R&B star is battling cancer at 44. Here’s what we know

Alabama Life & CultureR&B artist Nivea performs on ABC Family's FRONT ROW CENTER at the Wadsworth Theatre, Los Angeles, CA., Nov. 10, 2001. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)Getty ImagesBy Brian Linder | blinder@pennlive.comFans are sending prayers to R&B singer Nivea after she revealed that she is battling leukemia.The singer made the revelation during an appearance on the “Cadillac Chronicles” interview series after she was asked what she was thankful for at the moment.“I was diagnosed with leukemia earlier this year, and I am so grateful to God,” she said. “I’ve been going through treatment and everything is going great so far. And I expect it to continue. Amen. Amen. Amen. And I’m very grateful for life. It’s so cliché to say, you know, you don’t know the time nor the hour, and it’s true.“It just helped me put a lot of things in perspective,” she added. “And I live in gratitude like religiously, and I’m just grateful for everything. I’m doing things I want to do. I’m definitely back into my music.”The 44-year-old singer said she has been going to school for audio engineering too.“I’ve always wanted to learn how to engineer, and mix and engineer in particular,” she said. “But, in general, just doing all the things, honey. Loving all my children and just being grateful. Taking every opportunity that comes my way.”She was also asked what one of the biggest lessons she has learned in her life is.“Definitely don’t take anything for granted,” she said. “Like, I definitely lived in my younger years. The days just flew by, and I was just doing what I was doing. I don’t know. It’s kind of like you don’t recognize the short time that we do have here, and how everything is … I’ve always noticed the beauty in everything, though, I will say that. But, to be more present in the moment is definitely something I’ve learned. This time will never occur again. Being more present in the moment. Counting the blessings. Being more grateful.“The universe or God or whatever you want to call it, your brain will find the things you focus on,” she continued. “You know where the mind goes energy goes. So I just try to think of positive things. I’m a very optimistic person.”Nivea, whose full name is Nivea B. Hamilton, rose to fame in the early 2000s. Her song “Don’t Mess with My Man” was nominated for Best R&B Performance at the 2003 Grammy Awards. She has released four albums. The first was a self-titled album in 2002, and the last was 2019’s “Mirrors.”Brian Linder is the trending editor at PennLive.com. He has more than 20 years of experience working for newspapers first in South Carolina, then Daytona Beach, Florida and now in Pennsylvania. Linder spent...