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 dat ...

, 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's

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, Timbal ...

collective. While there, she met Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliott, 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". Dur ...

's '' Pain Is Love'', Bubba Sparxxx's '' Dark Days, Bright Nights'', Timbaland and Magoo's '' Indecent Proposal'', and Petey Pablo's '' Diary of a Sinner: 1st Entry''.

2002–04: ''Southern Hummingbird''

In March 2002, Tweet released her debut solo single, " Oops (Oh My)". 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''. 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, and Ms. Jade. 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 Tobacco smoking is the practice of burning tobacco and ingesting the resulting tobacco smoke, smoke. The smoke may be inhaled, as is done with cigarettes, or simply released from the mouth, as is generally done with tobacco pipes, pipes and cig ...

". In 2002, Tweet appeared as a guest vocalist on Trina's second single "No Panties" her album '' Diamond Princess''. Tweet also appeared as a background vocalist 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''. 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 "Q ...

'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 for

Rochester, New York Rochester () is a city in the U.S. state of New York, the seat of Monroe County, and the fourth-most populous in the state after New York City, Buffalo, and Yonkers, with a population of 211,328 at the 2020 United States census. Located i ...

. In 2003, Tweet appeared as a background vocalist on the following releases: Madonna's '' American Life The Remixes Single'',

Monica Monica may refer to: People *Monica (actress) (born 1987), Indian film actress *Monica (given name), a given name (including a list of people and characters with the name) *Monica (singer) (born 1980), American R&B singer, songwriter, producer, ...

's '' After the Storm'', Mark Ronson's '' Here Comes the Fuzz'', and Angie Stone's ''

Stone Love ''Stone Love'' is the third studio album by American singer Angie Stone. It was released on July 6, 2004, by J Records. The album debuted at number 14 on the US ''Billboard'' 200 with 53,000 copies sold in its first week. Track listing Notes ...

'' 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 pre ...

-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 ...

in 2004. In late 2004, Tweet released the single "

Turn da Lights Off "Turn da Lights Off" is a song by American singer Tweet from her second studio album, ''It's Me Again'' (2005). It features guest vocals from American rapper Missy Elliott, who co-wrote and co-produced the song with Kwamé. The song was release ...

. 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 (music style), Motown in the 1960s, first as an in-house session player ...

'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 and Teedra Moses 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 American singer Aaliyah has released three studio albums, two compilation albums, and 31 singles. Aaliyah was born in Brooklyn, New York City and was raised in Detroit, Michigan. At age 10, she appeared on '' Star Search'' and performed in concer ...

". 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 Rell may refer to: *Jodi Rell (born 1946) American politician, 87th Governor of Connecticut * Hell Rell (born 1979), stage name of Durrell Mohammad American rap artist *Rell, stage name of Gerrell Gaddis, American R&B singer *Rell Sunn Rell K ...

and Missy Elliott were also featured. "When I Need a Man" (theme song from the USA Network Original Series, Kojak) 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 of

Music World Music World Corporation is an American music production and music publishing company, representing hundreds of song and music cue titles for a small clientele of composers and lyricists including the company founder. The company was founded in 195 ...

. 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, Keyshia Cole, Nelly Furtado, Fat Man Scoop and Ciara 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 and Mike City's record label, Umbrella Recordings. There, she began recording material for her third album along with producers Nisan Stewart, Warryn Campbell 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 Bilal, Dwele and German singer Joy Denalane performed with The Dresden Soul Symphony in

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 ...

, Germany. The quartet reinterpreted soul hits and combined them with classical music. An album '' The Dresden Soul Symphony'' 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 rap music, rapper, Disc jockey, DJ, actress and entrepreneur. Considered one of the pioneers of female rap, Lyte first gained fame in the late 19 ...

'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 s ...

-hosted special, ''Tweet Tuesdays''. In February 2013, DuBose released her ''

Simply Tweet ''Simply Tweet'' is the debut extended play (EP) by American recording artist Tweet, released digitally on February 26, 2013. It features four original songs and a cover of Aretha Franklin's " Day Dreaming". Background In 2007, Tweet signed to ...

'' 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 and the

Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a music chart published weekly by ''Billboard (magazine), Billboard'' magazine that ranks contemporary R&B, R&B and hip hop music, hip hop albums based on sales in the United States and is compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. Th ...

chart. In July 2015, Tweet confirmed that she had signed with the independent eOne Music 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'') 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 , ,

Discography

;Studio albums * '' Southern Hummingbird'' (2002) * '' It's Me Again'' (2005) * '' Charlene'' (2016)

Filmography

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

'' * 2008: '' The Dresden Soul Symphony'' (live concert DVD)

Endorsements

* Verizon Wireless TV & print ads (featured in the " Call Me" music video) *

Citizen Watches is an electronics company primarily known for its watches and is the core company of a Japanese global corporate group based in Nishitokyo, Tokyo, Japan. In addition to Citizen brand watches, it is the parent of American watch company Bul ...

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 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)

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