Nicole Wray Biography

The American R&B and hip-hop singer known as Nicole Wray was born in 1981 and grew up in Portsmouth, Virginia. Nicole was introduced to Missy Elliot when she was performing in her teens, and Elliot selected Wray as a featured artist for her upcoming album, Supa Dupa Fly. After the album went platinum, and Missy Elliot began her own label, she made Nicole Wray the first artist to sign with her.

Under Elliot’s tutelage, Nicole Wray recorded and released her debut album, Make It Hot. The album rose to the number five spot on the mainstream charts and spawned the top forty hit “I Can’t See.” Although the album spawned the additional R&B singles “I’m Looking” and “It Was Your Girlfriend,” Make It Hot remains the only solo album released by Wray, as she has since moved on to other endeavors.

For the last decade, Nicole Wray has become an artist frequently featured on songs by other artists, including: Cam’ron (on “Family Ties,” “Do Your Thing,” and “Love My Life”); Hurricane Chris (on “Gettin Money” and “Momma”); Tha Dogg Pound (on “Gotta Let You Know”); McKenzie Eddy (on “Whiskey Sisters” and “Collide”); and P-Money (on “Honey” and “My Baby.”) In addition, Nicole Wray’s voice has appeared in music for the films Why Do Fools Fall in Love (on the song “Without You”) and Love Don’t Cost a Thing (on the song “I Wanna Kiss You.”)

In recent years, Nicole Wray has become recognizable for her work with The Black Keys, joining their collective group Blakroc and appearing on a number of singles by the Black Keys themselves, including: “Everlasting Light,” “Sinister Kid,” “Hope You’re Happy,” and “What You Do To Me.” Wray is featured as a contributor on the Black Keys’s album Brothers, from 2010, although in that same year she also appeared on Kid Cudi’s single “The End,” which is included on his album Man on the Moon II: The Legend of Mr. Rager.

Most recently, Nicole Wray joined forces with Terri Walker to form the new duo known simply as Lady. Lady’s self-titled debut album arrived in the spring of 2013, and additional performances and recordings are expected from the duo in the near future.