Kimberly Michelle Pate (born March 4, 1982) is an American singer, actress, and television personality. She is most known from

VH1 VH1 (originally an initialism of Video Hits One) is an American basic cable television network based in New York City and owned by Paramount Global. It was created by Warner-Amex Satellite Entertainment, at the time a division of Warner Commun ...

's '' Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta'' and after appearing as a regular cast member for two seasons on the reality television series, she became a regular on the show, though she is an already accomplished singer. Michelle subsequently signed with

Atlantic Records Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over its first 20 years of operation, Atlantic earned a reputation as one of the most i ...

. Her debut studio album, '' Rebellious Soul'', debuted at number two on the US ''Billboard'' 200, and number one on the US

Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a music chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales in the United States and is compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The chart debuted as Hot R&B LPs in the issue dated J ...

charts. Her second studio album ''

Anybody Wanna Buy a Heart? ''Anybody Wanna Buy a Heart?'' is the second studio album by American R&B recording artist K. Michelle. It was released on December 9, 2014, by Atlantic Records. Background Following the release of her debut album '' Rebellious Soul'' and her de ...

'' was released on December 9, 2014. The album debuted at eight six in the US and spawned three singles " Love 'Em All", "

Maybe I Should Call "Maybe I Should Call" is a song by American R&B singer K. Michelle released on November 4, 2014. It was the second single from the singer's second album, '' Anybody Wanna Buy a Heart?''. Background The song's lyrics talk about Michelle's past rel ...

" and "

Hard to Do "Hard to Do" is a song by American singer K. Michelle from her second studio album '' Anybody Wanna Buy a Heart?'' (2014). The song was released in 2015 as the fourth single from the album. It was written by K. Michelle, Bianca Atterberry, Mauri ...

". The album sold 87,000 copies in its first week in sales. In March 2016, Michelle's third studio album, ''

More Issues Than Vogue ''More Issues Than Vogue'' is the third studio album by American R&B recording artist K. Michelle. It was released on March 25, 2016, by Atlantic Records. The album was preceded by the release of the singles "Not a Little Bit"and "Ain't You". ''M ...

'', was released to positive reviews. Singles from the album included "

Not a Little Bit "Not a Little Bit" is a song recorded by American singer-songwriter K. Michelle for her third studio album ''More Issues Than Vogue'' (2016). It was written by Michelle, Elvis Williams, and Kelly Price, and produced by Blac Elvis. The track was r ...

" and "

Ain't You "Ain't You" is a song by American R&B singer K. Michelle. It was released on February 12, 2016, as the second single from her third studio album, ''More Issues Than Vogue'' (2016). Critical reception The song received positive reviews from music ...

". Her fourth album, '' Kimberly: The People I Used to Know'' was released on December 8, 2017 and debuted at the top ten of the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

''s

chart. Her fifth studio album, ''

All Monsters Are Human ''All Monsters Are Human'' (stylized in all caps) is the fifth studio album by American singer-songwriter K. Michelle, released on January 31, 2020. The album was originally scheduled for release on December 6, 2019, but was delayed. ''All Monster ...

'' was released on January 31, 2020. The album was preceded by two singles "Supahood" and " The Rain". She has also starred in reality series '' Love & Hip Hop: New York'', '' K. Michelle: My Life'' and '' Love & Hip Hop: Hollywood'' (under the name Kimberly), as well as in her own special, ''The Rebellious Soul Musical'', directed by

Golden Globe The Golden Globe Awards are accolades bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association beginning in January 1944, recognizing excellence in both American and international film and television. Beginning in 2022, there are 105 members of t ...

winner

Idris Elba Idrissa Akuna Elba (; born 6 September 1972) is an English actor.

. Throughout her career, Michelle has received four

BET Awards The BET Awards is an American award show that was established in 2001 by the Black Entertainment Television network to celebrate black entertainers and other minorities in music, film, sports and philanthropy. The awards, which are presented annua ...

nominations. She won a

Soul Train Music Awards The Soul Train Music Awards is an annual music awards show which previously aired in national broadcast syndication, and honors the best in African-American culture, music and entertainment. It is produced by the makers of ''Soul Train'', the pro ...

and a

NAACP Image Awards The NAACP Image Awards is an annual awards ceremony presented by the U.S.-based National Association for the Advancement of Colored People ( NAACP) to honor outstanding performances in film, television, theatre, music, and literature. Similar to ...

in 2013 and 2014. She was also honored with an ASCAP Women Behind the Music award in 2015.

Early life

Kimberly Michelle Pate was born on March 4, 1982, in

Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the seat of Shelby County in the southwest part of the state; it is situated along the Mississippi River. With a population of 633,104 at the 2020 U.S. census, Memphis is the second-mos ...

. As a child, Michelle learned to play piano and guitar, and took voice lessons from Bob Westbrook, who also trained pop singers

Justin Timberlake Justin Randall Timberlake (born January 31, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and actor. He is one of the world's best-selling music artists, with sales of over 88 million records. Timberlake is the recipient of numerous awards and ac ...

and

Britney Spears Britney Jean Spears (born December 2, 1981) is an American singer. Often referred to as the " Princess of Pop", she is credited with influencing the revival of teen pop during the late 1990s and early 2000s. After appearing in stage productio ...

. She graduated from Overton High School in Memphis in 2000. She earned a music scholarship to

Florida A&M University Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (FAMU), commonly known as Florida A&M, is a public historically black land-grant university in Tallahassee, Florida. Founded in 1887, It is the third largest historically black university in the U ...

(FAMU) by yodeling at her audition. She was crowned the Freshman Attendant of the

Homecoming Court Homecoming is the tradition of welcoming back alumni or other former members of an organization to celebrate the organization's existence. It is a tradition in many high schools, colleges, and churches in the United States, Canada and Liberia. ...

at the age of 18. She is a member of

Delta Sigma Theta Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. () is a historically African American sorority. The organization was founded by college-educated women dedicated to public service with an emphasis on programs that assist the African American community. Delta ...

sorority having pledged FAMU's Beta Alpha chapter in fall 2001. She reports that she stopped attending classes for a short time to have a son born in September 2004, then returned to finish college. She graduated from FAMU with honors and was accepted into several

law schools A law school (also known as a law centre or college of law) is an institution specializing in legal education, usually involved as part of a process for becoming a lawyer within a given jurisdiction. Law degrees Argentina In Argentina, l ...

but did not attend, opting to pursue music full-time. Michelle's age was reported in her college yearbook as 18 in late 2000, which would put her birth year at 1982. Her age was reported as 31 in 2015 by ''The Source'' magazine, which would put her birth year at 1984.

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

's biography of her initially gave a birth year of 1986, but as of at least January 2022 says only “1980s.” Michelle gave 1986 in a 2013 interview. The editor of "GossipWeLove.com" commented on the discrepancies in reported birth year, registering disbelief that Michelle could have entered college, and won her class's prom beauty contest, at age 14. Michelle formed a college friendship with ''

Basketball Wives ''Basketball Wives'' is an American reality television series franchise on VH1. It chronicles the everyday lives of women romantically linked to men in the professional basketball industry. The original incarnation was filmed in Miami, Florida an ...

'' actress Royce Reed who was born in 1981.

Career

2009–2011: Beginnings

In 2009, Michelle signed a deal with

Jive Records Jive Records was an American independent record label founded by Clive Calder in 1981 as a subsidiary to the Zomba Group. In the US, the label had offices in New York City and Chicago. Jive was best known for its successes with hip hop, R&B, an ...

and released her first R&B-charting single, " Fakin' It", featuring

Missy Elliot Melissa Arnette Elliott (born July 1, 1971), better known as Missy Elliott or Missy “Misdemeanor” Elliot, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer. She embarked on her music career with R&B girl group Sista in the earl ...

. The song peaked at number 100 on the U.S.

Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by '' Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 ...

. During 2010, Michelle released three follow-up singles, " Fallin'", " I Just Can't Do This" and "How Many Times", which charted at numbers 56, 53, and 53 respectively on the U.S.

chart. At the time, Michelle was in the process of recording her debut album, originally titled ''Pain Medicine'', which was slated to have features from artists such as

Trina Katrina Laverne Taylor (born December 3, 1978), known professionally as Trina, is an American rapper. She rose to prominence in 1998 with her appearance on the Trick Daddy single "Nann Nigga". Trina has been described by '' XXL'' as "the most ...

Gucci Mane Radric Delantic Davis (born February 12, 1980), known professionally as Gucci Mane, is an American rapper and record executive. He helped pioneer the hip hop subgenre of trap music alongside fellow Atlanta-based rappers T.I. and Young Jeezy, ...

Akon Aliaune Damala Badara Akon Thiam (; born April 16, 1973), known mononymously as Akon, is a Senegalese-American singer, record producer, and entrepreneur. He rose to prominence in 2004 following the release of " Locked Up" (featuring Styles P) ...

Usher Usher may refer to: Several jobs which originally involved directing people and ensuring people are in the correct place: * Usher (occupation) ** Church usher ** Wedding usher, one of the male attendants to the groom in a wedding ceremony ** Fiel ...

, and

R. Kelly Robert Sylvester Kelly (born January 8, 1967) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and sex offender convicted of racketeering and multiple sex offenses. During his recording career, Kelly sold over 75 million records worldwid ...

, who she would credit as her mentor during this period. However, her album was scrapped when

folded in 2011.

2012–2014: ''Rebellious Soul'', ''Anybody Wanna Buy a Heart?''

In 2012, Michelle joined the cast of

's docu-

soap Soap is a salt of a fatty acid used in a variety of cleansing and lubricating products. In a domestic setting, soaps are surfactants usually used for washing, bathing, and other types of housekeeping. In industrial settings, soaps are use ...

'' Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta''. The first season chronicles her return to the music industry after several personal struggles, including an

abusive relationship Relational aggression or alternative aggressionSimmons, Rachel (2002). ''Odd Girl Out: The Hidden Culture of Aggression in Girls''. New York, New York: Mariner Books. pp. 8–9. . Retrieved 2016-11-02. is a type of aggression in which harm is cause ...

with a music executive. K was dubbed the show's

breakout star A breakthrough role, also known as a breakout role, is a term in the film industry to describe the performance of an actor or actress which contributed significantly to the development of their career and beginning of critical recognition. The si ...

, signing a multi-album record deal with

shortly after filming. She returned to the show for a

second The second (symbol: s) is the unit of time in the International System of Units (SI), historically defined as of a day – this factor derived from the division of the day first into 24 hours, then to 60 minutes and finally to 60 seconds ...

season, which chronicled the recording of her debut studio album, '' Rebellious Soul''. On May 20, 2013, she released the album's lead single, titled " V.S.O.P". The track was produced by Pop & Oak, and samples "Very Special", performed by

Debra Laws Debra Renee Laws (born September 10, 1956) is an American singer and actress from Houston, Texas. She is best known for her 1981 R&B/soul ballad " Very Special". In her music career, she works closely with her siblings, Eloise Laws, Hubert Laws ...

, as well as "That's How Long" performed by

The Chi-Lites The Chi-Lites (, ) are an American R&B/soul vocal quartet from Chicago, Illinois, United States. Forming at Chicago's Hyde Park High School in 1959, The group's original lineup consisted of singers Robert Lester, Eugene Record, Creadel Jones, ...

. "V.S.O.P." reached at number 89 on the US

Hot 100 Singles The ''Billboard'' Hot 100 is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), radio play, and online streaming in ...

and number 27 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs charts. Its music video, directed by

Benny Boom Benny Douglas (born July 22, 1971), professionally known as Benny Boom, is an American director who has worked in music, television, and film. His most commercially successful film was the 2017 Tupac Shakur biopic ''All Eyez on Me''. Career Do ...

, was released on June 29, 2013. ''Rebellious Soul'' was released on August 13, 2013, debuting at number 2 on the U.S. ''Billboard'' 200 and number one on the U.S.

charts, with first-week sales of 72,000 copies in the United States. As of December 2014, ''Rebellious Soul'' has sold over 260,000 copies. On November 4, 2013, K. Michelle headlined her first tour, ''The Rebellious Soul Tour'', presented by BET Music Matters. The 19 city tour kicked off in San Francisco and ended December 3, 2013 in Boston. It included stops in Los Angeles,

Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...

, Chicago, and

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

. Opening acts featured Chris Brown protégé

Sevyn Streeter Amber Denise "Sevyn" Streeter (born July 7, 1986)S ...

and

Tiara Thomas Tiara Nicole Thomas (born September 12, 1989) is an American R&B singer. In 2013, she was featured on the Wale single " Bad", which has been certified 3× platinum. That same year, Thomas landed a label deal with Interscope Records, a label u ...

. On January 14, 2014, the album's second single " Can't Raise a Man" was released, which peaked at number 94 on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and number 23 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs charts. During ''Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta''s reunion special, K. Michelle announced that she was leaving the show to join the cast of '' Love & Hip Hop: New York'' in season four. During this time, Michelle joined

Robin Thicke Robin Alan Thicke (born March 10, 1977) is an American singer, songwriter and record producer. He is best known for his 2013 hit single " Blurred Lines", which is one of the best-selling singles of all time. At the 56th Annual Grammy Awards, h ...

on the North American leg of his

Blurred Lines Tour The Blurred Lines Tour was the debut headlining tour by American recording artist, Robin Thicke. The tour supported his sixth studio album, '' Blurred Lines'' (2013). The tour traveled to North America and Europe, playing over 30 concerts. Backg ...

, which began on February 21, 2014, in

, Georgia. On February 14, 2014, she released a mixtape project titled ''Still No Fucks Given''. K's purpose on ''Love & Hop: New York'' was mainly served to set up her own spin-off series, '' K. Michelle: My Life'', which premiered November 3, 2014. On September 16, 2014, Michelle released " Love 'Em All" on iTunes as the first single from her second album ''

''. Kevin, editor-in-chief of Spin Media website ''Direct Lyrics'', described "Love 'Em All" as a "powerful and gritty" song and a "heartbreaker anthem". On November 17, 2014, Michelle released "How Do You Know?" as her third single from ''Anybody Wanna Buy a Heart?'', which shot to number one on the

iTunes iTunes () is a software program that acts as a media player, media library, mobile device management utility, and the client app for the iTunes Store. Developed by Apple Inc., it is used to purchase, play, download, and organize digital mul ...

R&B chart. Michelle announced that she would go on a joint tour with

Keyshia Cole Keyshia Myeshia Cole Johnson; born October 15, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and television personality. Born and raised in Oakland, California, Cole began her career as a backing vocalist for MC Hammer. After signing with A&M Records ...

beginning in January 2015. ''Anybody Wanna Buy a Heart?'' was released through Atlantic Records on December 9, 2014. The album debuted at number four on the

Billboard 200 The ''Billboard'' 200 is a record chart ranking the 200 most popular music albums and EPs in the United States. It is published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine and is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of art ...

chart, number one on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop chart and number one on the R&B chart, selling 87,000 copies in the first week of its release. Although ''Anybody Wanna Buy a Heart?'' charted lower than '' Rebellious Soul'', it topped ''Rebellious Souls first-week sales. In its second week, the album sold 30,000 copies, bringing its sales to around 120,000 copies. As of June 2015, ''Anybody Wanna Buy a Heart?'' has sold over 230,000 copies. ''Rebellious Soul'' and ''Anybody Wanna Buy a Heart?'' have sold 500,000 copies worldwide.

2015–2017: ''More Issues Than Vogue'', ''Kimberly: The People I Used to Know''

On January 21, 2016, K. Michelle released the single "Not a Little Bit" from her third studio album ''

''. From February 11, 2016, Michelle released several promo singles from the album, including "Ain't You", "Mindful" and "Time". On February 12, 2016, ''

'' was made available for pre-order before its official release on March 25, 2016. After making guest appearances in seasons

three 3 is a number, numeral, and glyph. 3, three, or III may also refer to: * AD 3, the third year of the AD era * 3 BC, the third year before the AD era * March, the third month Books * '' Three of Them'' (Russian: ', literally, "three"), a 1901 ...

and

four 4 (four) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 3 and preceding 5. It is the smallest semiprime and composite number, and is considered unlucky in many East Asian cultures. In mathematics Four is the smallest c ...

of ''Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta'', K. Michelle would rejoin the main cast in season

five 5 is a number, numeral, and glyph. 5, five or number 5 may also refer to: * AD 5, the fifth year of the AD era * 5 BC, the fifth year before the AD era Literature * ''5'' (visual novel), a 2008 visual novel by Ram * ''5'' (comics), an awa ...

, which chronicled her return to Atlanta and the release of her third album, ''

''. Michelle toured for a month from July 14, 2016, to August 14, 2016 for her ''Hello Kimberly Tour''. On September 30, 2016, Michelle released "Forward", from the soundtrack to the film "

The Birth of a Nation ''The Birth of a Nation'', originally called ''The Clansman'', is a 1915 American silent epic drama film directed by D. W. Griffith and starring Lillian Gish. The screenplay is adapted from Thomas Dixon Jr.'s 1905 novel and play ''The Cla ...

". On February 3, 2017, Michelle released the single "Got Me Crazy", alongside DJ Feezy, Rick Ross and Fabolous. On February 6, 2017, '' K. Michelle: My Life'' ended after three seasons. On September 8, 2017, Michelle released two singles from her fourth album '' Kimberly: The People I Used to Know'', "Birthday" and "

Either Way A hybrid offence, dual offence, Crown option offence, dual procedure offence, offence triable either way, or wobbler is one of the special class offences in the common law jurisdictions where the case may be prosecuted either summarily or as i ...

", featuring

Chris Brown Christopher Maurice Brown (born May 5, 1989) is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and actor. According to '' Billboard'', Brown is one of the most successful R&B singers of his generation, having often been referred to by many contempo ...

. On December 7, 2017, Michelle released '' Kimberly: The People I Used to Know'', which would be her final album with

2018–present: ''All Monsters Are Human''

In 2018, K. Michelle joined the cast of '' Love & Hip Hop: Hollywood'' in season five, making her the only person in the franchise's history to appear in three incarnations of ''Love & Hip Hop'' as a main cast member. Michelle announced that her next project will be titled ''FAB'', an

acronym An acronym is a word or name formed from the initial components of a longer name or phrase. Acronyms are usually formed from the initial letters of words, as in ''NATO'' (''North Atlantic Treaty Organization''), but sometimes use syllables, as ...

for "''Fuck All U Bitches''". On November 19, 2018, Michelle released the song "Save Me". It was later announced that she had signed a new record deal with

Entertainment One Music MNRK Music Group (pronounced "monarch", formerly known as Koch Records and eOne Music) is a New York City-based independent record label and music management company. It was formed in 2009 from the music assets of Koch Entertainment, which had b ...

. In 2019, K. Michelle also appeared in the ''Love & Hip Hop''

clip show A clip show is an episode of a television series that consists primarily of excerpts from previous episodes. Most clip shows feature the format of a frame story in which cast members recall past events from past installments of the show, depicte ...

specials ''Love & Hip Hop Awards: Most Certified'' (where she won the ''Clapback Queens'' category) and ''40 Greatest Love & Hip Hop Moments: The Reboot''. In November 2019, during one of her O.S.D. Tour stops, Michelle announced the title of her fifth album, ''All Monsters Are Human'', set to be released in January 2020. On January 1, 2020, Michelle released her sixth mixtape ''Not 1 Fuck Given'' (which also marks her third body of work from her ''0 Fucks Given'' series). On the same day, she shared a lengthy message to her supporters on

Instagram Instagram is a photo and video sharing social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. The app allows users to upload media that can be edited with filters and organized by hashtags and geographical tagging. Posts can ...

where she called her fifth album a "masterpiece." She wrote, "Where do I begin? Well first I just want to say thank you for loving on me. The last two years have been a real journey and growing experience for me. I literally was fighting for my life. I know I've had you guys waiting for my album so I wanted to give you something to vibe to until then. You know for years now we've had fun together remixing my favorite songs." On January 10, she revealed cover art and tracklist for ''All Monsters Are Human'' and made the album available for pre-order on digital retailers

Apple Music Apple Music is a music, audio and video streaming service developed by Apple Inc. Users select music to stream to their device on-demand, or they can listen to existing playlists. The service also includes the Internet radio stations Apple M ...

and

Amazon Amazon most often refers to: * Amazons, a tribe of female warriors in Greek mythology * Amazon rainforest, a rainforest covering most of the Amazon basin * Amazon River, in South America * Amazon (company), an American multinational technology c ...

. ''All Monsters Are Human'' was released to positive critical reviews on January 31, 2020, along with a music video for one of the songs from the album, "Just Like Jay". The album debuted and peaked at number 51 on the US ''Billboard'' 200 with first week sales of 8,200 copies. K. Michelle has confirmed that her sixth studio album, ''I'm The Problem'', will be released in 2022. It will mark her final R&B album. The first single is expected to release in February 2022. She has also been teasing her long-awaited country album, which expected to drop after her final R&B album.

Discography

* '' Rebellious Soul'' (2013) * ''

'' (2014) * ''

'' (2016) * '' Kimberly: The People I Used to Know'' (2017) * ''

'' (2020) * '' I'm The Problem'' (2023)

Tours

Headlining * Rebellious Soul Tour (2013) * My Twisted Mind Tour (2015) * Hello Kimberly Tour (2016) * The People I Used to Know Tour (2018) * O.S.D. Tour (2019) * I’m The Problem Tour (2023) Supporting * Ladies Make Some Noise Tour (supporting

) (2009) * Blurred Lines Tour (supporting

) (2014)

Awards and nominations

Filmography

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Michelle, K. Age controversies African-American women singers American contemporary R&B singers Atlantic Records artists Florida A&M University alumni Living people Jive Records artists Singers from Tennessee People from Memphis, Tennessee Delta Sigma Theta members 21st-century American singers Participants in American reality television series 21st-century American women singers African-American television personalities American women television personalities American hip hop singers American female hip hop singers 1982 births American mezzo-sopranos