&B, soul, and neo soul singer, songwriter, and guitarist. Biography The youngest child of Tom and Shirley Keys, Tweet was born in Rochester, New York and grew up singing in the church along with her parents and her four older siblings (three brothers, Tom, Cedric and Lonnie, and one sister, Sundra). Among them, the five children mastered instruments such as the piano, guitar, bass guitar, drums and many more. As a young girl, T...

Tweet (born Charlene L. Keys on January 21, 1971) is an American R&B, soul, and neo soul singer, songwriter, and guitarist.

Biography

The youngest child of Tom and Shirley Keys, Tweet was born in Rochester, New York and grew up singing in the church along with her parents and her four older siblings (three brothers, Tom, Cedric and Lonnie, and one sister, Sundra). Among them, the five children mastered instruments such as the piano, guitar, bass guitar, drums and many more.

As a young girl, Tweet was inspired not only by her family, but also by larger-than-life divas Janet Jackson, Tina Turner, Aretha Franklin, and Whitney Houston (whom she later worked with). Tweet's first steps into a career in the music industry first began when she enrolled in the School of the Arts (Rochester, New York). In 1990, at the age of 19, Tweet gave birth to her daughter, Tashawna. The name came from a mixture of both parents' names: "T" from Tweet and "Shawn" from Shawn, and the addition of two "A"s.

In the early nineties, Tweet joined the female quintet Sugah, leaving her daughter with her parents in Panama City, Florida, while Tweet relocated to many places. Sugah was comprised of Tweet, Susan Weems, and Rolita White, and was a part of Devante Swing's Swing Mob collective. While there, she met Timbaland, Magoo, Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliott (who at the time was apart of the Hip-Hop/R&B group Sista), Playa, Ginuwine and Renee Anderson who were also all apart of the Swing Mob collective. During her time with Sugah, Tweet formed a close friendship with Elliott.

Around 1999 with Sugah going nowhere, no album to show, and many broken promises, Tweet returned to her parents' home in Panama City penniless and depressed. After Tweet fell into a deeper depression after a string of bad relationships and a number of jobs she received a phone call from Missy Elliott, calling to ask if Tweet would contribute background vocals on her latest album Miss E ...So Addictive. Tweet felt she could tell Elliott about her situation and what she was going through. To this day she calls Elliott her "Guardian Angel".

In 2000, Tweet began recording vocals for Elliott's album and was also reunited with her old friends from the Swing Mob days, Timbaland, Magoo, Playa, and Ginuwine. She also recorded vocals for Timbaland and Magoo's follow-up to their platinum selling 1997 debut album, Welcome To Our World and Timbaland's solo album, Tim's Bio: Life From Da Bassment. In 2001, Elliott released her Platinum selling third album Miss E ...So Addictive with Tweet contributing vocals to five tracks. 2001 also saw the release of Ja Rule's Pain Is Love, Beat Club Records Bubba Sparxxx's Dark Days, Bright Days, Petey Pablo's Diary Of A Sinner: 1st Entry and Timbaland and Magoo's Indecent Proposal, on all of which Tweet contributed vocals.

Meanwhile, Tweet was signed to Elliott's record label, through Elektra Entertainment Group, The Goldmind Inc. with the help of an impromptu performance of "Motel" for Violator Management's Mona Scott. Then Tweet began recording her debut album.

In November of 2001, Tweet made her debut on the single's charts as a feature artist along with Ginuwine on Elliott's "Take Away", a tribute to Elliott's late friend Aaliyah. Timbaland and Magoo's "All Y'all" featuring Sebastian (Timbaland's younger brother) followed. She was described as an Aaliyah wannabe by the receptive public and to a certain extent was seen as a replacement for Aaliyah. She was also seen as a replacement for Missy's former protégé, Nicole Wray.


Southern Hummingbird (2002)
Main article: Southern Hummingbird
In March 2002, Tweet entered the charts with her debut solo single, "Oops (Oh My)", a risqué song about self-loving and female masturbation. The song was produced by Timbaland and featured guest vocals by Missy Elliott. The single hit #1 on the R&B Charts and #7 on the U.S. Pop Charts, with the help of a remix featuring Fabolous. In April 2002, Tweet released her debut album Southern Hummingbird to mostly strong reviews. The album featured production by Craig Brockman, Nisan Stewart, guitarist John "Jubu" Smith, Timbaland (who contributed four tracks) and Tweet herself. It also featured guest vocals by Elliott --"Oops (Oh My)", Bilal-- "Best Friend", BeatClub Record's Ms. Jade-- "Sexual Healing (Oops Pt. 2)" and featured a bonus track from Elliott--"Big Spender". The album was filled with soul-stirring vocals and lyrics taken from Tweet's own life experiences. The album spawned another two singles, Timbaland-produced "Call Me", and the radio single "Smoking Cigarettes", which had a video shot and directed by Little X but was never released. The album reached #3 on the Billboard album charts. That year Tweet appeared as a guest vocalist on Trina's second single from her hit album Diamond Princess. The song was called, "No Panties" and was written and produced by Missy Elliott and Nisan Stewart. Tweet also appeared on Meshell Ndegeocello's Cookie: The Anthropological Mixtape, Karen Clark Sheard's 2nd Chance, Ms. Jade's Girl Interrupted, Whitney Houston's Just Whitney... and Elliott's Under Construction. Tweet appeared on four of the tracks and also made a cameo performance in both videos released from the album, "Work It" and "Gossip Folks". Tweet was nominated for a Soul Train Lady of Soul Award (among others) for Best New Artist but lost to her rival Ashanti. However, that year Tweet was awarded the Key To The City for Rochester, New York. Along with Missy Elliott, Lil' Kim, DMX, Toni Braxton, Queen Latifah, Ananda Lewis, Playa, Jamie Foxx, Lil' Mo, AJ, Free (among others), Tweet appeared in the late Aaliyah's posthumous hit single, "Miss You".

With 2003 came more guest vocals appearances: Madonna's American Life The Remixes Single, Monica's After the Storm, Mark Ronson's Here Comes the Fuzz, and Angie Stone's Stone Love on the 2004 Grammy Award-nominated song "U-Haul".

Tweet turned to acting, having a cameo appearance in the film Honey, directed by music video director Billie Woodruff and starring Jessica Alba, Mekhi Phifer, Lil' Romeo, Joy Bryant and Missy Elliott. Tweet's other acting credits include an episode of the comedy series The Parkers in 2002, in which she performed "Oops (Oh My)" and "Smoking Cigarettes". Tweet also appeared on the Honey Soundtrack on the Missy Elliott-produced "Thugman". Tweet also performed "Hypnotic" in the film, but it doesn't feature on the soundtrack.


It's Me Again (2005)
Main article: It's Me Again
In 2004, Tweet appeared in another of Elliott's music videos, "I'm Really Hot", off of This Is Not a Test!, but Tweet was absent from the album as a vocalist. Tweet also appeared on the posthumous unreleased Missy Elliott-produced Aaliyah track "Where Could He Be". The song did enjoy slight radio success, but has not yet been released officially. Missy Elliott made her move from Elektra Entertainment Group to Atlantic Records, taking Tweet and The Goldmind Inc. with her.

During 2003 and 2004, Tweet began recording songs for her follow-up to her Gold-certified album Southern Hummingbird which was supposed to be released in 2004, but due to the label change went back into the studio. In late 2004, Tweet joined Cee-Lo Green and Teedra Moses on the 2004 Seagram's Gin Live Tour in promotion of her new single, "Turn da Lights Off" The song was produced by Missy Elliott and Kwame, featured vocals from Elliott and contained a sample of Luther Vandross's "If This World Were Mine" and Nat King Cole's "Lost April". While on tour, Tweet performed her old tracks, and premiered her new single and some of her newer tracks, including "My Man" and "Sports, Sex & Food".

On March 22, 2005, Tweet released her second album It's Me Again. The album featured production from Missy Elliott on seven of the tracks, Craig Brockman, Nisan Stewart, brothers Charlie Bereal and Kenny Bereal, Walter Milsap III, Kwame, The Goldmind Inc.'s Soul Diggaz, Marty Cintron III, Madball Entertainment and, Timbaland and Tweet (who both only contributed producing credits on one track each). The album featured vocals from Tweet's 15-year-old daughter, Tashawna, on "Two of Us", Rell on "Could It Be", and Missy Elliott on "Turn da Lights Off" and "Things I Don't Mean". The album also featured the hidden bonus track "When I Need a Man" (theme song from the USA Network Original Series, Kojak, starring Ving Rhames). The album peaked at #17 on the Billboard album charts and then quickly flew off the charts due to lack of promotion and mis-management from Atlantic Records. There was talk to film a second video for either "Cab Ride", which sampled "Taxi" theme song, "Angela", or "Sports, Sex & Food", but this never happened. Tweet then broke away from her manager, Mona Scott, and Violator Management, and signed with Mathew Knowles of Sanctuary Urban Records Group, who manages the careers of his daughter and niece Beyoncé Knowles, Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams also known together as Destiny's Child. Tweet stills maintains a close friendship with Mona Scott and is still signed to The Goldmind Inc. Tweet also appeared on Elliott's sixth album release, The Cookbook, contributing vocals to three tracks, including the single, "Teary Eyed".


Love, Tweet (2008)

In 2006 Jeryl Busby and Mike City's new record label Umbrella Recordings, whose acts include Patti LaBelle, Carl Thomas, and a few other well-known R&B chart climbers.

Tweet's third album "Love, Tweet" is forthcoming from Umbrella Records. The album will be lead by "Anymore," the first single. The single should be out December 2007. Tweet told VH1 of a tentative single/confirmed track on the album "My Dear" featuring T.I. is not exactly what her fans would expect from her but this album is for the fans, hence the signed diary title. The album so far is said to feature Missy Elliott and T.I. [1]

It has long been rumored Tweet's third album will feature a collaboration with Whitney Houston ("Another Day"), and in turn Tweet will feature on Whitney Houston's next album.


Other Work
Tweet currently resides in Atlanta, Georgia

On December 2nd, 2006, two songs, "Whisper" and "See Ya", leaked onto a Tweet Myspace page, but were confirmed by Tweet to be songs rejected from past albums. Another song has been posted on her Myspace page called "Give It To Ya", along with a sneak peek of her next album.

A cover of "Boogie 2nite" (a song from the album Southern Hummingbird) by Booty Luv (vocalists Nadia and Cherise from UK act Big Brovaz) reached number 2 in the UK Charts on December 10th, 2006, after three years of UK club success, but no official single release, of Tweet's original.

Tweet performed with Timbaland at the 4th annual VH1 Hip Hop Honors, which aired on October 8, 2007.[1]


[edit] Discography
Main article: Tweet discography

[edit] Albums
2002: Southern Hummingbird
2005: It's Me Again
2008: Love, Tweet

[edit] Solo singles
2002: "Oops (Oh My)" (featuring Missy Elliott)
2002: "Call Me"
2002: "Boogie 2nite"/"Smoking Cigarettes"
2003: "Thugman" (featuring Missy Elliott)
2005: "Turn Da Lights Off" (featuring Missy Elliott)
2005: "When I Need A Man"
2005: "Cab Ride"
2007: "Anymore" TBR

Filmography
2002: The Parkers: Kim's 21st Birthday (TV)
2003: Honey

Endorsements
Verizon Wireless TV & print ads (featured in the "Call Me" music video)
Citizen Watches print ads
2002 Gap Stretch Jeans TV ads directed by Peter Lindbergh, performing "I'll Take You There" together with Taryn Manning
Pantene Pro-Voice TV & print ads (with Mýa, Vanessa Carlton and Lucy Woodward)



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