Between 1998 and 2006, Deborah Cox held the record for the longest-running #1 single on Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart: "Nobody's Supposed to Be Here." Over the course of 14 weeks, audiences across the globe were captivated by her magnificent vocals, which cemented the Canadian singer into R&B history.
The strength of Cox's R&B catalog resonated with dance audiences as well, and her repertoire of hits would eventually be catapulted to the top of Billboard's Hot Dance Club Play chart. To date, she has garnered nine #1 singles and firmly established herself as a key pioneer in contemporary dance music.
In 2008, Deborah Cox and her husband, Lascelles Stephens created the Deco Recording Group, an independent label that is distributed through Image Entertainment. The venture's first release was The Promise, Cox's fifth studio album, which was released on November 11, 2008. Upon review of The Promise, Deborah Cox managed to squeeze some time out of her busy schedule and settle down for an interview with Clayton Perry — reflecting on Clive Davis, The Promise and her definition of love.
Although many sources give Clive Davis credit for "discovering" you, we both know that "overnight successes" rarely happen overnight. During your childhood, what life events prepared you for becoming an international star?
I'm really thankful for my parents because they made sure I took part in dance classes, music classes and extra stuff outside of school. So that really sparked my interest and allowed me to see that there was another way out as far as thinking about what to do as a career. I always felt I had a gift. I knew at an early age that I wanted to sing but I wasn't really sure how to navigate, how to go about it, like attending different competitions, talent shows – that kind of thing. One thing led to another and it allowed me to start performing commercials, do commercial jingles, perform with live bands and then it just kind of snowballed from there.
Do you recall any emotions or memories when the stars aligned and you and Clive finally met?
Yeah, I remember he had a ton of deck tapes on his desk. He had tons of CDs. I just remember a lot of music around him because he was constantly listening for the next new artist or the new hot voice and that kind of thing. For me to be in this intimate meeting with him was a once in a lifetime opportunity because you just don't stumble upon meeting with such a legend like himself. There was a song on my demo tape called "Where Do We Go from Here" and he loved it. Clive told me that he loved the way the song portrayed my voice and he loved everything about the song and he felt like that was one of the strongest to be on the album.
Article comments
1 - Richard
will you make friends with me?