1995–1999: Debut and One Wish In late 1994, 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 following 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
Billboards
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. A dance remix of the song, produced by
Hex Hector, became her second number-one hit on
Billboards 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.
2000–2005: The Morning After and acting career 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. In 2000, Cox made her acting debut when she starred in
Clement Virgo's Canadian drama film
Love Come Down, playing a
nightclub singer. The film garnered eight nominations at the
21st Genie Awards, including two
Best Original Song nominations for Cox's songs "29" and "Our Love". In 2001, Cox then recorded "
Absolutely Not", for the soundtrack to
Dr. Dolittle 2 which became her sixth number one hit on
Billboards
Dance Club Songs. 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. In February 2004, Cox made her
Broadway debut in the
Elton John-
Tim Rice musical
Aida when she replaced singer
Michelle Williams in her role of the Nubian princess. Her four-month engagement earned largely positive reviews. The same year, she recorded and released a dance remix of the musical's theme song "Easy As Life" as a promotional single. In 2005, Cox starred in the films
Blood of a Champion and
Love on Layaway. Also that year, her voice was featured in the movie
Hotel Rwanda in the song "Nobody Cares". To sustain demand for Cox's club appearances, while focused on her family and new album projects, she released a dance single titled "House Is Not a Home" on
Nervous Records in January 2006. Later in the year, her song "Definition of Love" was used in the movie
Akeelah and the Bee, but was not released as a single.
2006–2009: Destination Moon and The Promise Between 2005 and 2006 Deborah recorded her fourth album, called
Destination Moon, arranged and produced by
Rob Mounsey. A tribute album to
jazz singer
Dinah Washington, Cox noted it a
concept album that she had in mind for years. Most of the album was recorded live with a forty-piece orchestra with Rob Mounsey arranging. Eventually released by
Decca Records in June 2017,
Destination Moon peaked at number three on the
Billboard Top Jazz Albums. The same year, Cox co-starred alongside
Golden Brooks and
Darius McCrary in Leslie Small's film
A Good Man is Hard to Find. Based on the musical stage play of the same name, the comedy depicts the story of three women who each undergo romantic crises that challenge their personal and spiritual relationships. In 2008, Cox performed the
Canadian national anthem at the
NBA All-Star Game in
New Orleans, receiving rave reviews. She also contributed the song "This Gift" to the soundtrack of the 2008 romantic drama film
Meet the Browns, directed by
Tyler Perry, and served as a supporting act on
Cyndi Lauper's
True Colors Tour 2008. Also that year, Cox finished work on her sixth studio album
The Promise, released on November 11, 2008, through Deco Recording Group, Cox's own independent label, with distribution handled by
Image Entertainment. A breakaway from her previous album, it marked her return to R&B music and saw her working with a wider number of songwriters and producers on the album, including The Avila Brothers,
Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis,
Devo Springsteen,
Big Jim, and Shep Crawford.
The Promise debuted at number 106 on the US
Billboard 200, number 14 on the
Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, and number 95 on the
Canadian Albums Chart. Earning generally mixed to positive reviews from music critics, it was nominated for
R&B/Soul Recording of the Year at the
2009 Juno Awards. The second single "Beautiful U R" marked her biggest hit since "
Nobody's Supposed to Be Here," becoming a top ten hit in Canada, where it was certified platinum by
Music Canada, as well as her tenth chart-topper on the
Billboard Dance Club Songs. In support of the album, Cox joined forces with American R&B singer
Kenny Lattimore for the joint Timeless Promise Tour in July 2009. Also in 2009, she was featured on the single "Leave the World Behind", a house track produced by four DJs
Axwell,
Steve Angello,
Sebastian Ingrosso and
Laidback Luke.
2010–2017: The Queen Project, dance music and Broadway in Washington, D.C. in 2012 In 2010, it was announced that Cox would be joining fellow R&B singers
Kelly Price and
Tamia to form a
supergroup. While the trio recorded several tracks together, their joint album
The Queen Project eventually failed to materialize due timing issues and label politics. In 2011, Cox released the dance-heavy single "If It Wasn't for Love" through Deco Entertainment. It became her eleventh chart topper on
Billboards
Dance Club Songs and was to precede a new studio album which remained unreleased. In September 2012, Cox gave her inaugural performance as the female lead Lucy in a revival of the musical
Jekyll & Hyde which toured North America for twenty-five weeks. While the show enjoyed a limited
Broadway run only, Cox received positive reviews for her performance. The following year, Cox collaborated with DJ Paige on the non-album single "
Higher". Released on March 18, through Electronic Kingdom Records, it became her twelfth number-one hit on the US Dance Club Songs chart. In 2015, she provided vocals for the made for television biographical film
Whitney, directed by
Angela Bassett based on American recording artist
Whitney Houston. Cox performed all of Houston's vocals in the film, including "
I Will Always Love You", "
I'm Your Baby Tonight", and "
The Greatest Love of All." as well as the ballad "More Than I Knew" as singles. Both were set to appear on her sixth album
Work of Art, initially announced for an August 2015 release through Deco and Primary Wave Music. However, after several delays, the album remained unreleased. In 2016, Cox played the lead role of
Josephine Baker in the Broadway-bound musical
Josephine, which chronicled the singer's life between the years of 1939 and 1945, and starred as Rachel Marron in the North American Tour of the musical
The Bodyguard based on the
1992 film of the same name. In support of the musical, Cox released the EP
I Will Always Love You on Deco and
Broadway Records, containing cover versions of seven Whitney Houston originals as well as Houston's cover of
Dolly Parton's "
I Will Always Love You." In June 2017, she released an uptempo dance single "
Let the World Be Ours Tonight" during
LGBTQ pride season on Radikal Records and Galactic Media. It marked her 13th single to top
Billboards Dance Club Songs. In November 2019, she released the
Rico Love-produced single "
Easy Way" through Deco Entertainment. The song was expected to lead her yet-unreleased seventh studio album, initially expected to be released in late 2020. In February 2020, Cox starred opposite
Roger Guenveur Smith in the
BET+ television thriller
Influence, an adaption of
Carl Weber's same-titled 2018 novel, portraying a big-name celebrity singer accused of killing her husband. Also in 2020, she appeared as a guest host in an episode of ''
Canada's Drag Race and started a webseries titled COXtales with Deborah Cox'' during the global
COVID-19 pandemic. In fall 2020, Cox released further two Christmas singles, the original song "I Really Don't Want Much for Christmas" and a rendition of the
Eartha Kitt song "
Santa Baby." In 2020, Cox was appointed Executive Director of
Alpha Magazines, a U.S.-based lifestyle and entertainment publication. In 2021, Cox was added to the BET series
First Wives Club during its second season, playing the role of musician Regina alongside
Michelle Buteau and
Jill Scott. The same year, she co-starred as Wendy in the
HBO Max post-apocalyptic dystopian fiction miniseries
Station Eleven, and appeared on "Summe of Love," another collaboration with Israeli producer
Offer Nissim. In 2022, Cox was announced as an inductee into the
Canadian Music Hall of Fame, becoming the first Black woman to be inducted. Beginning in September 2023, Cox starred as
Glinda in a US revival of
The Wiz, touring nationally in advance of a March 2024 Broadway opening. ==Personal life==