R&B singer K. Michelle made a daring decision to leave Love & Hip Hop Atlanta just two seasons after finding fame on the VH1 reality show, which had also turned self-proclaimed Puerto Rican Princess Joseline Hernandez into a household name. The show helped K land a new record deal and a growing number of fans, who became familiar with her through LHHATL.
But after Season 2, the “Hard To Do” hitmaker, who once feuded with singer Keyshia Cole, decided to walk away in order to focus her full attention on music. With a fresh team behind her, and a string of charting singles she released while on LHHATL, K. Michelle was convinced that she could reach bigger heights if she didn’t spend half of her year filming for reality TV.
Just three months after announcing her departure, the mother of one dropped her debut studio album Rebellious Soul in August 2013, selling 123,000 copies in its first week and peaking at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 200. The body of work also included the hits “V.S.O.P” and “Can’t Raise A Man.”
Little she K. Michelle know that this was only the beginning of her newfound fame. Here’s the lowdown…
K. Michelle Departed Love & Hip Hop For Her Music Career
While Love & Hip Hop Atlanta was very much still in its prime after K. Michelle left at the end of Season 2, after the success of her single “V.SO.P.” she knew that she couldn’t juggle reality TV with her music career.
From the promotional work to touring, recording, and continuously promoting herself, all of these things were going to eat up her time from shooting scenes with the cast of LHHATL. At the end of the day, the show helped K. Michelle find her voice, a fanbase, and the support from people who believed in her enough to buy her songs.
The “Ain’t You” vocalist told ABC News in 2013, "If I know something is unhealthy for me why keep doing it. I'm not saying that I'm not dealing with other ventures with VH1 and Mona [Scott Young, the creator]. ...You might see me in Love & Hip Hop New York. You never know.”
The 39-year-old also claimed that several of her cast members on the VH1 show were jealous of her rising popularity, which ultimately made her decision to leave that much easier.
Supposedly, by Season 2, the environment had turned rather toxic and since LHHATL has become such a nationwide hit in the United States, every cast member wanted the attention — and a revised salary.
She added, ”I think it's a lot of jealousy between my cast members, and they can't say it's not. It’s not my fault that God didn't give them no talent. That's not my fault that you didn't take your platform and do something else with it."
After the success of Rebel Heart, K. Michelle dropped her sophomore album Anybody Wanna Buy a Heart? in December 2014, spanning a bunch of hits such as “Maybe I Should Call,” “Love ‘Em All,” and the unforgettable “Hard To Do.”
The project once again fared well on the charts with 87,000 copies sold in its first week and peaking at No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 200. A slight decline from her processor’s first-week numbers and charting position, yet still solid, nonetheless.
That same year, K. Michelle made a few appearances on Love & Hip Hop: New York, but she was using the platform more or less to promote her music than to engage in fights and arguments, which is what the program is famously known for.
Love & Hip Hop executive producer Mona-Scott Young also announced that year that K. Michelle would front her very own reality show, titled K. Michelle: My Life, which spanned three seasons between 2014 and 2017.
In 2016, she released her third album More Issues Than Vogue, followed by 2017’s Kimberly: The People I Used to Know, and 2020’s All Monsters Are Human.
All three projects struggled at captivating fans’ attention, and therefore landed poor placements on the charts while her sales had also taken a huge slump.
The Memphis native later signed on for Love & Hip Hop: Hollywood in 2018 before announcing that her sixth studio album will be country-themed.
In September 2020, it was claimed that K. Michelle had secured a song penned by country icon Dolly Parton for the upcoming record, having already shared she’d been working with Billy Ray Cyrus and Eric Paslay for the new music she’s set to share with fans.
"Dreams do come true. Im losing my mind right now! I received a record that @dollyparton wrote for me! My lord i’m floored and honored. Can’t wait for you guys to hear it!!!!!!!” K. Michelle tweeted.
K. Michelle has worked with a string of artists in the industry over the years including Rick Ross, Chris Brown, and Trina, to name a few.
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