Deborah Cox

The film garnered eight nominations at the 21st Genie Awards, including two Best Original Song nominations for Cox's songs "29" and "Our Love".

Deborah Cox (born July 13, 1974) is a Canadian singer, songwriter, actress, and record producer.

Born and raised in Toronto, she began performing on television commercials at age 12, and entered various talent shows in her teenage years before becoming a professional backing vocalist for Celine Dion.

Cox entered the music industry in the early 1990s, performing as a backup vocalist for Celine Dion for six months.

In 1992, she also appeared on Devon's LP titled It's My Nature on the track "That's A Friend."

In 1994, Cox relocated to the United States and was signed to Arista Records by Clive Davis, releasing her self-titled debut album the following year.

After receiving many rejection letters from Canadian record labels that claimed their "quota" had been reached, Cox moved to Los Angeles in 1994 with producer and songwriting partner, Lascelles Stephens.

In 1995, label executive Clive Davis signed Cox to Arista Records.

Featuring production from Dallas Austin, Keith Crouch, Tim & Bob, and Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds, she released her self-titled debut album the same year.

A middling commercial and critical success, the album peaked at number 102 on US Billboard 200 but emerged as a steady seller, eventually receiving a gold certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), while going platinum in Canada.

Lead single "Sentimental" entered the top five on the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, while follow-up "Who Do U Love" attained worldwide success, becoming a top twenty success in Australia, New Zealand and the US, also reaching the top of Billboard's Dance Club Songs.

In 1996, Deborah Cox won Cox a Juno Award for Best R&B/Soul Recording at the annual award ceremony and earned her a Best Soul/R&B New Artist nomination at the 1996 American Music Awards.

Cox contributed the non-album song "Things Just Ain't The Same" to the soundtrack to the 1997 film Money Talks.

Her second studio album, One Wish (1998), was certified platinum in the United States.

It was marked by the commercial success of the pop crossover single "Nobody's Supposed to Be Here", which would become her most successful entry on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, peaking at number two and remaining there for eight consecutive weeks.

A dance remix of the song, produced by Hex Hector, became her second number-one hit on Billboard's Dance Club Songs chart and was included on her second album, 1998's One Wish.

As with her self-titled debut album, her sophomore effort was once again executive-produced by Davis, but featured more uptempo, contemporary R&B, and a slew of new producers and personnel to incorporate dance and club music, including Montell Jordan, Anthony "Shep" Crawford, Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins, and DJ Quik.

One Wish peaked at number 72 on the Billboard 200 and earned a platinum certification from the RIAA, while reaching gold status in Canada.

The album capitalized on the crossover success of lead single "Nobody's Supposed to Be Here" which became Cox's most successful entry on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number two, and remaining there for eight consecutive weeks, making it one of the longest stays at number two in chart history.

The song also reached number one on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, spending a then record-breaking 14 weeks at number one, while the third single "We Can't Be Friends," a duet with R. L. Huggar, reached the top ten, with "It's Over Now" and "I Never Knew" become chart-toppers on the Dance Club Songs chart.

After One Wish, Cox collaborated with singer Whitney Houston on her single "Same Script, Different Cast" from the compilation album Whitney: The Greatest Hits.

Incorporating a backing track of Ludwig van Beethoven's "Für Elise" during the intro, it was released as a radio-only promo single and became a minor hit on Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number 70 while reaching number 14 on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs.

Cox ventured into acting in the 2000s, making her film debut in the Canadian drama film Love Come Down (2000) and her stage debut in 2004, in the title role in the Broadway musical Aida.

She has since appeared in smaller films and several musical productions, including the horror-drama Jekyll & Hyde, the biographical musical Josephine, the musical adaptation of The Bodyguard, and the 2023 revival of The Wiz.

In 2000, Cox made her acting debut when she starred in Clement Virgo's Canadian drama film Love Come Down, playing a nightclub singer.

In 2001, Cox then recorded "Absolutely Not", for the soundtrack to Dr. Dolittle 2 which became her sixth number one hit on Billboard's Dance Club Songs.

Cox signed with J Records for her third studio album The Morning After (2002), which saw moderate commercial success.

Cox's third album The Morning After was released in November 2002 on J Records following a frustratingly long departure from Arista.

It marked the Cox's first record under Clive Davis's label, with Davis, once more serving as executive producer.

Keen to build on the success of her previous album One Wish, he enlisted the help of producers such as Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, Jermaine Dupri, Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins, and Shep Crawford as well as up-and-coming producers Warryn Campbell, Johntá Austin and Alex Richbourg to work with Cox.

A blend of urban R&B and adult contemporary songs with additional dance/house tracks, it became her highest-charting album on the US Billboard 200 and Billboard's Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums yet, debuting and peaking at number 38 and number seven, respectively.

Commercially, the album was less successful than her previous album, however, though it produced two singles on the US Dance Club Songs chart, including "Mr. Lonely" and "Play Your Part".

Cox's most recent studio albums, Destination Moon (2007) and The Promise (2008), have been released through her own independent record label, Deco Recording Group.

In 2016, Billboard listed Cox at 23rd on its list of the Greatest of All Time Top Dance Club Artists.

An eight-time Juno Award nominee, she has won four awards and is often cited as Canada's top R&B artist.

Cox was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in 2022.

Deborah Cox was born in Toronto to parents of Guyanese descent, grew up in Scarborough, Toronto, was raised Catholic, and attended John XXIII Catholic Elementary School and Earl Haig Secondary School.

She began singing on TV commercials at age 12, and entered various talent shows including an appearance on Tiny Talent Time.

She performed in nightclubs as a teenager, and began to write music around the same time.

In 2017, her single "Let the World Be Ours Tonight" became her 13th number-one hit on Billboard's Dance Club Songs over the span of three consecutive decades.