Sparkle (singer)

Stephanie Edwards (born May 13, 1975), better known by her

Sparkle
stage name Sparkle, is an American R&B singer. She began her
career in 1998 as a protégé of fellow Chicago native R. Kelly. Birth name Stephanie
Sparkle is best known for her 1998 R&B debut hit single "Be Edwards
Careful". Also known as Sparkle
Born May 13, 1975
Chicago, Illinois,
United States
Contents
Origin Chicago, Illinois
Career
Genres R&B · Hip hop ·
Personal life Soul · Pop
R. Kelly trial (2002)
Occupation(s) Singer
Works
Years active 1998–present
Discography
Labels Rockland ·
Albums
Interscope ·
Singles
Motown · DNA
References
Associated acts R. Kelly · Toni
Braxton

Career
Sparkle first started singing in her family's gospel music group. Sparkle met singer R. Kelly while he was
working as a male artist in 1989. Sparkle was the first and only successful artist to release an album on
Kelly's Rockland label. Sparkle's début album, the self-titled Sparkle, was released on May 19, 1998. The
album debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 and No. 2 on the R&B charts and was certified gold very
soon after the release. The album is best known for the single "Be Careful," a 1998 duet with R. Kelly,
which made it to two of Billboard's major airplay charts, peaking at No. 3 on the Rhythmic Top 40 and
charted at No. 1 on Billboard's Hot R&B Airplay for six consecutive weeks, while also reaching No. 7 in
the UK.[1] Despite the success of her début album, Sparkle and R. Kelly began to have creative
differences while working on her second album, which led to her asking to be released from
Rockland/Interscope. She then signed with Motown Records, where she would release her second album
Told You So in 2000. However, the album didn't do as well because of lack of promotion, only making it
to 121 on the Billboard 200, while scoring a minor hit with the single "It's a Fact". On August 13, 2012,
Sparkle released her first music video in 12 years called "So Bad"; however, the single is currently not
available for purchase on iTunes or any digital music outlet.

Personal life

R. Kelly trial (2002)

In 2002, the Chicago Police Child Investigative Unit and a writer for the Chicago Sun Times showed
Sparkle a videotape allegedly of her young niece, then approximately 14, and R. Kelly engaging in
sexual acts. Sparkle identified the young girl as her niece. Sparkle testified against R. Kelly in a
subsequent criminal trial on charges of child pornography in 2008.[2] However, in the end, the jury found
Kelly not guilty in the case.

Works
Sparkle has worked with several artists, including Aaliyah (backing vocals on Age Ain't Nothing but a
Number album), R. Kelly on R; Mary J. Blige on Share My World;[3] Wyclef Jean on "Loving You
Remix"; Avant on the remix of "Separated" which features Kelly Rowland; Joe on "Woman's Heart",
Jimmy Sommers; and Tank. Sparkle also has sung background vocals for Toni Braxton in her Las Vegas
stage show Toni Braxton Revealed.

Discography

Albums

Peak chart
positions
Year Album Certifications
U.S.
U.S.
R&B

Sparkle
1998 Released: May 19, 1998 3 2 RIAA: Platinum [4]
Label: Interscope

Told You So
2000 Released: October 24, 2000 121 31
Label: Motown

Singles
"Be Careful" (feat. R. Kelly) (1998)
"Time To Move On" (1998)
"What About" (1998)
"Lovin You" (1999)
"It's a Fact"
"Good Life"
"So Bad" (2012)
We Are Ready (2018)

References
1. Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World
Records Limited. p. 518. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
 2. "Jurors have R. Kelly Case" (http://www.chicagotribune.com/topic/la-et-rkelly13june13,0,588
7852.story?page=2). Chicago Tribune. Retrieved September 25, 2010.
3. "Artist Profile: Sparkle" (http://www.singersroom.com/artist/Sparkle/bio). singersroom.com.
Retrieved September 25, 2010.
4. "Sparkle Certifications" (https://www.riaa.com/gold-platinum/?tab_active=default-award&se=
sparkle#search_section). Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved
2017-10-02.

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sparkle_(singer)&oldid=922518343"

This page was last edited on 22 October 2019, at 16:45 (UTC).

Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply. By using
this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia
Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization.