Kelly Price has been a staple voice in the music industry for over two decades. Her music has spoken to the souls of many who have experienced similar situations that she writes about. Price’s voice has also pierced through many records not limited to her own. Yet with all of her successes, she’s still faced what many like her both in-and-out of the industry has faced due to her weight. Price is reflecting on some recent times where her weight was an issue for others in the music industry.
Before artists of today like Lizzo and Adele stepped out and achieved massive success despite the image that the entertainment industry usually upholds, artists like Kelly Price were dominating. Kelly Price got her start in the early 90s after a chance meeting with Tommy Mottola led her to a background singing gig with Mariah Carey. From there she would lend her voice to many an artist, providing the vocal bedding, and many times songwriting.
In 1997, Kelly Price signed a solo deal with Island Records, and her debut album Soul of A Woman was soon released. The album featured one of her biggest hits, “Friend of Mine”, and was certified platinum. A few of her subsequent albums would also see platinum or gold success while on Def Soul Records. Throughout her career, fans also noticed that she would begin to drop weight at times, debuting a much slimmer figure.
However, in 2014 she entered a state of depression after losing her sister. This caused her to lose focus and in turn, gain a lot of weight. However, Kelly Price soon chose to recommit her life to a healthier journey, as seen in the photo below.
But throughout her journey as an artist, Kelly Price experienced much due to her weight that her fans may not have been privy to. During a recent stop at The Breakfast Club to promote her latest album, Price shared past stories on the subject. The singer recalled a time where she was shooting a video to her single “How Does It Feel (Married Your Girl) off her fourth studio album Priceless. While shooting, someone other than the director stops the video to suggest that her stylist place some body-shaping garments on her to make her appear “two sizes smaller.” At the time, Price states, she weighed 100 lbs less than her previous weight.
The experience, she says, “messed with my head” and motivated her to adopt the mindset to do things for herself moving forward. “For me, it’s about being a size that I’m comfortable with, that I feel I look good in my clothes in,” she says. “I’m good. Everybody else has to deal with it.” Kelly Price added, “That’s the ‘This is my body.’ That’s the ‘take back my power.’ Like, why are people who are sitting in a room somewhere else having discussions about what they think my body should look like?” Hear Kelly Price speak on her experiences with body shaming in the music industry below.
