The year was 2005. And a young singer-songwriter from Oakland, Calif. was etching the first outlines of her music career. Now Keyshia Cole is celebrating the 20th anniversary of her debut album, The Way It Is, with a 25-date international arena tour.
Presented by AEG Presents and Free Lunch, The Way It Is 20th Anniversary Tour begins July 1 in Baltimore and wraps it North American leg on Aug. 8 in Los Angeles. The European leg kicks off Sept. 19 in Paris and ends Sept. 26 in Birmingham, U.K. Joining Cole on select dates will be Tink, Wale, Fridayy, Jeremih and hip-hop legend Lil’ Kim. Jadakiss and T-Pain will be special guests on other select dates.
In tandem with the upcoming tour, The Way It Is was reissued June 20 by A&M/UMe on black vinyl as a 20th anniversary edition double LP and as a limited-edition Rose Garden Pink Translucent color vinyl. Among the extras is the bonus track “Love (Acapella).”
“Love,” the fourth single released from The Way It Is after the album’s arrival on June 21, 2005, became Cole’s career breakthrough, peaking at No. 19 on the Hot 100 and No. 3 on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs. The album itself, since certified platinum, bowed at No. 6 on the Billboard 200 and No. 2 on Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums. Additional singles included “I Should Have Cheated,” “I Changed My Mind” and “(I Just Want It) To Be Over.”
In the midst of preparing for her upcoming tour, Cole experienced a couple of full-circle moments at the BET Awards’ recent 25th anniversary celebration. In a cast that included Amerie, Ashanti, Mya and Bow Wow, the four-time Grammy nomiee performed during the network’s salute to 106 & Park. And later in the live telecast, she performed alongside GloRilla when the rising star performed her latest single “Typa,” which samples Cole’s “Love.”
“The one thing that comes to mind are the generations of fans that I see singing their hearts out,” says Cole, a.k.a. the Princess of Hip-Hop Soul. “We have my mom’s generation, the generation of parents that are my age and the generation under them. That’s what’s speaking to me right now. That’s a beautiful thing to see — and I’m not going to do wrong by that.”
Below, she talks about GloRilla, that BET Awards performance and what fans can expect from her coming soon.
What was it like being back on the BET stage?
I was talking to Jermaine Dupri about this when we were backstage that night. I used to get so nervous about performing. But now I’ve been around for a little while now, so it was like another day on the job — thankfully. I did get nervous, but not to the point where my stomach was upside down. I was just excited to be there, to see all the people and be a part of the feng shui. I started my career at BET, so I just wanted people to feel me a bit more, because of the 20th anniversary tour and my long relationship with BET. And not just in the 106 & Park anniversary segment, but to also see the full-circle, cultural moment of what used to be and what’s now. I wanted my two children there as well, so that was an awesome highlight.
Talk about the chain of events involving GloRilla from her sampling your song to performing together at BET.
We’d never really talked before. But a friend of mine took me to Coachella, and I was able to see Glo. I really enjoyed her show and her personality. She reminded me so much of myself: fearless and relentless, not afraid to be who she is. So that’s how it all transpired — me going there, physically seeing her, and seeing a lot of my same drive in her. Then the rest was history. My 20-year anniversary, Glo using “Love” from 20 years ago, and me then performing it with Glo was perfect timing.
What can fans expect from your upcoming tour?
I’m really appreciative that [former A&M president] Ron Fair, a strong advocate of my career since day one, is overseeing the music. He knows music so well, and always ups the ante on anything that he does.
I’m excited, as it’s been my goal from so long ago to have the theatrics of my show tell a story like a movie or a play. I want fans to understand where I’ve come from, what I’ve made it through and where I am. So I want to see that come to fruition. I’ve always wanted to take my story on the road. About leaving Oakland and making something out of myself, just changing my life. Going through all this heartbreak like my mom passing, having children, being married.
And not excluding the music, because the music is amazing. I’m thankful that God gave me those words to say. It’s feeling right when I listen to it [the set list]. It feels like a great moment, an experience. It matters to me.
What one song must you always perform in concert?
“Love,” or they’ll blow me off the stage. [Laughs.] Stevie Wonder told me, “What the world needs, Keyshia, is love. And you are what we were to the generation before you.” I was just in shock being with him, Dionne Warwick and others, singing at [Clive Davis’] pre-Grammy party last year when he said that. But, you know, I’ve written “Love” and other songs having gone through some things in life. So it is what it is, you know? I appreciate what Stevie said, because the “Love” lyrics, simply put, are what the world needs right now.
You haven’t released an album since 2017’s 11:11 Reset. is a new album in the works?
I’ve been recording for some years since my last album in 2017. So I have music, for sure. But I haven’t been compelled to move in any direction yet. To be honest, this [earlier] music is still thriving, so there’s no urgency right now. I’m really just happy, because I’ve always wanted to headline my own arena tour. I did that like a year ago — and here we are again, with the 20th anniversary of The Way It Is. I’m really excited about being able to give fans that nostalgic moment. We’re going to have a great time. Then in two years, we’ll do it with [sophomore album] Just Like You.
