In a video call, Suzette Charles, now 63, expresses disbelief as she prepares to release her self-titled debut album, 33 years later than planned. Crowned the first biracial Miss America in 1984 under controversial circumstances, Charles endured a lifetime of adversity: a distressing tour with Bill Cosby, mistreatment by record labels, and a shelved debut album when her songwriters Stock Aitken Waterman (SAW) split up. A decades-long marriage further stifled her career. 'You can't make this stuff up,' she says.
Early Life and Miss America
Charles, a performing arts school kid from Philadelphia, sang everywhere from age nine, starring in commercials for Colgate and Coca-Cola, and appearing on Sesame Street and The Electric Company. At 15, she sang on the Hair film soundtrack and narrowly missed the role of Coco Hernandez in Fame to Irene Cara. Her mother encouraged her to compete in Miss America 1984, despite warnings that it would stigmatize her. As Miss New Jersey, she sang Barbra Streisand's Kiss Me in the Rain and came first runner-up to Vanessa Williams.
Ten months later, Williams resigned after Penthouse published nude photos. Charles was crowned winner, calling it a 'bittersweet acceptance.' She agrees critics who see Miss America as a relic: 'It's probably time to say goodbye.'
Tours with Sinatra, Davis Jr., Wonder, and Cosby
The pageant win led to a cabaret tour supporting Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr., and Stevie Wonder. Wonder would call Charles late at night to sing new songs, including I Just Called to Say I Love You, which she told him was too simplistic. Bill Cosby also invited her to tour as a supporting act, after offering her a role on The Cosby Show. Her father warned Cosby, and with a cousin as chaperone, Charles kept her distance. Cosby retaliated by embarrassing her on stage. The Cosby Show offer was rescinded. Charles heard whispers of Cosby's behavior but saw nothing incriminating; later revelations of his drugging and assaulting women were shocking.
Struggles with Record Labels
By the late 1980s, Charles aimed to become a recording artist, but Capitol and RCA pigeonholed her, ignoring her pop aspirations. She wanted the pop, R&B, bluesy, soul-y feel of Rick Astley and Lisa Stansfield but felt unheard. In 1993, she flew to London unannounced to meet SAW. Mike Stock tested her by making her sing You Are My Sunshine and wrote six songs for her. One, Free to Love Again, reached No. 58 in the UK, but RCA dropped her, and SAW split, leaving her in limbo.
Marriage and Hiatus
Charles married a doctor who discouraged her career. She raised two children, secretly dreaming of her lost career. 'It was some hush-hush thing, as if I had anything to be ashamed of.' After her daughter left for college, she divorced and began dating. A first date, attorney Paul Kaplan, encouraged her to contact Stock again. In 2015, she reunited with Stock, and in 2024, they finished the album, rerecording old tracks and adding five new songs about being held back in a relationship.
Album Release and Reflection
The result is a disco-pop and epic ballad record. Old songs like Free to Love Again gained new meaning: 'I'm free, baby!' Charles is now married to Kaplan. 'I spent years with this other person that wanted to put me in the closet. Now I have someone supportive who really sees me.' She recalls touring with Sammy Davis Jr. and singing I've Gotta Be Me, not understanding it then. Now she knows: 'It's me living my best life.' The album is released on 22 May via Absolute Label Services.
