Nicole Wray scored a mainstream hit with “Make It Hot” in 1998. Backed by Missy Elliott, Nicole was poised to have a long fruitful career, but things didn’t go as planned. After just one studio album, Nicole seemingly disappeared.
Here’s what happened to Nicole Wray.
Meeting Missy
Nicole grew up in Portsmouth, Virginia, which is the same city Missy was born in. According to Village Voice, Nicole’s brother went to a talent show Missy had organized and told her he had a sister who could sing.
Missy called Nicole’s mom and set up an audition, and Nicole blew Missy away. They became instant friends, and Nicole said from that point on, Missy guided her throughout her career.
A taste of success
At the age of 17, Nicole got signed to Missy’s Goldmind record label. She began laying background vocals for several artists, including The Neptunes. She also went on tour with Superfriends, which included Missy, Aaliyah, Ginuwine, Playa, Timbaland, and Magoo.
In June 1998, the Timbaland-produced track “Make It Hot” was released. Nicole admitted to You Know I Got Soul, “I wasn’t sold on it right away, it was a little weird for me.” However, the more she listened to it, the more she felt it, and the single was certified gold only a few weeks after its release, according to RIAA.
Her career was blowing up, and she was only a senior in high school. She recalled how, one day, she was in the cafeteria and her music video came on. All her friends and classmates went crazy.
She still had internal issues she was dealing with. She told You Know I Got Soul, she experienced some weirdness and sadness because she went from having friends and a social life to living life on the road.
Feeling uncomfortable
Her debut album Make It Hot dropped in August 1998. Despite all the noise her first single made, the album didn’t live up to the hype and only peaked at #42 on the Billboard charts. Two follow-up singles underperformed, as well, with “Eyes Better Not Wander” peaking at #71 and “I Can’t See” failed to chart at all.
During an episode of Finding, Nicole said she remembered feeling uncomfortable and unsure about herself. She said, “I felt like I don’t know what’s going on. I don’t know if they still believe in me.”
Since she was such a new artist, the higher-ups were confused about what to do with her. While Nicole felt maybe she should go in another direction, she wasn’t so sure how to implement her plan. She decided to lean harder on Missy since she still had her support and was grateful and honored to have her in her corner.
Bouncing around to different labels
In 1999, Nicole was featured on Missy’s hit song, “All N My Grill,” which peaked at #16 on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop chart. Nicole even served as the opening act for Missy while she was on tour and did some background vocals for her.
In 2000, Nicole began working on her second album, entitled Elektric Blue, and she started writing her own material. “I’m Looking” came out in June 2001 and peaked at #64 on the Billboard charts.
While she was still trying to progress in her career, Nicole felt things slowing down, and her sophomore album was put on the backburner.
Nicole told You Know I Got Soul that Missy was too busy living a fast-paced life and partying all the time. She also accused Missy of not trying to get to know her on a deeper level. Nicole stated, “I don’t think she was trying to get a story from me, it was just that she was so articulate in what she did that she could write a song and you would think it would be about my life.”
As time went on, Missy had less time to focus on Nicole. Nicole told the Village Voice, “I wanted to keep my integrity and went my own separate way.”
She left the label in 2001 and went back to VA. She focused on writing and even wrote some songs for 3LW. She was content with living life in the background, but it didn’t last for long.
She admitted to Village Voice she was “at a low point” without any management, and she was running around New York with one of her girlfriends when she came in contact with Damon Dash. He signed her to Roc-A-Fella Records in 2003.
“If I Was Your Girlfriend” was supposed to be the lead single for her upcoming album, entitled LoveChild, but things went all the way left. Jay-Z and Damon Dash ended their business relationship. Nicole told You Know I Got Soul she then followed Dame to Dame Dash Music Group.
Ultimately, LoveChild ended up being put on hold and never came out. Nicole went back home once again and took a break.
Through the years, she has worked with many artists, including Mike Jones on the “Still Tippin’” remix, and she also appeared on The Black Keys’ album, Blakrok.
What’s Nicole Wray up to these days?
In 2012, she joined forces with singer Terri Walker and formed a duo called Lady, and they released their first self-titled album in 2013. Terri eventually left the group, and Nicole kept Lady afloat along with a band and two background singers.
She re-emerged in 2016 as Lady Wray and finally released her second album, entitled Queen Alone, on Big Crown Records.
In January 2022, she followed up with her third album called Piece of Me. She told Bandcamp that was the album she always wanted to release and didn’t get a chance to earlier in her career. These days, Nicole is the mom of her 3-year-old daughter, Melody. She’s married to musician/actor Dante Bacote, whom she married in 2020.
She’s putting out the type of music that speaks, and we’re so happy she and Missy are on good terms now that she’s back on the scene!
Are you surprised by what happened to Nicole Wray?
