Tweet

Before Charlene Keys assumed the moniker Tweet in the early '90s, she had sung in her local church alongside her parents and four siblings. Inspired by the powerful diva images and sounds of Janet Jackson, Aretha Franklin, Tuna Turner and Whitney Houston, the singer enrolled at Rochester’s School of the Arts to pursue a career in music. After graduating, Tweet became one third of the female R&B trio Sugah alongside Susan Weems and Rolita White. The group was also a part of Devante Swing’s Swing Mob collective, which is where the singer became affiliated with rapper and producer Timbaland and “guardian angel” Missy Elliott, among others.

Towards the tail-end of the ‘90s with Sugah’s prospects not looking too promising, Tweet left the group and fell into somewhat of a slump. This however lasted until a phone call from Missy Elliott who invited Tweet to contribute backing vocals on her upcoming album “Miss E… So Addictive”, providing the singer with a glimmer of hope. Following her contribution to five of the albums' tracks, the singer met up with Timbaland, Magoo, Playa, and Ginuwine, later recording vocals on Timbaland and Magoo’s “Welcome to Our World” and Timbaland’s solo effort “Tim’s Bio: Life from da Basement".

Tweets debut album “Southern Hummingbird” was released in April 2002, led by the single “Oops (Oh My)” featuring Missy Elliott. The single peaked at No. 3 in the U.S and No. 5 in the UK, and was proceeded by the singles “Call Me” and “Boogie 2nite”. After years of nearly earning a breakthrough, Tweet became a recognised singer in her own right, later appearing on the albums of Karen Clark Sheard, Ms. Jade, Whitney Houston, and Meshell Ndegeocello.

The singer’s sophomore album “It’s Me Again” arrived in 2005 largely produced by Missy Elliott. The record was led by the singles “Turn da Lights Off”, "When I Need a Man” and “Cab Ride”, following which Tweet signed with Matthew Knowles of the management company Music World. After a significant hiatus, Tweet released the five-track EP “Simply Tweet” in 2013, and marked the first of the singer's releases not to feature Missy Elliott in any form.