Who is Nicki Minaj's backup singer? All about Keisha Renee who was on The Voice

With countless prestigious awards, five studio albums, and four headlining tours under her belt, Nicki Minaj is a self-proclaimed queen of rap for good reason. The rapper's live performances are just as riveting as her recorded music. Beyond her skills, Minaj also has her backup singers to thank for that.

Keisha Renee, one of Nicki Minaj's backup singers, was born in Inglewood, California, on April 25, 1987. Renee had an early inclination towards music and grew up singing in church choirs. The 37-year-old has been working for Minaj for close to 15 years now.

Six years ago, Renee auditioned for The Voice, was selected as a contestant, and competed with Blake Shelton as her mentor on the reality music show.

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Keisha Renee was one of the top 8 contestants in 2017's The Voice

Keisha Renee appeared on The Voice's stage in 2017. As a 30-year-old, Renee was one of the oldest contestants, although that didn't dull her vocal talents.

In her blind audition, she performed Ray Charles' I Can't Stop Loving You, which led to all four judges turning their chairs around and wanting to take Renee on their teams.

She ultimately ended up on Blake's team because of her love for country music. Keisha had an impressive run in the thirteenth season of The Voice. She was eliminated in the fourth week after being one of the top 8 finalists. Chloe Kohanski, one of Blake's mentees, won the season.

On October 3, 2017, Keisha Renee was interviewed by Reality TV World as a contestant on The Voice. When asked what drew Renee to country music, the singer answered:

"I have a gospel background, very social, but when I moved to Houston it was a real southern state. I got exposed to a lot of music from blues, to zydeco, country, and I just fell in love with every aspect of country music. It's real instrumentation. It's real lyrics."

Renee added that she found country music to be "relatable" because it wasn't what she dreamt about but what she had lived through.

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Keisha Renee called working with Nicki Minaj "life changing"

In the Reality TV World interview, Renee was asked about her experience of touring with Nicki Minaj as her backup singer. The 37-year-old answered:

"Working with Nicki Minaj, it's been a dream. It's been really life changing... I traveled the world with her. She exposed me to audiences that I never thought that I would be able to sing for."

Keisha also revealed that she was around 22-23 when she first started touring with Minaj. She also called Nicki "a strong woman," adding that working for the Swalla rapper taught her many things. She added:

"I think I've had the best job to get me prepared for my own career, because I know exactly what it takes.It's more than just making music - there's a business sense that you have to have, and I think that working for someone that is a female in a male dominated industry, I have gotten the best knowledge ever."

Renee then mentioned Nicki Minaj's London concert at the O2 Arena as a "major" item on her bucket list, adding:

"Because she's a hip-hop artist or rapper, she does sing, but on tour, I do most of the singing. So I was exposed to her fanbase and we're doing arenas. I was able to check some things off the bucket list like doing the O2 Arena in London. That was major for me."

In her interview, Keisha also talked about touring with Adam Lambert, calling the experience one of her favorite times of her career. She called Lambert "the sweetest person," expressing her gratitude to him for giving her a chance.

The backup singer added that she had made "a lifelong friend" in Adam, pointing out that he also took a chance on himself in a show that eventually fast-tracked his career.

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Keisha Renee is traveling with Nicki Minaj on her ongoing Pink Friday 2 world tour, which will conclude in Queens, New York, on October 11, 2024.