Keyshia Cole is bringing her R&B classics back to the stage. In honor of the 20th anniversary of her debut album, The Way It Is, the Oakland songstress just announced a global victory lap with “The Way It Is 20th Anniversary Tour,” and she’s not pulling any punches. The tour is stacked with R&B and hip-hop elite, including Tink, Wale, Lil’ Kim, Fridayy, and Jeremih, plus surprise appearances from legends like T-Pain, SWV, and Jadakiss.
Kicking off July 1 in Baltimore, the tour will hit 30+ cities, including Philadelphia, Chicago, Toronto, Los Angeles, Paris, and London, before wrapping in Birmingham, UK, on September 26. Presale starts April 23 with general tickets going live on Friday, April 25 at 10 AM local time via thewayitis20.com.
This celebration marks two decades since Keyshia Cole dropped her breakout album, The Way It Is, in 2005. It instantly marked her as a voice to be reckoned with. The album delivered a raw blend of vulnerability and grit, mixing street tale soul with powerful vocals and indisputable hooks.
It was a certified platinum debut that climbed all the way to No. 6 on the Billboard 200 and No. 2 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. Over the years, it’s moved 1.6 million units in the U.S. alone, according to Nielsen SoundScan.
The album also birthed several massive singles, including “Love,” a career-defining ballad that peaked at No. 19 on the Billboard Hot 100, “I Should Have Cheated,” and her Kanye West-produced debut single “I Changed My Mind.”
Keyshia’s legacy has only grown stronger. From multiple BET Awards nominations to her own hit reality TV shows and a Verzuz battle with Ashanti that broke the internet, her cultural footprint continues to thrive.
In 2023, she starred in her own biopic, “Keyshia Cole: This Is My Story,” on Lifetime, which she co-produced. The film, based on her rise from Oakland’s streets to stardom, became one of Lifetime’s most-watched original films of the year. Tragically, the release came just after the loss of her mother, Frankie Lons, making the project even more emotionally charged and significant.
Cole has also teased new music over the past year and hinted in interviews that she’s preparing her final studio album, one that will “bring it full circle.”
Keyshia Cole: This Is My Story Full Tour Dates:
JULY
Jul 1 – Baltimore, MD ★
Jul 2 – Philadelphia, PA ★
Jul 5 – Chicago, IL ★★
Jul 6 – Cleveland, OH ★
Jul 9 – Toronto, ON ★
Jul 10 – Detroit, MI ★
Jul 12 – Brooklyn, NY ★★
Jul 13 – Newark, NJ ★
Jul 16 – Greensboro, NC ★
Jul 17 – Birmingham, AL ★
Jul 19 – Tampa, FL ★
Jul 20 – Hollywood, FL ★
Jul 22 – Atlanta, GA ★★
Jul 23 – New Orleans, LA ★★
Jul 25 – Houston, TX ★
Jul 26 – Fort Worth, TX ★
Jul 31 – Oakland, CA $
AUGUST
Aug 1 – Las Vegas, NV $
Aug 2 – Lincoln, CA †
Aug 8 – Los Angeles, CA ♦
SEPTEMBER (EUROPE)
Sep 19 – Paris, FR †
Sep 21 – Amsterdam, NL †
Sep 23 – London, UK †
Sep 25 – Manchester, UK †
Sep 26 – Birmingham, UK †
