Six years ago, Keyshia Cole emerged on the music scene with soul and pain roaring from her voice. He songs boasted of heartbreak and pain, and captured an audience that sympathized with her and took on her pain. Fans stood by Keyshia’s debut The Way It is, and through songs like “I Shoulda Cheated,” “I Just Want It to be Over,” and “Changed My Mind.” The album ultimately sold 1.5 million copies. It was easy to support someone who wanted so much and hurt so much. Upon the release of Keyshia’s second album fans saw a change. Along with the same gut wrenching heartbreaking tunes, were songs dedicated to love and happiness. That album sold 1.2 million copies. The third album, A Different Me was released which was a grown up Keyshia that with a lot less heart ache, and the album has sold just short of a million copies. This leads to the question; Is the Keyshia Cole complex real? Does heartbreak sell more records than happiness? It may appear so.
European songstress Adele has made two multi-platinum albums detailing her heartbreak. She says “When I’m happy, I don’t have much to write about.” The same can be said about Amy Winehouse who too built a solid career off of heartbreak and relationships. Philadelphia Artist Jazmine Sullivan faced such questions after the release of her sophomore album, Love Me Back. Sullivan was said to have heartbroken and scorn lyrics on her debut, which boasted songs like “Need U Bad,” “Bust the Windows” and “Lions Tigers & Bears.” Yet, one wonders why her label never releases the romantic ballads that Sullivan has on her albums.
Is it possible that a scorned woman makes a better record, or is it that it’s easier to market a scorned woman’s pain and soul in her music, than to market a smiling star when she is not singing, dancing, and being super star Beyonce? They Keyshia Cole complex does indeed exist because fans find it easy to drift into an artist’s heartbreak as if it were their own. As the comedian Lil Duval puts it “When Keyshia Cole music was bout men dogging her y’all love now that she’s happily married y’all don’t wanna hear it.”
by Shakia Jackson
