Keke Wyatt Was Just 16 When She First Recorded ‘My First Love’ With Avant
Though she often doesn’t get the recognition that she deserves, Keke Wyatt is one of the most talented vocalists of our time. The R&B singer comes from a musical family, and she began her music career when she was just 10-years-old singing in her hometown of Indianapolis with various girl groups.
After meeting producer Stone Huff, Wyatt’s career began to take traction. She recorded various gospel and R&B demos. She penned lyrics for major hit songs when she was just a teenager, though she rarely received the writing credits that she deserved.
Wyatt’s big break occurred when her feature on Avant‘s iconic, “My First Love” shot up the charts with the release of Avant’s 2000 album, My Thoughts. Though the album and music video for the song dropped when Wyatt was 18, Avant has just revealed that Wyatt originally recorded the vocals for the song when she was just 16.
Keke Wyatt’s debut album ‘Soul Sista’ went platinum
When “My First Love” debuted in 2000, it remained on the top 10 charts for weeks. Though Wyatt had been working mostly behind the scenes in the music industry for nearly 10 years by then, the hit song finally earned her the traction that she deserved.
That same year she earned her first solo album contract with MCA Record. With Randy Jackson and Boyz II Men manager, Quadri El Amin supporting her, Wyatt was able to record her first album, Soul Sista in just two weeks.
The album’s initial single, “Used to Love” didn’t quite gain the buzz that Wyatt had hoped. However, her second single, “Nothing in This World” — another song with Avant, shot right to the top of the charts. Soul Sista was released on November 13, 2001, and eventually went platinum.
Keke Wyatt regrets starting her career off with someone else
Though Wyatt was able to gain traction through Avant and the pair still have an incredible relationship, it can be discerning to be connected with another artist for the entirety of our career. Wyatt told Essence,
Well, like I said, my first album sold more than half a million copies, so people were listening to more than just “My First Love,” which wasn’t even on my album. Sometimes I regret starting off my career with someone else, but at the same time, things happen for a reason. My time is coming and I love Avant and I’ll never change the way I feel about our musical chemistry, but sometimes it gets annoying to be “the girl who sang with Avant.” But I’m good because this new album is going to tell everyone who the hell Keke Wyatt is.
Keke Wyatt was just 16 when she recorded ‘My First Love’
Though Avant has said that Wyatt was 14 when she recorded “My First Love,” Wyatt said in a previous interview that she was 16-years-old. Either way, her vocal ability was well beyond her years. She explained to Essence,
I was 16 years old when I recorded “My First Love” with Avant, and 18 when the single was released. It wasn’t even supposed to be a single, but when the record industry heard it, everybody went ballistic and it stayed in the Top 10 on several leading R&B charts. Afterward, they thought, ‘If she helped Avant sell records, then let’s see what she can do on her own‘. They gave me two weeks to record an entire album. That ain’t no guinea pig to you? I was a pimp dummy.
