Cosby gave her first performance in the third grade, singing "Elvira" at a talent competition.
There she cited the presence of African American students who would listen to soul and R&B music as an influence.
During this time she developed a heroin addiction for which she later went to rehabilitation,[3] became the mother of two children, and adopted her stage name of Celinda Pink.
It was in her nightclub gigs that she was discovered by promoter Buzz Ledford, who eventually helped her sign to Step One Records, an independent label.
A review published in the magazine Gavin Report was positive, noting influences of blues music in her delivery.