Meet Deborah Cox: The R&B Singer Taking On Whitney Houston

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It takes a brave soul to take on a Whitney Houston classic.

Angela Bassett has reportedly found an R&B singer with the chops to re-record some of Houston's most memorable tracks in her upcoming Lifetime biopic. E! Online broke the news Tuesday that while Houston's music will be featured in the film, her voice will not. Enter: Deborah Cox, the R&B singer who will provide the singing vocals on the film while America's Next Top Model alum Yaya DaCosta will play Houston on screen.

Do you recognize Cox? Here are 11 things to know about the girl giving Lifetime's Whitney her voice.

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1. Like Houston, Cox was discovered by music mogul Clive Davis. He signed her to Arista Records in the 1990s after seeing her sing with Celine Dion.

2. She collaborated with Houston herself back in 2000 on the duet "Same Script Different Cast."

3. She hails from the same hometown of Justin Bieber: Toronto, Ontario, Canada. She resides today in Miami, Florida.

4. She's recorded songs for a handful of film soundtracks already, including Akeelah and the Bee, Hotel Rwanda, Kingdom Come, Money Talks, A Good Man is Hard to Find and Tyler Perry's Meet the Browns.

5. She's got a Broadway background, having played the lead role in Elton John and Tim Rice's Aida, and co-starring in Frank Wildhorn's and Steve Cuden's Jekyll & Hyde.

6. She guest starred on the Nickelodeon sketch show All That in 1999.

7. She then made her film acting debut in the 2001 drama Love Come Down.

8. In 2007, she received The Civil Rights Award from the New York Senate for her efforts in the fight for Human Rights and Equality.

9. In 2008, Cox was given a star on Toronto's Scarborough Town Centre Walk of Fame.

10. Her fourth studio album, Destination Moon, was nominated for a Grammy (Best Engineered Album, non-classical).

11. She's notched 12 No. 1 hits on Billboard's Hot Dance Club play chart, including "Who Do U Love," "Nobody's Supposed to Be Here," and "If It Wasn’t for Love."

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