Fame & Fortune: Charlene Keys
Tweet sings for the music, not the bling bling -- Page 2

Bankrate: Why couldn't you get jobs?

Tweet: We couldn't, because we were always moving from different city to different city with him. He wanted us to be right there, because he would get a studio in a different city, and then we would have to work day in, day out.

Bankrate: How did you eat?

Tweet: We didn't actually eat. I lost so much weight; I went down to 90-something pounds during that period.

Bankrate: From what?

Tweet: I was probably 115, 110. We would go home for a month or two at a time, sometimes, and that's when my family really got concerned, when I started losing the weight.

Bankrate: Why did you stick it out as long as you did?

Tweet: Coming from Rochester (N.Y.), at that time Jodeci was the biggest R&B group, but in Rochester you never really get that opportunity. He made it seem like we would become stars, and I kinda trusted him because he made a career for his own life as well as three other people, and I trusted that. I felt like, that's what you had to do, you had to sacrifice. But it just got to the point where I couldn't do it.

Bankrate: Did you have anyone else knowledgeable about the music business to guide you?

Tweet: No, I didn't. I thought what he was saying was right. I felt like we had to go through this and that this is what the music industry was.

Bankrate: Before Missy helped you, you were penniless. How are you situated now, financially? Is the pressure off?

Tweet: Definitely. But you know what, at the end, I wasn't doing it for the money anyway. If I could work a 9-to-5 job and still do music, I'd still be doing music right now. That wasn't the biggest thing for me. The biggest thing is that I'm loving what I do, that's all that matters. And if my music can touch one or two people, I'm fine with that.

Bankrate: It seems like so often the money obscures the music.

Tweet: Not for me. I don't have a huge house. I would rather my mother have the big house, just so she can put her feet up because she's been such an amazing mother, and my father and my daughter, things like that. I just want somewhere I can have a lot of closet space because I love shoes. It's not really a big deal for me. I don't like the glamorous life, the bling bling. I don't do it for the bling bling. I do it for the love of the music.

Bankrate: Have you bought any big things, or invested in anything?

Tweet: I've invested the money. It's basically for my daughter's future. She's the most important, so I make sure she's comfortable. I really haven't treated myself to anything, because that's not what I want. But I don't want for anything right now.