Tejal Somvanshi
R&B singer Nivea, known for the early 2000s hit “Don’t Mess With My Man,” has shared that she is battling chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) — and says her treatment is going well.
She made the announcement during the July 21, 2026 episode of Cadillac Chronicles, a musical interview series where host Brian Freeman takes artists on drives around Atlanta. Nivea said she received the diagnosis earlier in 2026 and is grateful for the progress made since then.
“It’s so cliché to say you don’t know the time nor the hour, but it’s true and it just helped me put a lot of things in perspective,” she said. “I live in gratitude, like, religiously, and I’m just grateful for everything.”
Chronic myeloid leukemia begins in the bone marrow and affects blood cell production. The American Cancer Society estimates about 9,650 Americans will be diagnosed with CML in 2026. When caught in the chronic phase — as Nivea’s was — it typically responds well to targeted oral drugs called tyrosine kinase inhibitors. Many patients in that phase can expect close to a normal life expectancy. The five-year survival rate for CML sits at around 70%.
Nivea said she was relieved her cancer had not reached the blast phase, which would have required chemotherapy. She also found comfort in learning that CML is not hereditary and was not caused by anything she did. Keeping your immune system as strong as possible during cancer treatment is something many patients focus on — general immune health plays a role even as targeted therapies do the heavy lifting.
The Atlanta native first broke into music in 2000 with a feature on Mystikal’s “Danger (Been So Long).” Her self-titled 2001 debut produced “Don’t Mess With My Man” with Jagged Edge, which reached number eight on the Billboard Hot 100 and earned the group a Grammy nomination for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals in 2003. She was later married to producer The-Dream, who helmed her 2005 follow-up album Complicated.
The diagnosis has pushed Nivea to stop putting off the things she always wanted to do. She is now going to school for audio engineering, hoping to one day mix her own records, and is working on new music. Scientists continue making strides in cancer treatment research that may benefit patients like her in the years ahead.
“Don’t take anything for granted,” she told Freeman.
Nivea, 44, says treatment is ongoing and everything continues to go well.
