Nicole Wray
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| Nicole Wray | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Nicole Monique Wray |
| Also known as | Nicole |
| Born | July 1, 1981 Salinas, California, United States |
| Origin | Portsmouth, Virgina, United States |
| Genre(s) | R&B, pop, hip hop |
| Occupation(s) | Singer-songwriter |
| Years active | 1997–present |
| Label(s) | The Goldmind Inc./Elektra (1998-2002) Def Jam/Roc-A-Fella (2004-2006) Dame Dash (2006) Sta Bizzi (2008-present) |
| Associated acts | Missy Elliott, Cam'ron, Hurricane Chris |
Nicole Monique Wray (born July 1, 1981), better known as Nicole Wray (sometimes credited as Nicole), is an American R&B, pop, and hip hop singer-songwriter.
Her song "Make It Hot", peaked at number five on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1998.[1]
Contents |
[edit] Biography
[edit] Early success
Wray was born in Salinas, California and raised in Portsmouth, Virginia. Introduced to Missy Elliott by one of Elliott's cousins, Wray sang on a track on Supa Dupa Fly. When Elliott started her own label, The Goldmind, 17-year old Wray was the first signing.[2]
In mid-1998, her debut album Make It Hot was released. Although criticized for Elliott's heavy-handed involvement (she produced, wrote, and performed on much of the album),[2] the first single, "Make It Hot" peaked at number five on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and was certified gold.[3] Nicole's second single, "I Can't See", only managed to make it as high as number 36 on the Rhythmic Top 40 chart.[4] Later that year, Nicole released a song, "Without You," which appeared on the soundtrack to the film Why Do Fools Fall in Love. Make It Hot peaked at number nineteen on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart (number 42 on The Billboard 200) and dropped off by the end of the year.[5][6]
In 1999, Nicole released a third single from Make It Hot, "Eyes Better Not Wander", which peaked at number 71 on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.[7]
Later that year, Nicole appeared on Missy Elliott's second album, Da Real World, on the song "All n My Grill".
[edit] Unreleased albums
In July 2001, Wray released a new single, "I'm Lookin'", that was reported to be from a forthcoming album to be called Elektric Blue[8] "I'm Lookin'" peaked at number 66 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart,[9] but the album was never released.
After parting ways with The Goldmind, Wray released "I Wanna Kiss You" on the soundtrack to the film Love Don't Cost a Thing.
In 2004, Nicole released the single "If I Was Your Girlfriend" on Roc-A-Fella Records. She was later placed with the Dame Dash Music Group where she began working on another album, Lovechild,[citation needed] which, like Elektric Blue, was shelved.
[edit] Recent activity
In late-2007 interview, Wray told Spotlight Grooves that she hadn't yet decided on an album title but that she and Focus were "going make people feel the music like on her last album, Make It Hot.[10] Later that year, Wray appeared on two songs on Hurricane Chris's album 51/50 Ratchet.
[edit] Discography
[edit] Albums
- 1998: Make It Hot
[edit] References
- ^ "Make It Hot" (The Billboard Hot 100 chart), Billboard, November 28, 1998
- ^ a b Biography at All Music Guide
- ^ RIAA database (search "Make It Hot")
- ^ "I Can't See" (Rhythmic Top 40 chart), Billboard, November 21, 1998
- ^ Make It Hot (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart), Billboard, December 5, 1998.
- ^ Make It Hot (The Billboard 200 chart), Billboard, November 7, 1998.
- ^ "Eyes Better Not Wander", Billboard, June 19, 1999
- ^ "Missy Elliott, Redman on Nicole's album Elektric Blue", Shaheem Reid, MTV News, March 23, 2001.
- ^ "I'm Lookin'" (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart), Billboard, September 1, 2001.
- ^ Spotlight Grooves interviewSpotlight Grooves.Com. Accessed October 2007.
[edit] External links
- Nicole Wray at MySpace
- Nicole Wray at Allmusic
- Nicole Wray at the Internet Movie Database
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| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| NAME | Wray, Nicole |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Wray, Nicole Monique |
| SHORT DESCRIPTION | American singer-songwriter |
| DATE OF BIRTH | July 1, 1981 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Salinas, California, United States |
| DATE OF DEATH | |
| PLACE OF DEATH | |
