Keyshia Cole Says She's Retiring: 'I'm Not Lying'

The Grammy-nominated singer announced the news via Twitter on Wednesday, leading some to believe she was trolling her fans. "I’m serious about retirement..."

Keyshia Cole
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Image via Getty/Mindy Small/FilmMagic

Keyshia Cole

Keyshia Cole is preparing to make a huge and unexpected career move.

The Grammy-nominated singer took to Twitter on Wednesday to announce her retirement from music. Cole shared the news while responding to tweets from fans, one of which reminded her to “stay focused.”

“I’m retiring...” Cole replied.

The announcement immediately caused a stir, as many wondered why she would chose to leave music at time when she’s generating so much buzz. Cole recently released her “I Don’t Want to Be in Love” record, appeared in a much-anticipated Verzuz battle with Ashanti this year, and is now reportedly working on her eighth studio album. Naturally, some fans assumed Cole was simply trolling or pulling some kind of prank; however, the 39-year-old artist immediately made it clear that she wasn’t joking.

“I’m not lying ...” she wrote in response to skeptical fans. “Y’all always think I’m being hacked.”

Once it became more clear that Cole was being serious, Twitter users began asking her what led her to the decision. Cole simply replied with, “My children.”

The Oakland-bred entertainer released her debut single “Never” back in 2004, and dropped her debut album The Way It Is in the following year. Since then, Cole has delivered a number of chart-topping projects and singles, including 2007’s “Let It Go,” 2008’s “I Remember” and “Heaven Sent” as well as her sophomore effort Just like You (2007), A Different Me (2008), and Point of No Return (2014). Her latest album, 11:11 Reset, arrived back in October 2017 with appearances by Young Thug, DJ Khaled, French Montana, Remy Ma, and more.

Many fans expressed disappointment about the news, and questioned whether Cole had completely abandoned her eighth studio album. The singer reassured fans that it was still in the works, but would be released at her own pace.

“... I’m already contracted to do so,” she wrote about the album drop. “I wouldn’t do that to @BMG ,myself, or my fans ...”

You can read Cole’s tweets regarding her retirement below.

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