She began singing for TV commercials at age 12, and entered various talent shows with the help of her mother. She performed in nightclubs, and began to write music around the same time. Cox entered the music industry in the early 1990s, performing as a backup vocalist for Celine Dion for six months.
In 1995, label executive Clive Davis signed Cox to Arista Records, and she released her self-titled debut album the same year.
After middling success, Cox released a non-album single for the soundtrack to the 1997 movie "Money Talks", titled "Things Just Ain't The Same". A dance mix of that song topped the U.S. dance charts and was included on her second album, "One Wish" in 1998. The first single from that album, "Nobody's Supposed to Be Here", spent 14 weeks at #1 on the Hot R&B charts in the USA, as well as eight consecutive weeks at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100. The album went platinum, becoming Cox's biggest-selling album to date. Cox then recorded a new song, "Absolutely Not", for the soundtrack to Dr. Dolittle 2. Remixes of the song repeated the success of One Wish's singles on the dance charts, and the Chanel mix of "Absolutely Not" was included on her third album.
Cox's third album "The Morning After" was released in November 2002 on J Records.
On February 17, 2004, she made her Broadway debut in the Elton John-Tim Rice musical Aida, returning to recording only to release a dance remix of "Easy As Life" as a single.
Cox also has been involved in a number of movies and soundtracks. In 2000, she played Niko Rosen in Love Come Down. In 2001, her hit song "Absolutely Not" was featured in Dr. Dolittle 2. In 2005, in the movie Blood of a Champion she played the role of Sharon, and again in 2005, her voice was featured in the movie Hotel Rwanda in the song "Nobody Cares".
She released a dance single titled "House Is Not a Home" on Nervous Records in January 2006. Later in the year, the song "Definition of Love" was used in the movie Akeelah and the Bee, but was not released as a single.
Between 2005 and 2006 Deborah recorded her fourth album, called "Destination Moon". It is a tribute to jazz singer Dinah Washington and was released on June 19, 2007.
Cox contributed the song "This Gift" to the soundtrack of the 2008 movie "Meet the Browns" and was part of Cyndi Lauper's True Colors Tour 2008.
She has also starred in "A Good Man is Hard to Find" along side Golden Brooks and Darius McCrary.
In early 2008, Cox and Stephens created the Deco Recording Group, her very own independent label, which is distributed through Image Entertainment.
Her fifth R&B studio album, "The Promise", was released on November 11, 2008. The first single "Did You Ever Love Me" was released to radio on August 26, 2008 and peaked at #69 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Chart. The song "Beautiful U R" has been released digitally to iTunes and Amazon.com on September 16, 2008. It has recently reached #3 on the Canadian Radio Chart becoming her most successful single in nearly ten years. It also peaked at #3 on the Canadian Hot AC Chart (January, 2009 Chart) and hit #1 on the US Dance chart becoming her tenth song to do it.
The song was certified gold for digital downloads in January, 2009. "Saying Goodbye" was sent to Urban/AC radios in February, while "The Promise" is scheduled to be released as a single in July. Cox joined forces with Kenny Lattimore for the "Timeless Promise Tour" in July 2009.
In April 2009, she was featured on the single "Leave The World Behind". The house track was produced by four DJs — Axwell, Steve Angello, Sebastian Ingrosso and Laidback Luke. It peaked at #40 on the US Dance chart.
In September 2009 it was announced she would be joining Kelly Price and Tamia to form the super group The Queen Project. In a February 2012 interview with Seattle Gay News, Cox confirmed that those plans were on hold, due to scheduling issues. "Each of us has moved on and we are all doing our own projects now." She also noted that she is currently working on a dance album. "My fans have been hounding me about another 'remixed' album."
In December 2011 Deborah achieved her 11th number 1 with "If It Wasn't For Love".
On September 7, 2012 Cox gave her inaugural performance as Lucy the female lead in a revival of the musical Jekyll & Hyde starring Constantine Maroulis: after premiering in La Mirada CA this production toured North American for twenty-five weeks playing at twenty locales, then began previews for its Broadway run April 5, 2013 officially opening its planned limited engagement Broadway run of thirteen weeks on April 18, 2013. Despite Cox herself receiving good reviews, the production did not enjoy strong Broadway box-office and subsequent to its non-showing in the 2013 Tony Awards list of nominees announced April 30, 2013 Jekyll & Hyde was announced to be playing its final show May 12, 2013. Cox had a new track "Higher" issued in the autumn of 2012, and in May 2013 stated she was planning to record a dance version of the Jekyll & Hyde number "Someone Like You". Also, in April 2013 Cox stated that a projected Broadway musical in which she'd play Josephine Baker, which had been workshopped in 2011, was still planned, the production being dependent on an available venue.
In 2014, she was one of the performers at the opening ceremonies of WorldPride in Toronto, alongside Melissa Etheridge, Tom Robinson and Steve Grand.
Cox provided vocals for the 2015 Whitney Houston biopic, Whitney, directed by Angela Basset. The same year, she released the deep house-influenced "Kinda Miss You", as well as the ballad "More Than I Knew" as singles. 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."[31] 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 Billboard's Dance Club Songs.
In June 2019, she performed at Stonewall 50 – WorldPride NYC 2019. In November 2019, Cox released the Rico Love-produced single "Easy Way" through Deco Entertainment. The song is expected to lead her seventh studio album, which is 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-tited 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 webseries titled COXtales with Deborah Cox during the global COVID-19 pandemic. Deborah Cox was added to the BET series First Wives club during Season 2, playing the musician "Regina". In addition, she stars in a minor role as Wendy on the limited HBO TV series, Station 11.
I'm Your Natural Woman
Deborah Cox Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I can't just let go, I gave you years
Cried a river of tears
Say you want to change baby who's to blame?
My love burns like a flame
Yes our love is still and I guess I'll always will
[Chorus]
I'll be there when there's no one
'Cause my lovin' is real
But you don't see it now since you've put me down
But I'll be there for you when there's no one around
You've been my light, for you I've sacrificed
Stayed up every night that you didn't call
How I worried all night long
Things feel so strange last night
I called out your name thought I saw your face
Here next to me maybe someday
Soon it will be ohhh
[Chorus:]
Baby can you tell me how
Could you leave me lonely
Baby when you know that I've given my only heart to you
Whatever you do, baby don't be a fool
I'll give ya time, baby to make up your mind
Whatever you decide
I won't break a vow
Oh no noo not ever, no no noooo
[Chorus]
Oooooh yeah yeah yeah yeah I'm your natural
Yeah yeah yeah yeah I'm your
Natural womannnnnn oh
I'll be there oooooooooooohhhhhh
The lyrics to Deborah Cox's song "I'm Your Natural Woman" express a woman's devotion to her lover despite his actions that have caused her heartbreak and tears. She acknowledges that loving him is a part of who she is and that she cannot simply let go of their relationship. The line "Say you want to change baby who's to blame?" suggests that her partner may have contributed to the problems in the relationship, but ultimately, she is committed to making it work.
The chorus reinforces this commitment, as she declares that she is her partner's "natural woman" and that she will always be there for him. The line "But you don't see it now since you've put me down" reflects the pain and frustration that comes with feeling unappreciated and disregarded by someone you love. However, she remains steadfast in her devotion, willing to give him time to make up his mind and promising not to break her vow to him.
Overall, the song conveys a sense of resilience and determination, as the singer refuses to give up on the person she loves and is willing to weather the ups and downs of their relationship.
Line by Line Meaning
You've gotta know, you are my heart and soul
You should understand that you are everything to me.
I can't just let go, I gave you years
It's not easy for me to move on from you after dedicating years to our love.
Cried a river of tears
I've cried so much and felt so sad about our situation.
Say you want to change baby who's to blame?
If you express a desire to change, it's not just your fault that things aren't good between us.
My love burns like a flame
My love for you is still very strong and passionate.
Yes our love is still and I guess I'll always will
Our love may not be active at the moment, but I know deep down that it still exists and will never truly fade away.
I'm your natural woman
I am your ideal partner and the person you are meant to be with.
I'll be there when there's no one
I'll always be there for you, even when no one else is.
'Cause my lovin' is real
Because my love for you is authentic and true.
But you don't see it now since you've put me down
Unfortunately, you don't recognize or appreciate my love for you anymore since you've turned your back on me.
But I'll be there for you when there's no one around
Even though you may not see it or acknowledge it, I'll always be there for you, especially when you need someone.
You've been my light, for you I've sacrificed
You've been the shining light in my life, and I've made many sacrifices for you because of that.
Stayed up every night that you didn't call
I've waited anxiously for your call, even staying awake all night hoping to hear from you.
How I worried all night long
I've been plagued with worry and anxiety while waiting for you to contact me.
Things feel so strange last night
Last night, things seemed unusual or unsettling between us.
I called out your name thought I saw your face
I imagined seeing or hearing you, and it made me long for you even more.
Here next to me maybe someday
I hope that someday we can be together again, and maybe it will feel like you're right here beside me once more.
Soon it will be ohhh
I sense that things will change or get better between us soon.
Baby can you tell me how
Can you explain to me why things have gone so wrong between us?
Could you leave me lonely
Did you really have to abandon me and leave me feeling so alone?
Baby when you know that I've given my only heart to you
Despite everything, I've given you my heart and soul, and I hope that means something to you.
Whatever you do, baby don't be a fool
Please don't make a foolish decision that will hurt us both in the end.
I'll give ya time, baby to make up your mind
I'll wait patiently while you make your decision about our future together.
Whatever you decide
Whatever choice you make, I'll accept it and try to move forward.
I won't break a vow
I won't go back on my promises or commitments to you, no matter what happens between us.
Oooooh yeah yeah yeah yeah I'm your natural
I know that I'm the perfect match for you and that we belong together.
Yeah yeah yeah yeah I'm your natural womannnnnn oh
I am your natural woman, meant to be by your side always.
I'll be there oooooooooooohhhhhh
I'll always be there for you, ready and waiting whenever you need me.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: DARYL SIMMONS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind