K. Michelle is a proficient soul-rooted R&B singer whose recordings are further distinguished by her frank and witty songwriting. The Memphis native first charted with the humorous narrative "Fakin' It" (2009), and after a few more modest hits, she raised her profile significantly with a role on the reality television series Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta. Signed to Atlantic, she hit the Top Ten of the Billboard 2000 with Rebellious Soul (2013), featuring the cautionary ballad "Can't Raise a Man," and was equally successful with Anybody Wanna Buy a Heart? (2014) and More Issues Than Vogue (2016). Since establishing herself outside the major-label system with the characteristically uncompromised All Monsters Are Human (2020), Michelle has released I'm the Problem (2023), what she has billed as her last R&B album before fully indulging in country music -- a genre that has been part of her sound for the majority of her career. The preview single "Scooch" became her first single to top Billboard's Adult R&B chart. Born Kimberly Michelle Pate in Memphis, K. Michelle learned to play multiple instruments and took vocal lessons, and after graduating from Florida A&M opted to pursue music. Signed to Jive in 2008, she released "Self Made" and the Missy Elliott collaboration "Fakin' It" soon thereafter. The latter became Michelle's first single to chart, entering R&B/Hip-Hop Songs at number 100. During 2010, "Fallin'" and "I Just Can't Do This" fared better from a commercial standpoint, and Michelle was also featured on tracks by R. Kelly, Juicy J, and Ruben Studdard. By 2012, she had signed to appear on the VH1 reality show Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta, and inked a new contract with Atlantic. Her debut album, Rebellious Soul, was released in August 2013 and debuted at number two on the Billboard 200. "V.S.O.P." went Top Ten R&B/hip-hop, "Can't Raise a Man" went gold, and the singer won a Soul Train award for Best New Artist. Michelle's exposure increased with a headlining tour, a stint opening for Robin Thicke, and a Rebellious Soul musical, directed by Idris Elba and aired on VH1. Michelle then starred in another VH1 series, K. Michelle: My Life. Its first episode premiered a few weeks before the release of Anybody Wanna Buy a Heart?, her second Top Ten album of blunt yet imaginative storytelling. In March 2016, while K. Michelle: My Life was in its second season, she released her third album, More Issues Than Vogue. Another Top Ten hit and third consecutive R&B/hip-hop topper, its biggest single, "Not a Little Bit," was written with Kelly Price, making a connection with another formative influence. As My Life wrapped up in early 2017, Michelle started releasing pre-album singles that led to the December release of the forthright Kimberly: People I Used to Know. The album -- her last one for Atlantic -- became her fourth straight Top Ten R&B/hip-hop LP. A deal with eOne yielded a few singles during 2018 and 2019, including "Supahood," a collaboration with City Girls and Kash Doll, and "The Rain," a Jazze Pha-produced track referencing New Edition's "Can You Stand the Rain." Those two songs appeared on All Monsters Are Human, Michelle's fifth album, which coincidentally landed at number five on the R&B/hip-hop upon release in January 2020. All along, Michelle maintained her small-screen presence, including a portrayal of Martha Reeves on American Soul, a BET series based on the life of Soul Train creator Don Cornelius. She continued to be involved with reality television into the 2020s, and in 2022 co-starred in the Lifetime movie Single Black Female. Also in 2022, Michelle released "Scooch," the first preview of her sixth album. The sophisticated funk single topped Billboard's Adult R&B chart. The next year, Michelle duetted with contemporary country artist Justin Champagne on "Country Love Song," which she also co-wrote, and increased anticipation for I'm the Problem with "You," "Wherever the D May Land," and "Blame Yourself." I'm the Problem arrived that September. ~ Andy Kellman, Rovi

R&B Fest 2023

Keith Sweat

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