In 1997, Nivea met manager Collin Lampkin of Atlanta-based Lampkin International, who arranged for her to record a demo tape with several producers.[1] Local production team Organized Noize, consisting of Sleepy Brown, Ray Murray, and Rico Wade, eventually became instrumental in crafting the tape.[1] At the time when she was asked to audition for Jive Records to secure a recording deal with the label, Nivea had already recorded 26 completed songs.[1]
Promotion
"Don't Mess with the Radio" was selected as Nivea's solo debut single and was released on June 12, 2001.[2] While not a major hit in the United States or most other countries, it was a top-twenty success in Australia, reaching number 14 on the ARIA Singles Chart. In April 2002, the song was released in the United Kingdom as a double A-side with "Run Away (I Wanna Be with U)".[3] It peaked at number 48 on the UK Singles Chart. In Australia, "Run Away" was released as the album's second single on December 10, 2001.[4]
"Don't Mess with My Man" was released on June 3, 2002, as the third single from the album.[5] The song peaked at number eight on the US Billboard Hot 100 and was an international hit as well, reaching the top 10 in France and New Zealand and receiving a Gold certification in the former country. In the United Kingdom, the song reached number 41 on the UK Singles Chart upon its initial release. The recording earned the artists a nomination for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals at the 45th Grammy Awards in 2003.[6]
The fourth single, "Laundromat", was released on April 28, 2003.[7] The song peaked in the United States at number 58 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 20 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. Internationally, it reached a peak number 33 on the UK Singles Chart as a double A-side with "Don't Mess with My Man".[8]
Alex Henderson from AllMusic rated Nivea three out of five stars and called it "a perfect example of how hip-hop-drenched R&B [had] become" by 2001: "From the production to the lyrics, this CD frequently underscores hip-hop's influence on modern R&B." He found that "Nivea provides a likable blend of girlishness and grit on catchy, hip-hop-minded offerings", while also being "teen-friendly, although not in a bubblegum way; in Nivea's case, teen-friendly doesn't mean teen pop." Henderson concluded: "But if Nivea's debut is slightly uneven, it still has more ups than downs and is — thanks to the more on-the-ball producers and writers — worth the price of admission."[9]
Chart performance
Nivea debuted at number 109 on the US Billboard 200 in the week of December 28, 2002.[10] It eventually peaked at number 80 in February 2003.[10] By March 2003, the album had sold 134,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan.[11]
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