Keke Wyatt

March 10, 2025

Fast Facts
Background
Career Timeline
Why We Love
Surprising Facts
FAQs

Ke’Tara Shavon Wyatt, popularly known as Keke Wyatt, was born on March 10, 1982, in Indiana, the United States. She is an American R&B singer and T.V. personality. Wyatt’s parents were inclined toward music, and as a kid, she sang gospels in church. At home, her parents exposed her to a lot of secular music, including R&B. When Wyatt was in her early teens, she sang in various female groups — one of which was a very early version of Destiny’s Child. During her teenage years, Wyatt met her mentor, Steve Huff, known for his work with the Isley Brothers and other major R&B artists.

Fast Facts

Full Name:

Ke'Tara Shavon Wyatt

Nickname:

Keke

Birth date:

March 10, 1982

Age:

Zodiac Sign:

Pisces

Height:

5' 5"

Relationship Status:

Married

Net Worth:

$4 million

Background

Ke’Tara Shavon Wyatt, or Keke, was born on March 10, 1982, in Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S., to Lorna Jean Wyatt, a vocalist, and Keever West Wyatt II, an organist and vocalist. Her mother is a Caucasian, while her father is a Cherokee. She has two brothers, Keever III and Kendall. She comes from a musically inclined family, deeply rooted in church music. However, the singer’s parents exposed her to R&B at home and encouraged her to pursue multiple styles of music. She can perform in several genres, including gospel, R&B, pop, country, and opera. Furthermore, she can also write music.

Wyatt began singing at two and gave her first live performance at five. Growing up in Indianapolis, spending time in both Kentucky and Texas, she came to be influenced by the likes of artists such as Stevie Wonder, Donny Hathaway, and Ella Fitzgerald. Many preceding musical greats inspired her, and as a teen, she would sing with various girl groups. She attended high school in Indianapolis and was a member of her high school’s wrestling team. In 2000, at 18, she married Rahmat Morton, a former athlete. They divorced in 2009, and the following year, she married Michael Jamar Ford, an ordained minister. They got divorced in August 2018. Following her second divorce, she married her ex-boyfriend, Zackariah Darring, in October. She has 11 children.

Her first breakthrough came after a successful collaboration with R&B singer, Avant, on his platinum album, “My Thoughts.” Her first album, “Soul Sista,” debuted in 2001 and earned her a certified gold status. Wyatt’s first single, ‘Used To Love’ went virtually unnoticed, but her second duet with Avant, ‘Nothing In This World,’ became a massive smash single. In 2004, she signed with Cash Money Records/Universal Motown Records and released her second album, “Emotional Rollercoaster,” but it wasn’t a success. She then signed with TVT Records, reuniting with her former manager, Quadri El Amin.

Career timeline

2001

Her Gold Album

Her album “Soul Sista” sells over 5,00,000 copies in the U.S., earning gold status.

2002

The ‘Best Artist’ Award

Her rendition of ‘Nothing in This World’ leads to a nomination for the ‘Best New R&B/Soul/Rap Artist’ award at the Soul Train Lady of Soul Awards.

2012

Her T.V. Show

She stars as a cast member in T.V. One's “R&B Divas: Atlanta,” which features the lives of five 1990s chart-topping R&B singers.

2018

Her Performance at Essence

She performs at the Essence Music Festival.

Why We Love Keke Wyatt

She speaks against domestic violence
Wyatt is passionate about using her voice to condemn domestic violence. She was a spokesperson for the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence (N.C.A.D.V.) and the Saving Our Daughters organization’s YELL Confidence initiative. As a domestic abuse survivor herself, she hopes that her experience can help others who are in similar situations.
She has matured
Her past experiences taught her a lot about the industry at a young age. She can now reflect and realize that it was a lesson in resilience that helped her improve.
She is nurturing
Wyatt is candid about her upbringing in a family where domestic abuse was common. She was heartbroken when it happened to her because she had grown up experiencing it as a young girl. In an interview, she vowed not to let the same happen to her daughters.

5 Surprising Facts

Her open confession
The singer admitted to receiving cosmetic enhancements on social media.
She has a big family
The singer has six children with Morton, followed by three with Ford and two with her current husband, Darring.
She started early
At 10, she recorded her first song, ‘What If,’ as part of a gospel album that grabbed the attention of producer Huff, who went on to produce her demos.
She attacked her husband
Wyatt made headlines following an altercation in which she admitted to stabbing her then-husband, Morton, who she alleged, was being abusive.
She was not given credit
Wyatt talks about when she wrote part of a hit song as a teenager but wasn’t given any credit for it.