Deborah Cox facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Deborah Cox
Cox during an interview in February 2020
Background information
Born	(1974-07-13) July 13, 1974 (age 51) Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Genres	R&B soul pop dance jazz
Occupation(s)	Singer songwriter actress producer
Years active	1987–present

Deborah Cox (born July 13, 1974) is a talented Canadian singer, songwriter, actress, and producer. She grew up in Toronto, Canada. Deborah started performing in TV commercials when she was 12. As a teenager, she entered many talent shows. Later, she became a backup singer for the famous Celine Dion.

In 1994, Deborah moved to the United States. She signed with Arista Records and released her first album, Deborah Cox, in 1995. Her second album, One Wish (1998), sold over a million copies in the U.S. This album featured her biggest hit song, "Nobody's Supposed to Be Here." The song reached number two on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and stayed there for eight weeks.

Deborah also started acting in the 2000s. She appeared in the film Love Come Down (2000). In 2004, she made her debut on Broadway in the musical Aida. She has also been in other musicals like Jekyll & Hyde and The Bodyguard. In 2023, she starred in a new version of The Wiz.

Deborah has released albums through her own record label, Deco Recording Group. Her song "Let the World Be Ours Tonight" became her 13th number-one hit on Billboard's Dance Club Songs chart. This showed her success over three decades. Billboard magazine listed her as one of the top dance club artists of all time. Deborah has won four Juno Awards and is known as one of Canada's best R&B artists. In 2022, she was added to the Canadian Music Hall of Fame. She also received a Grammy Award nomination for her work in The Wiz.

Early Life and Beginnings

Deborah Cox was born in Toronto, Canada. Her parents were from Guyana. She grew up in Scarborough and went to Catholic schools. She started singing for TV commercials when she was 12 years old. She also appeared on a show called Tiny Talent Time.

As a teenager, Deborah sang in nightclubs and began writing her own music. In the early 1990s, she worked as a backup singer for Celine Dion for six months. She also sang on a song called "That's A Friend" for rapper Devon's album in 1992. After many Canadian record labels turned her down, Deborah moved to Los Angeles in 1994 with her producer, Lascelles Stephens.

Music Career Highlights

First Albums and Big Hits

In 1994, music executive Clive Davis signed Deborah Cox to Arista Records. She released her first album, Deborah Cox, in 1995. The album did well, selling enough copies to be certified gold in the U.S. and platinum in Canada. Her song "Sentimental" reached the top five on the R&B charts. Another song, "Who Do U Love", became popular worldwide and topped Billboard's Dance Club Songs chart. In 1996, Deborah won a Juno Award for Best R&B/Soul Recording for her debut album.

In 1997, Deborah contributed the song "Things Just Ain't The Same" to the movie Money Talks. A dance remix of this song became her second number-one hit on the Dance Club Songs chart. This song was also included on her second album, One Wish, released in 1998. This album was also produced by Clive Davis. One Wish sold over a million copies in the U.S. and reached gold status in Canada.

The album's main song, "Nobody's Supposed to Be Here", became Deborah's most successful song. It reached number two on the Billboard Hot 100 and stayed there for eight weeks. This made it one of the songs that spent the longest time at number two in chart history. The song also spent 14 weeks at number one on the R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. Other songs from the album, "It's Over Now" and "I Never Knew," also became number-one hits on the Dance Club Songs chart.

Acting and More Music

After One Wish, Deborah worked with singer Whitney Houston on the song "Same Script, Different Cast" in 2000. This song was a small hit. In the same year, Deborah started her acting career in the Canadian film Love Come Down. She played a nightclub singer. In 2001, her song "Absolutely Not" from the Dr. Dolittle 2 movie soundtrack became her sixth number-one hit on Billboard's Dance Club Songs chart.

Deborah's third album, The Morning After, came out in 2002. It was her first album with J Records. This album reached number 38 on the Billboard 200 chart. It included dance songs like "Mr. Lonely" and "Play Your Part," which were popular on the Dance Club Songs chart.

In 2004, Deborah performed on Broadway in the musical Aida. She played the main role of the Nubian princess. Her performance received good reviews. In 2005, she appeared in the films Blood of a Champion and Love on Layaway. Her voice was also heard in the movie Hotel Rwanda on the song "Nobody Cares." In 2006, her song "Definition of Love" was used in the movie Akeelah and the Bee.

Jazz and Independent Music

Between 2005 and 2006, Deborah recorded her fourth album, Destination Moon. This album was a tribute to jazz singer Dinah Washington. It was recorded live with a forty-piece orchestra. Destination Moon was released in 2007 and reached number three on Billboard's Top Jazz Albums chart. In 2008, Deborah sang the Canadian national anthem at the NBA All-Star Game in New Orleans. She also sang the song "This Gift" for the movie Meet the Browns.

In 2008, Deborah released her sixth studio album, The Promise. This album was released through her own independent label, Deco Recording Group. It marked her return to R&B music. The Promise was nominated for a Juno Award for R&B/Soul Recording of the Year in 2009. The song "Beautiful U R" became a top ten hit in Canada and her tenth number-one song on Billboard's Dance Club Songs chart. In 2009, she toured with R&B singer Kenny Lattimore. She also sang on the house music song "Leave the World Behind" with four DJs.

New Projects and Broadway Returns

Cox performing at the Capital Pride in Washington, D.C. in 2012

In 2010, Deborah planned to form a supergroup with R&B singers Kelly Price and Tamia. They recorded some songs, but the album, called The Queen Project, was never released. In 2011, Deborah released the dance song "If It Wasn't for Love," which became her eleventh number-one hit on Billboard's Dance Club Songs chart.

In 2012, Deborah played the lead female role of Lucy in a new version of the musical Jekyll & Hyde. She received good reviews for her performance. She also worked with rapper Akon on the song "No Labels," which was the anthem for a political group. In 2013, her song "Higher" became her twelfth number-one hit on the US Dance Club Songs chart. In 2014, Deborah performed at WorldPride in Toronto.

In 2015, Deborah provided the singing voice for the TV movie Whitney, which was about singer Whitney Houston. Deborah sang all of Whitney Houston's songs in the film, including "I Will Always Love You." She also released new songs like "Kinda Miss You" and "More Than I Knew." In 2016, Deborah played Josephine Baker in the musical Josephine. She also starred as Rachel Marron in the musical The Bodyguard, based on the 1992 movie. To support the musical, Deborah released an EP with covers of Whitney Houston's songs. In June 2017, her dance song "Let the World Be Ours Tonight" became her 13th number-one hit on Billboard's Dance Club Songs.

Recent Work and Recognition

In June 2019, Deborah performed at Stonewall 50 – WorldPride NYC 2019, celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall riots. In November 2019, she released the song "Easy Way". She also released Christmas songs like "Gimme Gimme Gimme Some Christmas" and "I Really Don't Want Much for Christmas."

In 2020, Deborah starred in the TV thriller Influence, playing a famous singer accused of murder. She also appeared as a guest host on Canada's Drag Race. In 2021, Deborah joined the BET series First Wives Club. She also appeared in the HBO Max miniseries Station Eleven. In 2022, Deborah Cox was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame. She was the first Black woman to receive this honor. Starting in September 2023, Deborah starred as Glinda in a US tour of The Wiz, which opened on Broadway in March 2024.

Family Life

Deborah Cox lives in Miami, Florida. She is married to her high school sweetheart and manager, Lascelles Stephens. They have three children: a son named Isaiah (born in 2003) and two daughters, Sumayah (born in 2006) and Kaila Michelle (born in 2009).

Music Albums

• Deborah Cox (1995)
• One Wish (1998)
• The Morning After (2002)
• Destination Moon (2007)
• The Promise (2008)

Movies and TV Shows

Film Roles

Television Roles

Awards and Recognitions

1996

• Won: Juno Award for Best R&B/Soul Recording (Deborah Cox).

1998

• Won: Juno Award for Best R&B/Soul Recording ("Things Just Ain't the Same").
• Won: Soul Train Award for Best R&B/Soul Single – Female ("Nobody's Supposed to Be Here").

1999

• Won: Juno Award for Best R&B/Soul Recording (One Wish).
• Won: Soul Train Lady of Soul Award for Best R&B/Soul Song of the Year ("Nobody's Supposed to Be Here").

2008

• Received a star on the walk of fame in Toronto's Scarborough Town Centre.

2022

• Inducted into Canadian Music Hall of Fame

2024

• Nominated: Broadway.com Audience Award for Favorite Diva Performance (The Wiz)

2025

• Nominated: Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album (The Wiz)

See also

In Spanish: Deborah Cox para niños

• List of number-one dance hits (United States)
• List of artists who reached number one on the US Dance chart