Chanté Moore

Biography

Born to Christian Evangelist parents, she grew up singing in the church and was heavily influenced by the music of George Duke and Lee Ritenour. She was a beauty pageant contestant and model when, at age twenty-two, she was discovered by MCA Records executive Louil Silas. Moore was signed to Silas' MCA-distributed imprint Silas Records. She had previously been signed to Warner Bros Records by Benny Medina at the age of 19, recording a whole album before being dropped.

Early Career & Mainstream Breakthrough

Moore made her recording debut on Silas/MCA Records in 1992 with the release of the RIAA-certified Precious featuring the hit singles “Love's Taken Over” (#13 R&B, #86 Hot 100), “It’s Alright” (#13 R&B), "Who Do I Turn To?" (#83 R&B) and "As If We Never Met" (#107 R&B).

Her follow-up album A Love Supreme was released in 1994 and featured the singles as "Old School Lovin'" (#19 R&B), "This Time" (#61 R&B), "I'm What You Need" (#56) and a dual-cover of "Free/Sail On."

In 1999, she released her third album This Moment Is Mine which was led by her biggest single to date, “Chanté’s Got A Man,” written for then-husband Kadeem Hardison. It peaked at #10 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart (and #2 on R&B) and went gold. It was followed-up by the single "I See You in a Different Light" with JoJo Hailey and included as the theme for the film "For the Love of the Game" starring Kevin Costner.

Following her divorce from Hardison, Moore worked with a different set of collaborators for the more contemporary R&B album Exposed which followed in 2000. That included the singles "Straight Up" (produced by Jermaine Dupri) and "Bitter" for which the latter's video continued the saga of the R. Kelly and The Isley Brothers "Mr. Big" story.

In 2002, Moore had the distinction of winning a Soul Train Music Award for Best R&B/Soul Single for the song “Contagious,” featuring The Isley Brothers and R. Kelly. The song was also nominated for a Grammy award for "R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal."

With Kenny Lattimore

A year after marrying R&B singer Kenny Lattimore, the two signed as a duet act to Arista Records and released a duet cover album entitled Things That Lovers Do in 2003. The album was promoted with a stageplay named after the album and a music video for the single "You Don't Have to Cry" which shows a prominently pregnant Moore on screen with Lattimore.

In fall 2006, Moore issued a follow-up to the success of Things That Lovers Do, another album of duets with her husband Kenny Lattimore. The duo beat the previous effort with a double-CD of gospel and R&B love songs entitled Uncovered/Covered. The set was led off by dual singles, the Bryan Michael Cox-produced "Figure It Out," and "Make Me Like the Moon," a gospel ballad co-written by Lattimore and Moore and produced by Fred Hammond. Uncovered/Covered was released October 10, 2006 on LaFace/Verity/Zomba Music Group.

In 2007, Moore starred in the stageplay By Any Means Necessary, along with Dave Hollister, Tisha Campbell-Martin, Shar Jackson, and Danielle Mone Truitt.

"Love the Woman"

During the recording of her duet album with Lattimore, she signed a new solo recording contract with Peak Records, a subsidiary of Concord Music Group.

Moore released her fifth solo album Love the Woman on June 17, 2008. The album's lead single "Ain't Supposed to Be This Way" impacted radio on May 12, 2008.

In 2009, Moore set some dates for a Love the Woman tour, with performances in Los Angeles, and Atlanta, Georgia. Additionally, she starred with James Pickens, Jr. (of Grey's Anatomy), Vickie Winans, Loretta Devine, Reginald VelJohnson, Rocky Carroll and Kenny Lattimore in a live stage production of Otis Sallid's Gospel! Gospel! Gospel at the Wilshire Ebell Theater in May 2009.

In July 2011, it was announced that she would be the TV host for an upcoming women's fitness reality series sponsored by SportyGirl Fitness. The following year, Moore performed at the 2012 BET Awards at the Shrine Auditorium in a tribute to the late singer Donna Summer.

"Moore is More" and Reality TV

On January 1, 2013, Moore inked a new record deal with Shanachie Entertainment. She released her sixth studio solo album "Moore Is More" on July 30, 2013 which was preceded by the single "Talking In My Sleep."

In early 2013, it was announced that Moore had joined the cast of the Reality TV show "R&B Divas L.A." with Kelly Price, Dawn Robinson (of En Vogue), Michel'le, Lil' Mo & Claudette Ortiz. They filmed the series throughout the year, and it premiered/aired during the summer. A second season was ordered and is currently filming as of 2014.

In March 2014, it was announced that Moore would start a limited run in Vegas on March 24 in the Bally's Las Vegas legendary show Jubilee!, after Terry Ellis (of En Vogue) had completed her run. The show will be directed by Frank Gatson Jr. and also star Grammy-nominated singer Luke James.

The second season of "R&B Divas: Los Angeles" premiered in July 2014, and Chante released a digital single "I Know, Right?" later that month.

"Will I Marry Me?" and "The Rise of the Phoenix"

She released her self-help book "Will I Marry Me?" in August 2014. Chante's Manager, Cheryl Cobb Debrosse is producing an adaptation of her book "Will I Marry Me" into a one-woman show in 2015. A third (and final) season of "R&B Divas: Los Angeles" premiered on February 11, 2015.

In 2015, she announced work on a new solo album which would include new material in addition to a few remakes of her songs, due to the experience of her one-woman show.

In 2016, she premiered a new track titled "Ghetto Love" featuring Kurupt on Donnie Simpson's radio show.

Later in July, she appeared on the radio show to premiere her new single "Put It On Fate" of which she filmed a music video on July 13.

In late January 2017, she announced a new single "Real One" set to be released on February 3rd, 2017. It is set to be the lead single off her album The Rise of the Phoenix due February 17, 2017. Additionally, she is set to star in the new stage play "Married But Single Too" set to premiere off-Broadway in February.

In February, it was announced her album The Rise of the Phoenix would be delayed to March.

Personal life

In 1996, she had a daughter, named Sophia Hardison with actor Kadeem Hardison. They secretly married in 1997 and divorced in 2000.

She married singer Kenny Lattimore on New Year's Day in 2002 at a private ceremony in Jamaica. Their son Kenny, Jr. was born April 10, 2003. In a July 27, 2011 statement on her Facebook page, she announced she and Kenny Lattimore had divorced.

Her older brother Kelvin Gomillion (born January 25, 1961) died on August 18, 2013.

In her 2014 self-help autobiographical book "Will I Marry Me?" she made public her first marriage (and subsequent divorce) to a childhood friend whom she had dated in sixth grade and was her first kiss at the age of 13.

Soundtracks and collaborations

Music videos