What Is CeCe Peniston's Net Worth?
CeCe Peniston is an American recording artist and former beauty queen who has a net worth of $2 million. CeCe Peniston became one of the most successful dance club artists in history during the early 1990s and had five #1 hits on the "Billboard" Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart within three years. She is best known for her single "Finally," which is one of the biggest dance singles of all time and has sold over three million copies across the world. Peniston has performed for Aretha Franklin's private birthday party and for Pope John Paul II and President Bill Clinton. Her debut studio album, "Finally," was released in 1992 on A&M Records and reached #13 on the "Billboard" R&B Chart. CeCe went on to release the albums "Thought 'Ya Knew" in 1994 and "I'm Movin' On" in 1996. In 1995, she released the album "Good News in Hard Times" as part of the group The Sisters of Glory. Peniston has also had #1 dance hits with the singles "We Got a Love Thang," "Keep On Walkin'," "I'm in the Mood," and "Hit by Love." In 1993, CeCe earned a "Soul Train" Award nomination for Best R&B/Soul Album – Female for "Finally." In 2016, "Billboard" ranked her #52 on its list of the "100 Top Dance Club Artists of All Time."
Early Life
CeCe Peniston was born Cecilia Veronica Peniston on September 6, 1969, in Dayton, Ohio. She is the daughter of Barbara Anne and Ronald Peniston, and he father was a military veteran. CeCe grew up with three older siblings, and her family moved to Phoenix, Arizona, when she was nine years old. During her youth, Peniston sang at church and performed in school musicals. She also competed in karaoke contests and talent shows and took piano lessons, and she played young Sweet Georgia Brown in a local production of "Bubblin' Brown Sugar." CeCe graduated from Trevor G. Browne High School in 1987, then she enrolled at Phoenix College to study liberal arts. During her college years, she participated in athletics and began competing in beauty pageants. In 1989, Peniston won the Miss Black Arizona pageant. CeCe started writing song lyrics in school, and she wrote "Finally" in chemistry class while she was thinking about dating as a college student.
Career
Peniston began her music career in 1991 when her friend Felipe "DJ Wax Dawg" Delgado, a record producer, asked her to record back-up vocals for rapper Overweight Pooch's album "Female Preacher." Delgado later recruited producer Rodney K. Jackson to co-produce CeCe's debut single, "Finally," which topped the "Billboard" Dance Club Songs and Dance Singles Sales chart and was certified Platinum in the U.K. and Gold in the U.S. Her first album, also called "Finally," featured the singles "We Got a Love Thang" and "Keep On Walkin'," and they reached #1 on the Dance Club Songs chart. Peniston released her second album, "Thought 'Ya Knew," in 1994, and the singles "I'm in the Mood," "Keep Givin' Me Your Love," "I'm Not Over You," and "Hit by Love" were top 10 hits on the Dance Club Songs chart. In 1995, she released the album "Good News in Hard Times" with the band The Sisters of Glory, which she formed with Thelma Houston, Lois Walden, Phoebe Snow, and Albertina Walker. They released the album after they performed for Pope John Paul II at the Vatican, and it peaked at #29 on the "Billboard" Top Gospel Albums chart. CeCe released her third solo album, "I'm Movin' On," in 1996, and it featured the singles "Movin' On" (featuring Suga T.) and "Before I Lay" (featuring JoJo Hailey). Since releasing her last solo album, Peniston has released several singles, including 1999's "He Loves Me 2" and 2000's "Lifetime to Love," which reached #24 and #2, respectively, on the Dance Club Songs chart.
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In 2005, CeCe competed on the NBC reality series "Hit Me, Baby, One More Time," on which former pop stars performed their biggest hits as well as a cover of a contemporary hit. She performed "Finally" and the Faith Hill song "There You'll Be," but the band Arrested Development won the competition that week. That year Peniston also appeared in the films "Pastor Jones" and "Don't Touch if You Ain't Prayed," followed by "Where Is Good?" in 2015. Peniston released her solo albums through A&M Records, but she parted ways with them in the late '90s. In 2011, she signed a record deal with West Swagg Music Group, an independent label, and she subsequently released the singles "Stoopid!," a remix of her 1992 song "Keep On Flossing," a Paul Oakenfold-produced version of "Finally," and "Celebrate." In 2015, CeCe performed on the Chaos single "Believe," which reached #5 on the Dance Club Songs chart.
Personal Life
In 1992, CeCe married Malik Byrd, who co-wrote her song "Inside That I Cried" and co-starred in the music video. After their brief marriage ended, Peniston wed Frank Martin, a real estate professional. They divorced in 2011. In 1997, CeCe co-founded the CeCe Peniston Youth Foundation with her friend Heather. They established the foundation to raise money for organizations dedicated to hunger, HIV/AIDS, equality, and needy women and children. After the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Michael Jackson asked Peniston to perform at the "United We Stand" benefit concert. She has performed for U.S. troops overseas, and she has served as a National Ambassador for the child advocacy organization the Parent Teacher Association. In 2006, the name of the CeCe Peniston Youth Foundation was changed to the LOTS (Lifting Others To Succeed) Foundation.
