K. Michelle

Kimberly Michelle Pate, better known by her stage name K. Michelle, is an African American R&B recording artist, pianist, guitarist and songwriter. She first received notice in 2009 with the charting single "Fakin' It" (featuring Missy Elliott), and later went on to release the follow-up singles: "Fallin'", "I Just Can't Do This", and "How Many Times". In the summer of 2012, K. Michelle garnered further attention by appearing in the VH1 reality series Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta. Following her appearance on the show, she landed a contract deal with Atlantic Records. She released her long-delayed debut album Rebellious Soul on August 13, 2013. The album saw commercial success, debuting at number two on the Billboard 200 and number one on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, selling 72,000 copies its first week.

2008–2011: Career beginnings
K. Michelle's career began when she signed to Jive Records in December 2008. She released the buzz singles "Self Made" and "Fakin' It" in 2009 in hopes of garnering attention from the public eye. While "Self Made" peaked at number 89 on Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and received hardly any attention, Michelle's Missy Elliott-assisted "Fakin' It" went on to attain slight attention from the urban audience for its racy content and male-bashing lyrics. In 2010, following the buzz singles' release, Michelle went on to release three follow-up singles: "Fallin", "I Just Can't Do This" and "How Many Times"; which respectively charted at numbers 56, 53, and 53 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs before asking to be brought out of her label contract by RCA Records in October 2011. Prior to her departure from RCA, K. Michelle was in the process of recording her debut Rebellious Soul (formerly titled Pain Medicine) that was slated to feature collaborations from the likes of R. Kelly, Trina, Usher, Gucci Mane, Akon and Missy Elliott. However, only R. Kelly's contributions saw the light of day on the final cut of the album.

2012–present: Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta, Rebellious Soul and Love & Hip Hop: New York
In 2012, K. Michelle joined the cast on season one of VH1's reality TV show Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta. During its run, Michelle announced she would be leaving the show after the second season to move to New York to join Love & Hip Hop: New York and focus more on her music career. Following her appearance on the reality series, Michelle signed a deal with Atlantic Records and has since then confirmed that her debut album would likely be released sometime in 2013. On April 22, 2013, Michelle released a promotional single and accompanying music video called "I Just Wanna" via iTunes and YouTube.
In May 2013, she released the lead single from Rebellious Soul called "V.S.O.P.". The song peaked at number 89 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and at number 27 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. The album Rebellious Soul was released on August 13, 2013 and debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 chart and number one on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. The album sold 72,000 copies in its first week. "Can't Raise a Man", the second single is scheduled to be released January 8, 2014.