Nivea

Nivea B. Hamilton (born March 24, 1982), better known by the mononym Nivea, is an American singer whose recordings reached the Billboard charts during the early 2000s. Nivea is known most for her Grammy-nominated hit "Don't Mess with My Man" as well as "Laundromat" and "Okay" featuring YoungbloodZ & Lil' Jon. She has released three studio albums: Nivea (2001), Complicated (2005), Animalistic (2006), and an independently released extended play Nivea: Undercover (2011).

On September 26, 2019, she released her album Mirrors, including the single "Circles".

Early life

Hamilton was born in Atlanta, Georgia. The youngest of three sisters. She sang in a church choir and admired the music of Mariah Carey. Nivea admitted to being shy in a BET “Finding Nivea” interview. She said, “I never wanted anyone to hear me sing... my parents would turn down the radio [and I would automatically stop].”

Career

2000–2003: Nivea

In 2000, Nivea appeared on Mystikal's hit single "Danger (Been So Long)" which garnered her some buzz. Following the success of it, she had signed with Jive Records and released her debut solo single "Don't Mess with the Radio" in 2001 which garnered moderate success, peaking at #90 on the Hot 100 and #85 on R&B. Her label then decided to focus on her internationally, releasing her self-titled debut album in Australia and Japan first. On September 25, 2001, the album was released in United States peaking at #80 on the Billboard 200 and #85 on R&B. "Run Away (I Wanna Be with You)" (featuring Pusha T) was released as the album's next single in Japan in December 2001.

In August 2002, she released her second U.S. single, "Don't Mess with My Man" featuring Brian and Brandon Casey (of R&B group Jagged Edge). The single was a big hit, peaking at #8 on the Hot 100 at #25 on R&B, fueling album sales of her debut. The following year, "Don't Mess with My Man" was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals.

The album's third U.S. single "Laundromat" featured singer R. Kelly and starred comedian Nick Cannon playing her love interest in the music video. The single became another hit for the singer, peaking at #20 on R&B and #58 on the Hot 100.

2004–2008: Complicated and Animalistic

Following the success of her first album, she began work on her second studio album, releasing a buzz single "You Wanna touch me” featuring rapper Rasheeda and Akon which peaked at #86 on R&B. After meeting Terius "The-Dream" Nash, they began dating and he soon handled the primary production on her forthcoming album.

In 2005, she released the project's lead single "Okay" which featured YoungbloodZ and Lil' Jon. The single became a hit, peaking at #14 on R&B and #40 on Billboard's Hot 100. In May, she released her second album Complicated which peaked at #9 on the R&B chart and #37 on the Billboard 200. A second single, "Parking Lot" was released shortly before she got pregnant with her first child. Jive Records subsequently dropped promotion for the project, although she appeared on Soul Train the following year and performed "Complicated" which was originally planned to be the third single. After her departure from the label, she gave birth to her twins in April. That same year, she begun work on her next studio album and signed a new contract with Formula Records.

Primarily produced by her then-husband, The-Dream, her third album Animalistic was released on November 15, 2006 exclusively in Japan, led by the single "Watch It" which garnered some airplay. Plans for a U.S. release in 2007 were eventually shelved. However, she premiered new material on her Myspace profile such as "I Might" "Look Back" and "Zodiac" although they were never released officially. She later took a hiatus from the music industry to focus on raising her children following her divorce.

After her divorce in 2007, Nivea reconciled with her ex-fiancé, rapper Lil Wayne. Nivea stayed with Lil Wayne after he had a son with his ex-girlfriend Sarah Vivan in 2008. On June 9, 2009 it was rumored that Nivea and Lil Wayne were engaged and expecting a child together. At the same time Lil Wayne was also expecting a child with actress Lauren London. On October 14, 2009, Lil Wayne confirmed that he and Nivea were expecting a son. Nivea gave birth to their son, Neal Carter on November 30, 2009. In June 2010, Nivea and Lil Wayne broke off their engagement for the second time.