Charlene Keys (born January 21, 1971), better known by the

stage name A stage name is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers—such as actors, comedians, singers, and musicians. Such professional aliases are adopted for a wide variety of reasons and they may be similar, or nearly identical, to an individu ...

Tweet, is an American singer-songwriter.Birchmeier, Jason
Tweet Biography
,

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 ...

, retrieved 2010-12-18

Career

Early career

In the early nineties, Tweet joined the female trio Sugah, leaving her daughter with her parents in

Panama City, Florida Panama City is a city in and the county seat of Bay County, Florida, United States. Located along U.S. Highway 98 (US 98), it is the largest city between Tallahassee and Pensacola. It is the more populated city of the Panama City–Lynn ...

. Sugah was composed of Tweet, Susan Weems, and Rolita White, and was a part of

Devante Swing Donald Earle DeGrate Jr. (born September 29, 1969), better known by his stage name DeVanté Swing, is an American record producer, singer, rapper and songwriter. He is the older brother of fellow Jodeci member Dalvin DeGrate. Career In his ea ...

Swing Mob Swing Mob (sometimes known as Da Bassment Cru) was an R&B/hip hop collective consisting of artists and record labels first discovered by Jodeci member DeVante Swing. The artists on Swing Mob included: Missy Elliott with the group Sista, Timbala ...

collective. While there, she met

Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliott 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 ...

, with whom she formed a close friendship. Around 1999, Tweet returned to her parents' home in Panama City. In 2001, Tweet was featured on Timbaland's solo album, '' Tim's Bio: Life from da Bassment''. The same year, Elliott released her platinum-selling third album, ''Miss E... So Addictive'', with Tweet featuring on one track and providing background vocals to another four. Tweet also contributed background vocals to

Ja Rule Jeffrey Bruce Atkins (born February 29, 1976), better known by his stage name Ja Rule (), is an American rapper and actor. Born and raised in New York City, he debuted in 1999 with ''Venni Vetti Vecci'' and its lead single "Holla Holla". Durin ...

's ''

Pain Is Love ''Pain Is Love'' is the third studio album by American rapper Ja Rule. Executive produced by Irv Gotti, it was released on October 2, 2001 by Murder Inc. Records and distributed by Def Jam Recordings. Although, the album received a mixed recept ...

'',

Bubba Sparxxx Warren Anderson Mathis (born March 6, 1977), better known by his stage name Bubba Sparxxx, is an American rapper from Georgia. His singles include "Deliverance", " Ugly" (both featuring Timbaland), and "Ms. New Booty" (featuring Ying Yang Twins a ...

's ''

Dark Days, Bright Nights ''Dark Days, Bright Nights'' is the debut studio album by American hip hop recording artist Bubba Sparxxx from Georgia. It was released on October 9, 2001 via Interscope Records. Recording sessions took place at Westlake Recording Studios in Los ...

'', Timbaland and Magoo's ''

Indecent Proposal ''Indecent Proposal'' is a 1993 American erotic drama film directed by Adrian Lyne and written by Amy Holden Jones. It is based on the 1988 novel by Jack Engelhard, in which a couple's marriage is disrupted by a stranger's offer of a million d ...

'', and

Petey Pablo Moses Barrett III (born July 22, 1973), known by the stage name Petey Pablo, is an American rapper from Greenville, North Carolina. He is best known for his 2003 Crunk hit single "Freek-a-Leek". Biography Born in Greenville, North Carolina, Bar ...

's '' Diary of a Sinner: 1st Entry''.

2002–04: ''Southern Hummingbird''

In March 2002, Tweet released her debut solo single, "

Oops (Oh My) "Oops (Oh My)" is a song by American singer Tweet from her debut studio album, '' Southern Hummingbird'' (2002). It features vocals from American rapper Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliott, who co-wrote the song with Tweet, while production was handle ...

". The song was produced by Timbaland and features guest vocals by Missy Elliott. The single hit number one on the

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 ...

and number seven on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. In April 2002, Tweet released her debut album ''

Southern Hummingbird ''Southern Hummingbird'' is the debut studio album by American singer Tweet, released on April 2, 2002, by The Goldmind Inc. and Elektra Records. The album features production by Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliott, Timbaland, Craig Brockman, Nisan St ...

''. The album featured production by Craig Brockman, Nisan Stewart, guitarist John "Jubu" Smith, Timbaland, and Tweet herself.Erlewine, Stpehen Thomas
''Southern Hummingbird'' Review
,

, retrieved 2010-12-18 The album includes features from Elliott,

Bilal __NOTOC__ Bilal may refer to: People * Bilal (name) (a list of people with the name) * Bilal ibn Rabah, a companion of Muhammad * Bilal (American singer) * Bilal (Lebanese singer) Places *Bilal Colony, a neighbourhood of Korangi Town in Karachi, ...

, and

Ms. Jade Chevon Young (born 1979), better known by the stage name Ms. Jade is an American rapper from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In 2002 she released her only album to date, ''Girl Interrupted (album), Girl Interrupted'', which featured the single (mus ...

. The album debuted at number three on the ''Billboard'' 200 chart. The album spawned two follow-up singles: the Timbaland-produced " Call Me" and " Smoking Cigarettes". In 2002, Tweet appeared as a guest vocalist on

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 ...

's second single "No Panties" her album '' Diamond Princess''. Tweet also appeared as a background vocalist on

Meshell Ndegeocello Michelle Lynn Johnson, better known as Meshell Ndegeocello (; born August 29, 1968), is a German-born American singer-songwriter, rapper, and bassist. She has gone by the name Meshell Suhaila Bashir-Shakur which is used as a writing credit on so ...

's ''Cookie: The Anthropological Mixtape'',

Karen Clark Sheard Karen Valencia Clark Sheard (née Clark; born November 15, 1960) is an American Grammy Award–winning Gospel singer, musician, songwriter, and businesswoman. Clark-Sheard is the wife of the current Church of God in Christ Presiding Bishop J. Dre ...

's ''2nd Chance'', Ms. Jade's ''Girl Interrupted'', Whitney Houston's ''Just Whitney...'' and Elliott's ''Under Construction''. For the latter, Tweet appeared on four of the tracks and made cameo performances in two videos released from the album, "Work It" and "Gossip Folks". Among others, Tweet appeared in the music video for

Aaliyah Aaliyah Dana Haughton (; January 16, 1979 – August 25, 2001) was an American singer and actress. She has been credited for helping to redefine contemporary R&B, pop and hip hop, earning her the nicknames the "Princess of R&B" and " ...

's posthumous hit single, "Miss You". Tweet was nominated for a Soul Train Lady of Soul Award for Best New Artist but lost to Ashanti. That year Tweet was awarded the

Key to the City The Freedom of the City (or Borough in some parts of the UK) is an honour bestowed by a municipality upon a valued member of the community, or upon a visiting celebrity or dignitary. Arising from the medieval practice of granting respected ...

for

Rochester, New York Rochester () is a City (New York), city in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, the county seat, seat of Monroe County, New York, Monroe County, and the fourth-most populous in the state after New York City, Buffalo, New York, Buffalo, ...

. In 2003, Tweet appeared as a background vocalist on the following releases:

Madonna Madonna Louise Ciccone (; ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer-songwriter and actress. Widely dubbed the " Queen of Pop", Madonna has been noted for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, songwriting, a ...

's ''

American Life ''American Life'' is the ninth studio album by American singer Madonna. It was released on April 21, 2003, by Maverick and Warner Bros. Records. The album, produced by the singer and Mirwais Ahmadzaï, features references to many parts of Ame ...

The Remixes Single'', Monica's '' After the Storm'',

Mark Ronson Mark Daniel Ronson (born 4 September 1975) is a British-American DJ, songwriter, record producer, and record executive. He is best known for his collaborations with artists such as Duran Duran, Amy Winehouse, Adele, Lady Gaga, Lily Allen, Robbi ...

's ''

Here Comes the Fuzz ''Here Comes the Fuzz'' is the debut studio album by British producer Mark Ronson. The album was released on 8 September 2003, led by the lead single, " Ooh Wee". Unlike Ronson's later releases his debut album focuses more on the genre of hip h ...

'', and

Angie Stone Angela Laverne Brown (born December 18, 1961) known professionally as Angie Stone, is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and record producer. She rose to fame in the late 1970s as member of the hip hop trio The Sequence. In the early 1990s ...

's '' Stone Love'' on the 2004

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...

-nominated song "U-Haul". In 2003, Tweet had a cameo appearance in the film ''

Honey Honey is a sweet and viscous substance made by several bees, the best-known of which are honey bees. Honey is made and stored to nourish bee colonies. Bees produce honey by gathering and then refining the sugary secretions of plants (primar ...

'' and contributed the song "Thugman" for its soundtrack.

2005–07: ''It's Me Again''

During 2003 and 2004, Tweet began recording songs for her follow-up to ''Southern Hummingbird''. The album was supposed to be released in early 2004, but was pushed back when Tweet moved from Elektra Entertainment Group to

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 ...

in 2004. In late 2004, Tweet released the single " Turn da Lights Off. The song was produced by Missy Elliott and Kwamé, featured vocals from Elliott and contained a sample of

Marvin Gaye Marvin Pentz Gay Jr., who also spelled his surname as Gaye (April 2, 1939 – April 1, 1984), was an American singer and songwriter. He helped to shape the sound of Motown in the 1960s, first as an in-house session player and later as a solo ar ...

's "If This World Were Mine" and

Nat King Cole Nathaniel Adams Coles (March 17, 1919 – February 15, 1965), known professionally as Nat King Cole, was an American singer, jazz pianist, and actor. Cole's music career began after he dropped out of school at the age of 15, and continued f ...

's "Lost April". To promote the single, Tweet joined

Cee-Lo Green Thomas DeCarlo Callaway - Burton (born May 30, 1975), known professionally as CeeLo Green (or Cee Lo Green), is an American singer, songwriter, rapper, record producer and actor. He is known for his work in hip hop and R&B, including the Gnarls ...

and

Teedra Moses Teedra Shenita Moses (born December 17, 1976) is an American R&B and soul singer. Early life Moses was born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana. She later moved to Los Angeles with her mother and three siblings after her parents separated. ...

on the 2004 Seagram's Gin Live Tour. The same year, Tweet appeared in Elliott's music video "I'm Really Hot". Tweet also appeared on the posthumous unreleased Elliott-produced Aaliyah track " Where Could He Be". On March 22, 2005, Tweet released her second album '' It's Me Again''. The album featured production from Missy Elliott on several of the tracks. The album featured vocals from Tweet's 15-year-old daughter, Tashawna, on "Two of Us",Kellman, Andy
''It's Me Again'' Review
,

, retrieved 2010-12-18 Rell and Missy Elliott were also featured. "When I Need a Man" (theme song from the USA Network Original Series,

Kojak ''Kojak'' is an American action crime drama television series starring Telly Savalas as the title character, New York City Police Department Detective Lieutenant Theodopolis "Theo" Kojak. Taking the time slot of the popular ''Cannon'' series, it ...

) was included as a hidden track. The album peaked at #17 on the Billboard album charts and then quickly fell off the charts. Tweet then broke away from her manager, Mona Scott, and Violator Management, and signed with

Mathew Knowles Mathew Knowles (born January 9, 1952)Knowles in is an American record executive, businessman and university lecturer. He is best known for being the manager of Destiny's Child. He also once managed the solo careers of his daughters Beyonc� ...

of Music World. Tweet appeared on Elliott's sixth album release, ''The Cookbook'', contributing vocals to three tracks, including the single "Teary Eyed".

2007–16: ''Simply Tweet'' and ''Charlene''

In 2007, Tweet performed with

Timbaland Timothy Zachery Mosley (born March 10, 1972), known professionally as Timbaland, is an American record producer, rapper, singer, songwriter, and record executive. He has received widespread acclaim for his innovative production work and distinc ...

Eve Eve (; ; ar, حَوَّاء, Ḥawwāʾ; el, Εὕα, Heúa; la, Eva, Heva; Syriac: romanized: ) is a figure in the Book of Genesis in the Hebrew Bible. According to the origin story, "Creation myths are symbolic stories describing how the ...

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 ...

Nelly Furtado Nelly Kim Furtado (; ; born December 2, 1978) is a Canadian singer and songwriter. Furtado has sold over 40 million records worldwide making her one of the most successful Canadian artists. She first gained fame with her trip hop-inspired deb ...

Fat Man Scoop Isaac Freeman III (born August 6, 1971), better known by his stage name Fatman Scoop, is an American rapper, promoter and radio personality famed for his on-stage rough, raw loud voice. He is known for the song " Be Faithful", which topped the c ...

and

Ciara Ciara Princess Wilson ( ; Harris; born October 25, 1985) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, model and entrepreneur. She released her debut studio album, '' Goodies'' in 2004, which spawned four singles: " Goodies" (featuring Petey Pa ...

at the 4th annual VH1 Hip Hop Honors, honoring the work of

Missy Elliott 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 ...

which aired on October 8. The same year, she departed from

's Goldmind Inc. camp and signed to

Jheryl Busby Jheryl Busby (May 5, 1949 – November 4, 2008) was an American recording company executive who was the former President and Chief Executive Officer of Motown Records. Biography Busby grew up in South Central Los Angeles, where he went to ...

and

Mike City Mike City (born Michael Flowers) is an American singer, songwriter and record producer. He is best known for producing the singles " I Wish" for Carl Thomas, " Heard It All Before" for Sunshine Anderson, "Full Moon" for Brandy and "One Woman ...

's record label, Umbrella Recordings. There, she began recording material for her third album along with producers

Nisan Stewart Nisan Cumming Stewart (born 31 March 1974) is a noted drummer, record producer and songwriter. Having worked with Timbaland and Missy Elliott on Missy Elliott's earlier work (''This Is Not a Test!''), he co-produced Karen Clark Sheard's 2002 album ...

Warryn Campbell Warryn Stafford Campbell, Jr. (born August 21, 1975) is an American record producer. He has worked with a number of gospel, hip hop and R&B artists. Campbell originally got his start as a session musician and producer under the tutelage of DJ ...

and Novel. Initially titled ''Love, Tweet'', the album was preceded by the buzz single "Good Bye My Dear", a collaboration with rapper T.I., and expected to be released on April 8, 2008. The release of lead single "Anymore" failed to materialize however. On April 26 and April 27, 2008, Tweet along with

Dwele Andwele Gardner (born February 14, 1978), better known by his stage name Dwele, is an American R&B singer, rapper, songwriter and record producer from Detroit, Michigan. Biography Gardner was raised on the west side of Detroit in a musical fam ...

and German singer

Joy Denalane Joy Maureen Denalane (born 11 June 1973) is a German singer-songwriter, known for her mixture of soul, R&B, and African folk music with lyrics in German and English. Early life Denalane was born in Berlin-Schöneberg to a South African father ...

performed with

The Dresden Soul Symphony The Dresden Soul Symphony is a German concert show. The musicians reinterpret soul hits and combine them with classical music. The musical ensemble contains the singers Joy Denalane, Bilal, Tweet and Dwele; the radio orchestra of the Mitteldeu ...

Dresden Dresden (, ; Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; wen, label=Upper Sorbian, Drježdźany) is the capital city of the German state of Saxony and its second most populous city, after Leipzig. It is the 12th most populous city of Germany, the fourth larg ...

, Germany. The quartet reinterpreted soul hits and combined them with classical music. An album ''

'' and DVD were later released on October 24, 2008. In 2010, Tweet split from Umbrella due to a lack of promotion and ongoing delays. In late 2011, Tweet signed to

MC Lyte Lana Michele Moorer (born October 11, 1970), better known by her stage name MC Lyte, is an American rapper, DJ, actress and entrepreneur. Considered one of the pioneers of female rap, Lyte first gained fame in the late 1980s, becoming the first ...

's record label DuBose Music Group. In June 2012, she began posting previously unreleased material from the '' It's Me Again'' and ''Love, Tweet'' recording sessions on her new website as a part of her weekly

SoundCloud SoundCloud is an online audio distribution platform and music sharing website that enables its users to upload, promote, and share audio. Founded in 2007 by Alexander Ljung and Eric Wahlforss, SoundCloud is one of the largest music streaming se ...

-hosted special, ''Tweet Tuesdays''. In February 2013, DuBose released her '' Simply Tweet'' EP. Recorded live with a full band, the five-track set was preceded by the single "Enough". The digital

extended play An extended play record, usually referred to as an EP, is a musical recording that contains more tracks than a single but fewer than an album or LP record.

reached the top thirty on both the US ''Billboard''

Independent Albums The Independent Albums chart (previously titled Top Independent Albums) ranks the highest-selling independent music albums and extended plays (EPs) in the United States, as compiled by Nielsen SoundScan and published weekly by '' Billboard'' maga ...

and the

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 ...

chart. In July 2015, Tweet confirmed that she had signed with the independent

eOne 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 ...

label. Her third regular studio album ''Charlene'', featuring production from

, is expected to be released on January 22, 2016, in the United States, with its lead single to be released on September 21, 2015. On February 29, 2016, the 'Hummingbird' singer sat down with Lindsey Sullivan (of ''

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 ...

'') to discuss her new album "Charlene". During the interview Tweet mentioned her excitement teaming up with

and Missy Elliott. She also stated the album was a growing experience.

Awards and nominations

Soul Train Music Awards

!! Ref. , - , 2003 , Tweet ,

Best New Artist The Grammy Award for Best New Artist has been awarded since 1959. Years reflect the year in which the Grammy Awards were handed out, for records released in the previous year. The award was not presented in 1967. The official guidelines are as ...

, ,

Discography

;Studio albums * ''

'' (2002) * '' It's Me Again'' (2005) * '' Charlene'' (2016)

Filmography

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

'' * 2008: ''

'' (live concert DVD)

Endorsements

Verizon Wireless Verizon is an American wireless network operator that previously operated as a separate division of Verizon Communications under the name Verizon Wireless. In a 2019 reorganization, Verizon moved the wireless products and services into the divi ...

TV & print ads (featured in the " Call Me" music video) * Citizen Watches print ads * 2002 Gap Stretch Jeans TV ads directed by

Peter Lindbergh Peter Lindbergh (born Peter Brodbeck; 23 November 1944 – 3 September 2019) was a German fashion photographer and film director. He had studied arts in Berlin and Krefeld, and exhibited his works before graduation. In 1971, he turned to photo ...

, performing "

I'll Take You There "I'll Take You There" is a song written by Al Bell (using his real name Alvertis Isbell), and originally performed by soul music, soul/gospel music, gospel family band the Staple Singers. The Staple Singers version, produced by Bell, was release ...

" together with

Taryn Manning Taryn Manning is an American actress and singer. She is best known for portraying Tiffany "Pennsatucky" Doggett in the Netflix original series ''Orange Is the New Black'' (2013–2019), Cherry in ''Sons of Anarchy'' (2008–2010), Nola in ''Hus ...

* Pantene Pro-Voice TV & print ads (with

Mýa Mya Marie Harrison (; born October 10, 1979), (stylized as Mýa), is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and actress. Born into a musical family, she studied ballet, jazz, and tap dance as a child. Initially, Mýa began her career as a VJ ...

Vanessa Carlton Vanessa Lee Carlton (born August 16, 1980) is an American singer-songwriter and pianist. Upon completion of her education at the School of American Ballet, Carlton chose to pursue singing instead, performing in New York City bars and clubs while ...

and

Lucy Woodward Lucy Woodward is an English-American singer-songwriter. She has recorded for Atlantic, Verve, and GroundUP and has sung background vocals for Rod Stewart, Barbra Streisand, Snarky Puppy, Celine Dion, Pink Martini, Gavin DeGraw, Joe Cocker, Cha ...

)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Tweet 1971 births African-American women singer-songwriters African-American guitarists American rhythm and blues guitarists American rhythm and blues singer-songwriters American soul guitarists Atlantic Records artists Elektra Records artists MNRK Music Group artists Living people American neo soul singers Musicians from Rochester, New York Singer-songwriters from New York (state) Swing Mob artists Guitarists from New York (state) American contemporary R&B singers 21st-century American guitarists 20th-century African-American women singers 21st-century African-American women singers