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One of the most irritating things a journalist can experience prior to conducting an interview, is being told by a PR representative what NOT to ask their client.

It’s all the more frustrating when you’re told to steer clear of the very subjects you intended to bring up. Note to PR reps: if you tell someone not to talk about something, they’ll only be more inclined to talk about it!

In the case of US R’n’B starlet Keyshia Cole, the subject matter that was off-limits was the issue of her drug-addict mother. Despite the fact that Cole herself made the struggles of her private life all too public in her BET reality show, The Way It Is, I was advised not bring up this issue. My plan? Think of a way to make her bring it up herself. But not before offering congrats on her two Grammy Award nominations.

Her new album Just Like You is up for the Best Contemporary R&B Album award, at this year’s ceremony, due to take place on February 10, while her single Let it Go (a collaboration with Missy Elliott and Lil’ Kim) is up for the Best Rap/Sung Collaboration award. A pretty impressive feat for an artist still relatively new to the mainstream world.

“ I’m really surprised about the nominations,” Cole admits. “In fact, I’m astonished. I didn’t expect to receive such nominations so soon. But it’s wonderful.”

With her debut album The Way It Is (2005) establishing her as a songstress with true vocal talent, Cole further cemented her ability to deliver songs with true passion and grit, on her latest offering.

“I think Just Like You is quite edgy and very sassy,” she says of the album. “And it features a lot of personal songs, like I Remember and Got To Get My Heart Back. But I didn’t set out with any particular aim for the album. I always just sing with my heart.”

With both her albums having gone platinum and critics and fans alike hailing her as one of R’n’B’s most impressive talents, Cole seems to have a bright future ahead of her. She considers the highs and lows of her career to date.

“My albums going platinum were definite high points,” she says. ”The low points would be the struggles I went through before I got to where I am. I knew that music was what I wanted to do, but I was on my own and life was tough. I’m sure you know about the history; the adoption, my mother, the drugs…”

And there you go. While she was by no means gleeful about telling her story, it turned out that Cole’s past wasn’t a can’t-be-talked-about issue after all. Born into a family of seven brothers and sisters, she didn’t get to know most of her family due to her mother’s involvement in drugs and prostitution. Placed in foster care at just two years old, it would be years before Cole saw her biological mother, who eventually ended up in prison. When they finally did re-connect, it proved traumatic and was aired out on television. She recalls how her childhood experiences affected her.

“My mother was on drugs my whole life. Of course, it was hard. Having to overcome all of that and figure out what I was gonna do with my own life was a real low point. But in a way, it became a high point because it made me stronger. It helped to mould me into the person that I am today. I learned that know matter what, you should follow your dreams.”

Does she have any regrets about re-living her childhood on a TV show?

“Not at all,” she says firmly. “I wanted people to see my life behind the music and show people that no matter what you go through, you can come through it. You can still follow your dreams.”

Indeed, her story is much like a fairytale; many a struggle experienced before the much longed for ‘happily ever after.’ Still, Cole admits that her past can still haunt her today.

“Sometimes there’s nothing you can do about those painful memories arising. You just have to overcome them as best you can. It was a difficult experience but God took me through.”

And now, with two albums under her belt and successful collaborations with the likes of P. Diddy (Last Night) and Sean Paul (Give it up to me), Cole is known and respected, not only for her powerful lyrics, but her equally powerful live performances. How does the feisty female fare amongst the fellas in the industry?

“You do get that element of guys not really feeling a woman with a strong personality. But there’s nothing they can do about that. They can’t budge me or faze me. It is quite a male-dominated business and men often tend to think that they’re in charge and that they have the answer to everything. But it’s cool. You just gotta let them think that.”

Ask Cole how she feels she compares to other female R’n’B contemporaries, and she’s left stumped.

“I really don’t know,” she laughs. “You’d have to ask somebody who bought the album!”

The most persistent comparison to come from critics is one between Cole and Mary J Blige. Visually, it’s not hard to see why, with both artists sporting the short blonde hair-do. It’s perhaps even more understandable as they both experienced much pain and drama in their earlier lives.

But one media website got Mary fans in a real strop, by suggesting that Ms Blige image on the front cover of this month’s Vibe magazine was an imitation of Cole’s look. Cole is perplexed by the suggestion.

“She looks like me? I haven’t heard that one! That’s crazy. I can’t believe that.”

Indeed, Cole is carving her own niche. Not content with just music, she’s also due to as herself in an upcoming MTV movie, The Way She Moves, which will hit the silver screen later this year. In addition, Cole has followed the example of many a music mogul, by starting her own imprint, Imani Entertainment. The label’s first signing, the female rapper, Amina, appears on Cole’s album track, Shoulda Let You Go.

As if all that wasn’t enough, Cole is also keen to follow through with other ambitions in the future…

“I wanna open up a veterinarian hospital, a pet store and a coffee shop. I love animals. I have three dogs. I’m gonna find the time and make a way to do all of those things someday– hopefully!”

Just Like You is out now on Geffen Records

Published: 03 February 2008
Issue: 1306

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