Charlene Keys, was discovered by then young and unknown Missy Elliott after winning an open audition for Elliot's all-girl group called "Sugar". Missy was a talent like no one had ever seen, and by 1997 she had made it with her chart-topping debut album. Charlene was working with the girl group, that Missy had left out, and was signed into many contracts that kept promising an album, but never came through. Instead the girls were left in a limbo where they weren't permitted to work on any other projects, but couldn't really put any work into the current project either. She was depressed and ready to give up on her dreams. Charlene finally abandoned the project, miserable and penniless, she fled to her parents place in Panama City, Florida and began making preparations for dealing with a life outside the music industry. But fate stepped in exactly one day before Charlene's planned suicide. Giving herself one more day to live, she got a call from Missy Elliott who begged her to do background vocals on her "So Addictive" album. Charlene was re-energized and eager to get back into music. Finally in 2001, at age 30, taking in her childhood nickname "Tweet", her album "Southern Hummingbird" debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard R&B charts, and its first single "Oops (Oh My)" shot to the top ten. A second hit followed in 2002 with "Call Me".


The singer picked up a guitar in Missy's studio one day and began to sing an acoustic version of "Motel". Her impromptu audition impressed Missy so much, she had her bring the very same guitar to an encore performance for Elektra Chairman/CEO Sylvia Rhone.