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.
My Radio
Deborah Cox Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Goes on and on
My radio
It won't be long
Somebody, somebody's been telling me
That you've been doing me wrong, now
What's going on between me and you
To check up on my love
Don't care to hear it
But what bothers me is
(They all really know about us)
How you keep on doing me wrong
And then singing that same old song
(And you don't really know about love)
Said I heard it all before
And I don't wanna hear no more
Just like my radio
You keep playing that same old song
It goes on and on
Every time you come my way
My radio
You keep playing that same old song
And it won't be long
Before I'm on my way
Everybody, everybody keeps telling me
That you're no good for loving
And there's no way to believe in you
Because you keep on showing me
That what they say is true, now
And what am I supposed to do when
(They all really know about us)
How you keep on doing me wrong
And then singing that same old song
(And you don't really know about love)
Said I heard it all before
And I don't wanna hear no more
Just like my radio
You keep playing that same old song
It goes on and on
Every time you come my way
My radio
You keep playing that same old song
And it won't be long
Before I'm on my way
Just like my radio
You keep playing that same old song
It goes on and on
Every time you come my way
My radio
You keep playing that same old song
And it won't be long
Before I'm on my way
You're just like my
Just like my radio
You keep playing that same old song
It goes on and on
Every time you come my way
My radio
You keep playing that same old song
And it won't be long
Before I'm on my way
There's nothing you can say to me
When I don't know what to believe
I'd rather be without your love
Then listen to it all
There's nothing you can say to me
When I don't know what to believe
I'd rather be without your love
Then listen to it all
Deborah Cox's "My Radio" is a song about a person who has been told by others that their significant other has been unfaithful. The main character is in denial and does not believe what others have been telling them, but the constant rumors and lies have begun to wear them down. The lyrics suggest that the unfaithful partner keeps repeating the same patterns of behavior and never learns from their mistakes. The chorus compares the situation to a radio that keeps playing the same song, with no variation or improvement.
The lyrics of the song are full of pain and frustration from the main character as they struggle to come to terms with what is happening. The line "I'd rather be without your love than listen to it all" suggests that the main character is considering leaving the relationship behind, rather than continue to deal with the stress and heartache that comes with being involved with a cheater. Overall, "My Radio" is a powerful expression of the impact that infidelity can have on a person, both emotionally and psychologically.
Line by Line Meaning
My radio
The singer's metaphorical radio that represents her heart.
Goes on and on
The singer's heart keeps beating, despite the wrongdoings she has been subjected to.
It won't be long
The singer will soon leave the person who has been doing her wrong.
Somebody, somebody's been telling me
The singer has heard rumors about the person she is with.
That you've been doing me wrong, now
The rumors suggest that the person has been mistreating the singer.
What's going on between me and you
The singer is questioning the state of her relationship.
Somebody, somebody keeps telling me
Yet more people have been warning the singer.
To check up on my love
They are advising her to question the legitimacy of her relationship.
Don't care to hear it
The singer is tired of listening to the rumors.
But what bothers me is
Despite her fatigue, the rumors are still concerning her.
(They all really know about us)
The rumors have become abundant, suggesting they may hold some truth.
How you keep on doing me wrong
The person is repeatedly hurting the singer.
And then singing that same old song
Their apologies have become repetitive.
(And you don't really know about love)
The person lacks a true understanding of love.
Said I heard it all before
The singer has become accustomed to the person's excuses.
And I don't wanna hear no more
The singer is tired of listening to the same apologies.
Just like my radio
The singer's heart remains steadfast.
You keep playing that same old song
The person is apologizing but not changing their behavior.
Every time you come my way
The person keeps returning to the singer.
Before I'm on my way
The singer will soon leave the person.
Everybody, everybody keeps telling me
Even more people have expressed concerns to the singer.
That you're no good for loving
The person is incapable of truly loving the singer.
And there's no way to believe in you
The rumors have led the singer to lose faith in the person.
Because you keep on showing me
The person has demonstrated their capacity for wrongdoing.
Then listen to it all
The singer would rather endure a broken heart than continue listening to the person's empty apologies.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: DALLAS AUSTIN, DALLAS L AUSTIN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind