Tweet (singer)
Tweet | |
|---|---|
| Born | Charlene Keys January 21, 1971 United States |
| Occupation(s) | Vocalist, songwriter |
| Years active | 1990s–present |
| Known for | Member of Sugah; solo albums Southern Hummingbird, It's Me Again, Charlene, Memoirs of the Southern Hummingbird |
Charlene Keys (born January 21, 1971), professionally recognized as Tweet, is an American vocalist and songwriter.
Early beginnings
During the early 1990s, Tweet became a member of the female trio Sugah, which was part of Devante Swing's Swing Mob collective. The ensemble also featured Susan Weems and Rolita White. Throughout this time, she developed a strong working relationship with Missy Elliott. By approximately 1999, Tweet relocated back to Panama City, Florida.
In 2001, Tweet appeared on Missy Elliott's platinum-certified album Miss E... So Addictive, lending her voice to several tracks. Additionally, she provided background vocals for artists such as Ja Rule, Bubba Sparxxx, Timbaland and Magoo, and Petey Pablo.
2002–04: Southern Hummingbird
Tweet launched her debut solo single "Oops (Oh My)" in March 2002, a track produced by Timbaland and featuring Missy Elliott. The single reached the number one position on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart and climbed to number seven on the Billboard Hot 100.
Her first studio album, Southern Hummingbird, was released in April 2002. It included production credits from Craig Brockman, Nisan Stewart, John "Jubu" Smith, Timbaland, and Tweet herself. Guest appearances featured Elliott, Bilal, and Ms. Jade. The album debuted at number three on the Billboard 200 chart and spawned singles such as "Call Me" and "Smoking Cigarettes".
Tweet also contributed vocals to Trina's track "No Panties" from the album Diamond Princess, and provided background vocals on projects by Meshell Ndegeocello, Karen Clark Sheard, Ms. Jade, Whitney Houston, and Elliott's album Under Construction. She made appearances in music videos for Elliott’s "Work It" and "Gossip Folks", as well as Aaliyah’s posthumous single "Miss You".
In 2002, Tweet earned a nomination for the Soul Train Lady of Soul Award in the Best New Artist category and was honored with the Key to the City of Rochester, New York.
The following year, she delivered background vocals on works by Madonna, Monica, Mark Ronson, and Angie Stone’s Grammy-nominated song "U-Haul". In 2003, Tweet appeared briefly in the film Honey and contributed her song "Thugman" to its soundtrack.
2005–07: It's Me Again
Between 2003 and 2004, Tweet worked on her sophomore album following Southern Hummingbird. Its initial release was planned for early 2004 but was postponed due to her transition from Elektra Entertainment Group to Atlantic Records that year. In late 2004, she unveiled the single "Turn da Lights Off", produced by Missy Elliott and Kwamé, featuring Elliott and sampling classics from Marvin Gaye and Nat King Cole. To support this release, Tweet joined Cee-Lo Green and Teedra Moses on the 2004 Seagram's Gin Live Tour and appeared in Elliott’s music video for "I'm Really Hot". She also featured on the posthumous Aaliyah track "Where Could He Be", produced by Elliott.
On March 22, 2005, Tweet’s second album It's Me Again was released. The project included production by Missy Elliott and guest vocals from her daughter Tashawna on "Two of Us", alongside contributions from Rell and Elliott. The album contained a hidden track titled "When I Need a Man", which served as the theme song for the USA Network series Kojak. Although it reached #17 on the Billboard charts initially, it experienced a rapid decline thereafter. Following this period, Tweet ended her professional relationship with manager Mona Scott and Violator Management and subsequently signed with Mathew Knowles’s label Music World.
She also lent her vocals to three songs on Elliott's album The Cookbook, including the single "Teary Eyed".
2007–16: Simply Tweet and Charlene
In 2007, Tweet shared the stage with notable performers such as Timbaland, Eve, and Ciara during the VH1 Hip Hop Honors event that celebrated Missy Elliott. That same year, she parted ways with Elliott’s Goldmind Inc. and inked a deal with Umbrella Recordings, a label managed by Jheryl Busby and Mike City. Collaborating with producers including Nisan Stewart, Warryn Campbell, and Novel, she commenced work on her third studio project, initially named Love, Tweet. The promotional single "Good Bye My Dear," featuring rapper T.I., was released ahead of the intended April 8, 2008 album launch; however, the official lead single "Anymore" was never issued. In April 2008, Tweet took part in The Dresden Soul Symphony, a fusion of soul and classical music alongside Bilal, Dwele, and Joy Denalane, which later became available that year.
By 2010, Tweet had exited Umbrella due to insufficient marketing efforts and postponed releases. Toward the end of 2011, she signed with DuBose Music Group, owned by MC Lyte. Beginning in June 2012, she began unveiling unreleased tracks from previous recording sessions through her website’s weekly SoundCloud series titled Tweet Tuesdays. In February 2013, DuBose put out her live EP Simply Tweet, containing five songs including the single "Enough." This EP entered the top thirty on both the US Billboard Independent Albums and Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums charts.
In July 2015, Tweet joined forces with independent label eOne Music. Her third full-length album Charlene, partially produced by Missy Elliott, was slated for release on January 22, 2016 in the United States, with its lead single debuting on September 21, 2015. During a February 2016 interview with Billboard, Tweet conveyed excitement about reuniting professionally with Timbaland and Missy Elliott and described Charlene as a pivotal moment in her artistic development.
2025: Memoirs of the Southern Hummingbird
In July 2025, Tweet secured a recording contract with SRG-ILS Group and announced plans for her fourth studio album titled Memoirs of The Southern Hummingbird, scheduled for release in fall 2025. Prior to the album’s arrival, she intended to release a reworked version of her 2010 song "Love Again" on September 11, 2025; however, this did not come to fruition. The official lead single "Toot-Toot" was released on September 26, 2025.
Soul Train Music Awards
!! Ref.
|- | 2003 | Tweet | Best New Artist | |
Discography
- Studio albums
- Southern Hummingbird (2002)
- It's Me Again (2005)
- Charlene (2016)
- Memoirs of the Southern Hummingbird (2025)
Film
- 2003: Honey portraying Tweety
Television
- 2002: Appeared as herself on The Parkers
Endorsements
- Featured in Verizon Wireless television and print advertisements (included in the "Call Me" music video)
- Print campaigns for Citizen Watches
- Appeared in 2002 Gap Stretch Jeans TV commercials directed by Peter Lindbergh, performing "I'll Take You There" alongside Taryn Manning
- Participated in TV and print ads for Pantene Pro-Voice together with Mýa, Vanessa Carlton, and Lucy Woodward
External links
- Pages with script errors
- Articles with short description
- Articles with hCards
- No local image but image on Wikidata
- 1971 births
- Living people
- African-American female singer-songwriters
- American female singer-songwriters
- African-American guitar players
- Atlantic Records recording artists
- Elektra Records recording artists
- MNRK Music Group recording artists
- American neo-soul vocalists
- Musicians originating from Rochester, New York
- Singer-songwriters based in New York (state)
- Swing Mob affiliated artists
- Guitarists from New York (state)
- American contemporary R&B vocalists
- 21st-century American guitar players
- 20th-century African-American female singers
- 20th-century American female vocalists
- 20th-century American singers
- 21st-century African-American female singers
- 21st-century American female vocalists
- MNRK Music Group artists