Richard started her career after auditioning for Making the Band 3 in 2004.
During this time, Richard became a member of American girl band Danity Kane, from 2005 to 2009, and reformed the group with 3 of the original 5 members in late 2013.
In 2009, Richard joined the duo Dirty Money with fellow singer-songwriter Kalenna Harper, and label boss Sean "Diddy" Combs to form Diddy – Dirty Money.
With the group, they released the highly successful album Last Train to Paris, as well as 2 additional mixtapes before their disbandment in 2012.In 2011, following her departure from Bad Boy Records, Richard began her career as a solo artist.
Her debut album Goldenheart was released on January 15, 2013, by Our Dawn Entertainment; it received universal acclaim from music critics.
In 2015 Richard's sophomore album Blackheart peaked at number two on Billboard's
Dance/Electronic charts.
On November 18, 2016 Richard released the final installation to her album trilogy, REDEMPTION.