Cecilia Veronica "CeCe" Peniston is an American singer and former beauty queen. In the early 1990s, she scored five number one hits on the U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play. Her signature song "Finally" reached the number 5 spot on the Hot 100 and number 2 in the UK Top 75.
Malaika also known under name Malaika Sallard Johnson, is a female African American dance singer from Seattle, Washington. During her short lived music career she recorded only one album entitled Sugar Time, which managed two Top 5 hits on the US Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart, including her number #1 single, "Gotta Know " in 1993.
"Finally" is a song by American singer-songwriter CeCe Peniston, released in September 1991 as her debut single from her first album of the same name (1992). It received critical acclaim, becoming Peniston's first hit song, peaking at number five on the US Billboard Hot 100 in January 1992. It is also her only US top-ten hit to date. Prior to that, the track was a major success on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart, where it spent two weeks at number one in late 1991. In addition, a dance remix of the song, the "Choice Mix", peaked at number two on the UK Singles Chart in March 1992. The remix appeared on many dance music compilations in the early '90s. Its music video was directed by Claude Borenzweig. Billboard ranked "Finally" among the "500 Best Pop Songs of All Time" in 2023.
Finally is the debut album by American singer CeCe Peniston, released on January 30, 1992, by A&M Records. Prior to the release of this album, Peniston released her debut single "Finally", which topped the US Billboard Hot Dance Music Club Play chart on October 26, 1991, peaking eventually at number five on the Billboard Hot 100 and at number two in the UK Singles Chart. The album yielded two additional singles which achieved dance number one status in the US; "We Got a Love Thang", co-written by Chantay Savage, and "Keep On Walkin'", written in collaboration with Kym Sims. Both songs entered the UK Singles Chart top 10 and the Billboard Hot 100 top 20 in the US. Despite the success of the singles, the album itself climbed only to number seventy on the US Billboard 200. However, during its thirty-six weeks long presence in the chart it sold over 554,000 copies in the US. The album peaked at number ten on the UK Albums Chart. The total worldwide sales of the album surpassed 3,000,000 units. Two further tracks were released from the album which were more in the R&B field; "Inside That I Cried" charted at number ten in the US R&B chart and at number forty-two in the UK, while "Crazy Love" peaked at number thirty-one in the US and at number forty-four in the UK. The album was part of the resurgence of dance music in the United States during the mid-1990s.
American recording artist CeCe Peniston entered the music industry as a backup vocalist on the Overweight Pooch's album Female Preacher, released in July 1991 on A&M Records. Shortly before that, she was featured on the B-side to 12-inch single "I Can't Take the Power" by male rapper Marvelous JC. Besides her vocal performance on the Pooch's only charting track, "I Like It", she was given a credit for co-writing two compositions; "Kickin' Da Blues" and the titular "Female Preacher". Soon after, the singer pursued a solo career. By now, Peniston has released four studio albums including one as a member of The Sisters of Glory, two remix collections, one live album, four compilations and one live extended play (EP). Her singles discography features twenty-nine physical releases, twenty-one digital-only, seven promotional recordings and twenty-six other appearances; regardless of their format. She has also been included on one video album and has made fourteen music videos.
"Somebody Else's Guy" is a 1984 song written and popularized by Jocelyn Brown. On the US soul chart, the single peaked at number two and stalled at number 75 on the Hot 100, but in the UK it made the pop top 20. On the disco chart, "Somebody Else's Guy" peaked at number 13. It was the title track of Brown's debut solo album, released the same year.
"Movin' On" is a song by American musician CeCe Peniston, released on July 23, 1996, as the lead single from her third studio album, I'm Movin' On (1996). The track is produced by Dave Hall and charted at number twenty-nine on the US Billboard R&B chart. It also reached number 83 on the Billboard Hot 100. A remixed version of the song peaked at number ten on the Billboard Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales chart and entered the top 30 in Japan.
"Keep Givin' Me Your Love" is a song by American singer-songwriter CeCe Peniston, originally from her second studio album, Thought 'Ya Knew (1994). While in the US, it was issued as the fifth single release in 1995, in the UK the song was released as the second single in April 1994. After peaking at number 35 on the UK Singles Chart, it reached at number four on the US Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart in March 1995 and was Peniston's first song that failed to enter the Billboard Hot 100, stopping at number one on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart. The song was also classified the Billboard Hot Dance Breakouts number one in the category of Maxi-Singles Sales on March 4 and the Billboard Hot Dance Breakouts number three for the category of Club Play Singles on January 21, 1995.
"Hit by Love" is a song by American singer-songwriter CeCe Peniston, released in July 1994 as the fourth single from her second album, Thought 'Ya Knew (1994). The song was her fifth number-one hit on the US Billboard Dance Club Play chart. Issued in Europe with "I'm Not Over You" on B-side, it peaked at number 33 on the UK Singles Chart and number 90 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
"I'm in the Mood" is a song by American singer and songwriter CeCe Peniston, released in December 1993 by A&M Records as the first commercial single from her second studio album, Thought 'Ya Knew (1994). The composition scored the singer her fourth number one on the US Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart, and also entered the top 10 of the Billboard Hot R&B chart, peaking at number seven. On the Billboard Hot 100 and Cash Box Top 100, the song peaked at number 32 and 28, respectively. In Europe, "I'm in the Mood" made number 16 on the UK Top 75, as well as entering the top 30 in the Netherlands and Switzerland. The music video was directed by Antoine Fuqua. In a 2011 interview for Boy Culture, TypePad's blogging service, Peniston disclosed that she had actually expected a better reception of the single.
"Crazy Love" is a song by American musician CeCe Peniston, released on her debut album, Finally on A&M Records. The title was first issued in the UK as the fourth single from the album, peaking at number forty-four, while in the US, it reached number thirty-one on the R&B chart in February 1993 after its peak at number ninety-seven on the Billboard Hot 100.
"Keep On Walkin'" is a song by American musician CeCe Peniston, recorded for her debut album, Finally (1992), on A&M Records. Written by Steve Hurley, Marc Williams and Kym Sims, it was released in May 1992 as the singer's third single from the album and was her third number one on the US Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart. The single additionally peaked at number three on the US R&B chart, number 15 on the Hot 100, and number 10 in the United Kingdom.
"We Got a Love Thang" is a song by American singer-songwriter CeCe Peniston, originally released in January 1992 by A&M Records as the second single from her debut album, Finally (1992). The song was co-written by Chantay Savage and produced by Steve "Silk" Hurley, and became the second number one hit for the artist, remaining on the top of the Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart for two weeks. In the United Kingdom, the title scored number six, while on the Billboard Hot 100, it reached number twenty. The song contains a sample of the drum break from "Rock with You" by Michael Jackson.
"I Like It" is a 1991 song by Overweight Pooch featuring CeCe Peniston, who contributed vocals on the record. The single was written by E.L. Linnear and Felipe Delgado, and reached number sixteen in the US Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart, and number fifty-eight in the UK Singles Chart
"Lifetime to Love" is a 2000 song by the musician CeCe Peniston. The title was originally recorded for a 4 Play Records compilation Circuit Sessions 00.1, which featured overall thirteen dance/house remixes by L.A. DJ Manny Lehman.
"You Are the Universe" is a song by British acid jazz and funk group the Brand New Heavies, released in June 1997. The composition was issued as the third single taken from their fourth album, Shelter (1997), which remains the only Brand New Heavies album recorded with American singer Siedah Garrett, who afterwards left the group to concentrate on her own songwriting. The song charted at number twenty-one in UK, and at number eleven within the British Chart-Track.
Felipe "Waxx" Delgado is an American DJ, songwriter and producer from the south side of Chicago, Illinois later based in Phoenix, Arizona. He is primarily known for his discovery of House Music/R&B Diva, CeCe Peniston, also a founder and pioneer of Arizona Hip Hop/R&B and Dance, and his collaborative works with friend, also from Chicago, fellow producer Rodney K. Jackson. In 1990, he founded the Wax Museum Productions, and co-founded Heat City Records with Jackson in 1995. In 2013 Delgado was contacted by TV One, Unsung executives to co-star in an hour documentary alongside Peniston and others, about her legendary music career from Phoenix spring of 2013, Episode was aired on November 27, 2013 for Unsung's 6th season.
Overweight Pooch was a female rapper. Her name comes from her childhood nickname.
"He Loves Me 2" is a 1999 song by the musician CeCe Peniston. This single was to be originally included on the singer's album, which was not released. A remix of the song, Paul Johnson's Dancefloor Dub, entered the Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart, where it peaked at number twenty-four in November 1999, after being classified number five as the Billboard Hot Dance Breakouts in the Club Play category.
"I'm Not Over You" is a song by American singer-songwriter and former beauty queen CeCe Peniston, originally recorded for her second album, Thought 'Ya Knew (1994), which was released on A&M Records. The single achieved number two on the Billboard Dance Club Songs chart, and number ten on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. On the Billboard Hot 100, the song charted at number forty-one. The B-side of the single included "Searchin'", which was previously released only for promotional purposes.
