Nivea Hamilton
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Nivea B. Hamilton (born March 24, 1982), known
mononymously A mononym is a name composed of only one word. An individual who is known and addressed by a mononym is a mononymous person. A mononym may be the person's only name, given to them at birth. This was routine in most ancient societies, and remains ...
as Nivea, is an American R&B singer. She has released three studio albums: her self-titled debut (2001), followed up by '' Complicated'' (2005), ''Animalistic'' (2006), and an independently released extended play, ''Nivea: Undercover'' (2011). In 2019, she released her album ''Mirrors''. Her song " Don't Mess with My Man" was nominated for a
Best R&B Performance The Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance is an award presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards. According to the 54th Grammy Awards description guide it is designed for s ...
Grammy The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious a ...
in 2003.


Early life

Nivea Hamilton was born in
Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...
on March 24, 1982. She is the youngest of three sisters. She sang in a church choir and from there, admired
Mariah Carey Mariah Carey ( ; born March 27, 1969) is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Songbird Supreme" by ''Guinness World Records'', Carey is known for her five-octave voc ...
. She admitted to being shy in a 2019 interview with
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, saying "I never wanted anyone to hear me sing... my parents would turn down the radio nd I would automatically stop"


Career


2000–2003: ''Nivea''

In 2000, Nivea appeared on
Jive Records Jive Records (later stylized as JIVE Records) was a British-American independent record label founded by Clive Calder in 1981 as a subsidiary of the Zomba Group of Companies, Zomba Group. In the US, the label had offices in New York City and Chic ...
labelmate, rapper
Mystikal Michael Lawrence Tyler (born September 22, 1970), better known by his stage name Mystikal, is an American rapper and actor from New Orleans, Louisiana. He is noted for brash, obstreperous vocal delivery, characterized by a Southern rasp. He si ...
's hit single "
Danger (Been So Long) "Danger (Been So Long)" is the second single released by American rapper Mystikal from his fourth album, '' Let's Get Ready'' (2000), featuring singer Nivea. The song was released on December 12, 2000, and was produced by the Neptunes. "Danger" w ...
" which garnered her some buzz. Following its success, she had signed with Jive and released her debut solo single " Don't Mess with the Radio" in 2001. It garnered moderate success, peaking at number 90 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and number 85 on the
Hot R&B Songs Hot R&B Songs is a chart released weekly by '' Billboard'' in the United States. It lists the 25 most popular R&B songs, calculated weekly by airplay on rhythmic and urban radio stations, digital download sales and streaming data. It was establi ...
chart. Her label then decided to release her self-titled debut album internationally, due to high demand in the domestic area. Released firstly in Australia on September 25, 2001, the album would later be released in the United States on December 10, 2002, peaking at number 80 on the ''Billboard'' 200 and thirty-five on the
Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a music chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine that ranks R&B and hip-hop albums based on sales in the United States and is compiled by Luminate. The chart debuted as Hot R&B LPs in the issue dated January 30, ...
chart, while topping the
Heatseekers Infrared homing is a passive weapon guidance system which uses the infrared (IR) light emission from a target to track and follow it seamlessly. Missiles which use infrared seeking are often referred to as "heat-seekers" since infrared is ra ...
album chart. " Run Away (I Wanna Be with You)" (featuring
Pusha T Terrence LeVarr Thornton (born May 13, 1977), better known by his stage name Pusha T, is an American rapper. He rose to prominence as one half of the Virginia-based hip hop duo Clipse, which he formed with his older brother No Malice, Malice. M ...
) was released as the album's next single in Japan on December 10, 2001. On June 3, 2002, she released her second U.S. single, " Don't Mess with My Man" featuring brothers Brian and Brandon Casey (of R&B group Jagged Edge). The single was a big hit, peaking at number eight on the Hot 100 at number twenty-five on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, respectively. The single's performance fueled album sales of her debut. The following year, "Don't Mess with My Man" was nominated for a
Grammy Award The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...
for
Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals The Grammy Award The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as th ...
. The album's third U.S. single "
Laundromat A self-service laundry, coin laundry, or coin wash, is a facility where clothes and some household textiles are washed and dried without much personalized professional help. They are known in the United Kingdom as launderettes or laundrettes, ...
" (released in April 2003) featured singer, songwriter and producer R. Kelly. Due to Kelly's legal issues within that period (see R. Kelly child sexual abuse material case), he was unable to appear in the song's video, which instead starred comedian
Nick Cannon Nicholas Scott Cannon (born October 8, 1980) is an American comedian, television presenter, actor, and rapper. In television, he began his career as a teenager on Nickelodeon's '' All That'' before going on to host '' The Nick Cannon Show'', '' ...
, playing her love interest in the music video. The single became a minor hit for the singer, peaking at number twenty on the Hot R&B Songs chart and number 58 on the Hot 100.


2004–2008: ''Complicated'' and ''Animalistic''

Following the success of her first album, she began work on her second studio album, releasing a buzz single, "You Wanna Touch Me" featuring rapper and '' Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta'' reality star
Rasheeda Rasheeda Widad Buckner-Frost (often stylized as RaSheeda) is an American businesswoman, rapper, and television personality. Music career Music beginnings Rasheeda moved to Atlanta at 14, and she started her music career as a member of the femal ...
and singer
Akon Aliaune Damala Bouga Time Puru Nacka Lu Lu Lu Badara Akon Thiam (born April 16, 1973), known mononymously as Akon (), is a Senegalese-United States, American singer, songwriter, rapper, record producer, businessman, and philanthropist. An influ ...
. It only charted at number 86 on the Hot R&B Songs chart. After meeting her future husband, Terius "The-Dream" Nash, they began dating and he soon handled the primary production on her forthcoming album. In late 2004, she released the project's lead single, "Okay", which featured
YoungbloodZ YoungBloodZ is an American Southern hip hop duo from Atlanta, Georgia composed of J-Bo and Sean Paul (later stylized as Sean P) formed in 1997. The duo were discovered by Kawan Prather and signed with his company Ghet-O-Vision, an imprint of ...
and its producer,
Lil' Jon Jonathan H. Smith (born January 17, 1971), better known by his stage name Lil Jon, is an American rapper, DJ, and record producer. Regarded as a progenitor of the club-oriented hip-hop subgenre crunk, his production and voice presence were inst ...
. The single became a hit, peaking at number fourteen on the Hot R&B Songs chart and number forty on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. On May 3, 2005, she released her second album '' Complicated'', a week before she gave birth to her daughter. The album peaked at number nine on the R&B/Hip-Hop album chart and underperformed on the ''Billboard'' 200 at number thirty-seven, selling 27,000 copies in its first week. A second single, "Parking Lot" was released, shortly before she got pregnant. Jive Records subsequently dropped promotion for the project, although she appeared on ''
Soul Train ''Soul Train'' is an American musical variety television show. After airing locally on WCIU-TV in Chicago, Illinois, for a year, it aired in syndication from October 2, 1971, to March 25, 2006. In its 35-year history, the show primarily featu ...
'' the following year and performed "Complicated", which was originally planned as the album's third single. Before it could materialize, Jive went into a new direction with its artist roster. In March 2006, Nivea parted ways with the label. After her departure from Jive, she gave birth to her twins in April, a month after her severity from the imprint. That same year, she began work on her next studio album and signed a new contract with Formula Records. Primarily produced by her then-husband,
The-Dream Terius Adamu Ya Gesteelde-Diamant ('' né'' Youngdell Nash; born September 20, 1977), known professionally as The-Dream, is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. He is known for having written or co-produced songs for artists in ...
, her third album, ''Animalistic'', was released on November 15, 2006, exclusively in Japan, led by the single, "Watch It", which garnered some airplay. However, she premiered new material on her
MySpace Myspace (formerly stylized as MySpace, currently myspace; and sometimes my␣, with an elongated Whitespace character#Substitute images, open box symbol) is a social networking service based in the United States. Launched on August 1, 2003, it w ...
profile such as "I Might", "Look Back" and "Zodiac", although they were never released officially. She later took a hiatus from the music industry to focus on raising her children following her divorce from The-Dream.


2009–2014: ''Undercover'' and "Loud Blunt"

In 2010, she released a buzz single titled "Love Hurts" which featured her then-boyfriend, rapper
Lil' Wayne Dwayne Michael Carter Jr. (born September27, 1982), known professionally as Lil Wayne, is an American rapper. He is often regarded as one of the most influential hip hop artists of his generation, as well as one of the greatest rappers of all ...
as her love interest in the music video. Also that year, she appeared on a few mixtapes including Sir Will ("It Only Hurts Forever") and
Rasheeda Rasheeda Widad Buckner-Frost (often stylized as RaSheeda) is an American businesswoman, rapper, and television personality. Music career Music beginnings Rasheeda moved to Atlanta at 14, and she started her music career as a member of the femal ...
("Surprise" and "Say Something Remix"). She later announced that she would release an acoustic EP titled ''Nivea: Undercover'' and premiered the set's first single, a cover of the
Sade Sade may refer to: People * Marquis de Sade (1740–1814), French aristocrat, writer, and libertine; namesake of the word ''sadism'' * Sade (singer) (born 1959, Helen Folasade Adu), British Nigerian musician and lead singer of the eponymous band * ...
song " Love Is Stronger Than Pride" in early 2011. In September 2011, the EP was released independently. She also collaborated with George Reefah on the single "Bump", which received a music video.Archived a
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Wayback Machine
In 2012, she announced work on her fourth studio album, tentatively titled ''Purple Heart'', which was set for a May release. The following year, she renamed the album to ''Nivea Revealed'' and announced a new single "Loud Blunt", which was released in November 2013 on digital services.


2015–2022: ''Mirrors'', ''The Randy Watson Collection,'' collaborations and "Virginia"

In October 2015, Nivea revealed that she would be releasing two albums simultaneously through her own record label. One of the projects was originally titled ''The Randy Watson Collection'', which would be an acoustic LP, with her father behind the production. According to the singer, Randy Watson will explore a love story between herself and two men, and is influenced by
neo soul Neo soul (sometimes called progressive soul) is a genre of popular music. As a term, it was coined by music industry entrepreneur Kedar Massenburg during the late 1990s to market and describe a style of music that emerged from Soul music, soul ...
and
pop Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop! (British group), a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Album ...
. The second project will be titled ''Mirrors'' and will be an R&B album with urban undertones. In early 2018, she announced she was working with Wash House Entertainment. She collaborated with Snypa on the song, "This Way", which was released in January. In April, she announced and premiered her new single "Circles" in Atlanta. In September, she was featured on the song "Dope New Gospel" on ex-boyfriend Lil Wayne's album ''
Tha Carter V ''Tha Carter V'' is the twelfth studio album by American rapper Lil Wayne. It was released on September 27, 2018, by Young Money Entertainment and Republic Records. The album's release date coincided with the day of Lil Wayne's 36th birthday. T ...
'', which was released on September 28, 2018. The album debuted at number one on the ''Billboard'' 200. The following day, she released the single, "Circles". On September 16, 2019, she was featured on the song, "Oh Oh", by rapper SugaCane. On September 26, 2019, she released her album, ''Mirrors'', including the single, "Circles". In 2021, Nivea appeared on the reality show '' BET Presents: The Encore'' alongside former girl group members Shamari Devoe (of
Blaque Blaque ( ) is an American girl group; they had songs chart from 1999 to 2004. Outside of the United States and Canada, they are known as Blaque Ivory. Their self-titled debut album ''Blaque'' sold more than 1 million copies and was certified ...
), 702 sisters Irish & LeMisha Grinstead, Cherish twins Fallon & Felisha King, Pamela Long (of
Total Total may refer to: Mathematics * Total, the summation of a set of numbers * Total order, a partial order without incomparable pairs * Total relation, which may also mean ** connected relation (a binary relation in which any two elements are comp ...
),
Aubrey O'Day Aubrey Morgan O'Day (born February 11, 1984) is an American singer and reality television personality who has been a member of the girl group Danity Kane. Following discord among Danity Kane and with her mentor at the time, P. Diddy, O'Day was f ...
(of
Danity Kane Danity Kane is an American music group whose most recent line-up consisted of Aubrey O'Day, Dawn Richard, and Shannon Bex. The group originally had five members, but D. Woods, Wanita "D. Woods" Woodgett left the group in 2008, and Aundrea Fimbre ...
), and Kiely Williams (of 3LW & The Cheetah Girls). On January 7, 2022, Nivea released a new single, "Virginia", her first new release in 2 years. Ken Hamm of Soulbounce.com reviewed "Virginia" stating, "Nivea’s plight shows us that maybe love just isn’t enough. Over sultry keys and guitar licks, Nivea sings about a man who makes her feel warm when the world feels so cold. However, this love thang is a situation ship, not a relationship; she’s wifey, but not the wife" while Amethyst Music News Magazine wrote "R&B veteran/singer/songwriter Nivea is back with a new single entitled, 'Virginia.' On the track, the singer displays the beautiful vocals that she’s known for singing."


2022–present: Upcoming collaboration album and ''Queens Court''

In mid-October 2022, she confirmed that she and singer
Paula DeAnda Paula Dacia DeAndrade (born November 3, 1989) is an American singer and songwriter. She is best known for the 2006 US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 top twenty single " Walk Away (Remember Me)". Her debut album, '' Paula DeAnda'', was released in 2006. ...
are recording a collaborative album together; both singers have confirmed this on separate interviews in 2020. They claimed to have stayed in contact and planned to have a single set for a 2022 release. In 2023, she appeared on the first season of the
Peacock Peafowl is a common name for two bird species of the genus '' Pavo'' and one species of the closely related genus '' Afropavo'' within the tribe Pavonini of the family Phasianidae (the pheasants and their allies). Male peafowl are referred t ...
dating reality series, ''Queens Court'', alongside Evelyn Lozada and
Tamar Braxton Tamar Estine Braxton (born March 17, 1977) is an American singer, songwriter, actress and television personality. Braxton began her career in 1990 as a founding member of The Braxtons, an R&B singing group formed with her sisters. The Braxtons r ...
.


Personal life


Relationships and children

In February 2002, Nivea started dating rapper
Lil Wayne Dwayne Michael Carter Jr. (born September27, 1982), known professionally as Lil Wayne, is an American rapper. He is often regarded as one of the most influential hip hop artists of his generation, as well as one of the greatest rappers of all ...
. On December 11, 2002, they became engaged.Nivea , Nivea Reveals Wedding Plans
Contactmusic.com (2003-07-08). Retrieved on 2012-12-20.
In her July 2003 interview with ''Sister to Sister'' magazine, Nivea spoke about her engagement and how Wayne proposed. "Wayne said, 'I got your Christmas present with me and you're gonna love it. It's gonna make you smile. He got down on his knee and he was like, 'I know I'm young, but I've been through enough relationships to know and understand the meaning of what love is.' He was just perfect. He told me that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with me and he loved me. It was snot and tears at the same time." She also spoke on her wishes to have a son with the rapper. "I want a little boy very much right now. Wayne's daughter is just wonderful. She's a beautiful little girl." In a 2021 interview with
Kandi Burruss Kandi Burruss (born May 17, 1976), known professionally by her mononym Kandi, is an American singer, songwriter, actress and television personality. She first gained notice in 1992 as a member of the multi-platinum R&B female vocal group Xscape ...
, Nivea revealed having suffered a
miscarriage Miscarriage, also known in medical terms as a spontaneous abortion, is an end to pregnancy resulting in the loss and expulsion of an embryo or fetus from the womb before it can fetal viability, survive independently. Miscarriage before 6 weeks ...
. Nivea credited Wayne as being her first love. She said that if they did not get married, that she would die a single woman. In August 2003, Lil Wayne called off their engagement. His song, "Something You Forgot", was about his relationship with Nivea. Nivea married R&B singer, songwriter and producer Terius "The-Dream" Nash in December 2004. Their daughter was born on May 10, 2005, and their twin sons in April 2006. The-Dream filed for legal separation on December 10, 2007. On June 15, 2008, their divorce was finalized. Nash stated in an interview, "I decided to end it because I didn't want to take this person iveaand treat them a certain way based on what I was changing into, based on being bitter." However, Nivea says
The-Dream Terius Adamu Ya Gesteelde-Diamant ('' né'' Youngdell Nash; born September 20, 1977), known professionally as The-Dream, is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. He is known for having written or co-produced songs for artists in ...
wanted the divorce, not she.Gamble, Ronnie. (2009-03-05
Nivea Opens Up About The-Dream, Says Their Divorce Was Not Mutual
. BallerStatus.com. Retrieved on 2012-12-20.
"I'm lying, it's not. We're supposed to say that, but it's not true. It wasn't no mutual agreement, he wanted to do it, I didn't, but it's done. I'm dealing with it." The-Dream wrote much of his album, ''Love/Hate'' (2007), based on his relationship with Nivea. He credited her with inspiring more sincerity in his songwriting, "to open up that other side of it that connects with the everyday woman", as he told
SOHH SOHH (Support Online Hip Hop) was an American former hip hop news website. Felicia Palmer and Steven Samuel founded the website in 1996. In 2000, ''Rolling Stone'' magazine writer Mark Binelli called it the "best overall hip-hop site". History ...
. "She has helped me a lot with that area." Dream's single, "
I Love Your Girl "I Luv Your Girl" is the third and final single from The-Dream's debut studio album, '' Love/Hate''. The track is produced by The-Dream's production partner, Christopher "Tricky" Stewart. The promotional and music video version contain a guest ap ...
" (2007), explained his relationship with Nivea and the love triangle between the duo and Lil Wayne. After her divorce from The-Dream in 2007, Nivea reconciled with Wayne in early 2008. On June 9, 2009, it was rumored that Nivea and Lil Wayne were engaged and expecting a child together. On October 14, 2009, Lil Wayne confirmed that he and Nivea were expecting a son. Nivea gave birth to their son on November 30, 2009. In June 2010, with Lil Wayne incarcerated on a weapons charge, the pair broke off their engagement for the second time. They would later reunite in 2018 to record "Dope New Gospel" for Wayne's long-awaited album, ''Tha Carter V'', and had since remained on good terms. Their son currently performs music under the alias, Lil Novi.


Discography

* ''
Nivea Nivea (, stylized as NIVEA) is a German personal care brand that specializes in skin and body care. It is owned by the Hamburg-based company Beiersdorf Global AG, who also makes the Eucerin brand. ''Nivea'' comes from the Latin adjective ''ni ...
'' (2001) * '' Complicated'' (2005) * '' Animalistic'' (2006) * ''
Mirrors A mirror, also known as a looking glass, is an object that reflects an image. Light that bounces off a mirror forms an image of whatever is in front of it, which is then focused through the lens of the eye or a camera. Mirrors reverse the ...
'' (2019)


Filmography

* ''
The Parkers ''The Parkers'' is an American television sitcom created by Ralph Farquhar, Sara V. Finney and Vida Spears. The series ran for five seasons from August 30, 1999, to May 10, 2004, on UPN. It stars Mo'Nique, Countess Vaughn, Mari Morrow, Dorien Wi ...
'' (Season 4, episode 22) (2003)


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Nivea 1982 births 20th-century African-American women singers 20th-century American women singers 20th-century American singers 21st-century African-American women singers 21st-century American women singers African-American crunk musicians American crunk musicians American contemporary R&B singers American dance musicians American women hip-hop singers Jive Records artists Living people Musicians from Savannah, Georgia Southern hip-hop musicians Zomba Group of Companies artists