Kelly Price

Kelly Cherelle Price (born April 4, 1973) is an American R&B and gospel singer.

Beginning her career in 1992, Price originally performed backing vocals for Mariah Carey on multiple songs, including her Billboard Hot 100 number one singles "All I Want for Christmas Is You" and "Fantasy."

Her first professional engagement was with singer George Michael at Madison Square Garden in New York City in January 1992.

During rehearsals for the 1992 Grammy Awards the next month, Price was overheard singing in the rehearsal hall by Mariah Carey.

She rose to wider prominence in 1997 following her uncredited performances on the number-one single "Mo Money Mo Problems" by The Notorious B.I.G. and the top-five single "Feel So Good" by Mase, prompting her to perform as a lead artist.

Price was later introduced to Carey's then-husband, Sony Columbia's then CEO Tommy Mottola, and was offered a gig as a background singer for Carey, which she did until 1997.

Her debut studio album, Soul of a Woman (1998) was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

The album's lead single, "Friend of Mine" (featuring R. Kelly and Ronald Isley) reached the top 20 on the Billboard Hot 100.

In 1998, Price was featured alongside Faith Evans on Whitney Houston's single "Heartbreak Hotel," which peaked at number two on the chart and earned her a nomination for the Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals.

Island Records and Def Jam Records had merged in 1999, with Price and some other labelmates being reassigned to the Island Def Jam subsidiary Def Soul.

Mirror Mirror featured the singles "You Should've Told Me" and the Grammy Award nominated "As We Lay".

Her second and fourth albums, Mirror Mirror (2000) and Priceless (2003) peaked within the top ten on the Billboard 200 chart.

Her second album, Mirror Mirror, was released in 2000 on the Def Soul imprint of Def Jam Records.

In October 2005, Price recorded her first live gospel album.

The This Is Who I Am album has been released on October 24, 2006, on her own label, EcclecticSounds Records.

It debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Gospel Charts and peaked at No. 9 on the R&B album chart.

Price was inducted as an honorary member of Sigma Gamma Rho sorority in July 2006.

In 2006, she recorded the song "Why?"

for the soundtrack Why Did I Get Married?, the film version of ''Why Did I Get Married?

Priceless Secrets from The Soul of A Woman'', in which Price created the role of Sheila alongside Tyler Perry who used the song titles and lyrical content of Price's hit recordings to develop the story.

In early 2007, Price kicked off a tour with the 'Sisters in the Spirit 2007'.

In early 2009, she was featured on Coko's gospel album entitled The Winner in Me on the track "Oh Mary".

In September 2009, it was announced she would be joining Deborah Cox and Tamia to form the group The Queen Project.

The women seek to empower women of all ages, races, and backgrounds by doing a number of community service projects.

In June 2010, Price promoted her single "Tired" on The Jazz Joy and Roy syndicated radio show as "some of the best work of my career to date."

On July 16, 2010, a lawsuit was filed in a Texas federal court by Price against a nationally known prosperity ministry, New Light Church of Houston, et al. Other defendants in the case include New Light's pastor, I. V. Hilliard, wife, Bridget Hilliard and daughter, Preshea Hilliard.

Price claims she wrote and copyrighted a song called "Women Who Win," which New Light Church and three members of the Hilliard family used without permission in a church show, on DVDs, on a website, and at a "Women Who Win" conference in Houston.

The original court docket indicates that the involved parties continued to use the work in a variety of ways despite being refused license to use.

Price, however, did not win the case as the court stated she and her legal team failed to state a claim for which relief can be granted.

The court also denied Price and her legal team's request to amend the pleadings a second time; it had previously been amended.

The song was also featured in Tyler Perry's 2011 film Madea's Big Happy Family.

On February 9, 2012, in a pre-Grammy party to celebrate Price's nominations, the singer sang "Jesus Loves Me" with Whitney Houston in what turned out to be Houston's last public performance two days before her death.

In 2016, she made uncredited appearances on Kanye West's songs "Ultralight Beam" and "Low Lights" (recording a sample of "So Alive" by Kings of Tomorrow) for his album The Life of Pablo.

Price has won a Soul Train Music Award, and has received nine Grammy Award nominations.

Price was born in New York City in Far Rockaway, Queens, and she sang in church as a youngster.

In 2016, Kelly was included in several songs on rapper Kanye West's album, The Life of Pablo.

Kelly was a co-writer with American R&B singer K. Michelle, on her single Not a Little Bit which was released on January 22, 2016.

It is the lead single from the singer's third studio album, More Issues Than Vogue.

In September 2021, Price was declared missing as reported by TMZ.

Her attorney later stated she was privately recuperating from a severe COVID-19 infection.