(courtesy of Hillucinashuns Music)
I grew up in Syracuse, NY, the youngest of three children. My mother and grandmother got all of us involved in music. I started on the violin and piano at around seven and played through high school. Back then it wasn't hip for a sista to play classical strings, so I quit. I was a trained dancer and regional gymnast, so I chose to pursue them 100%. I auditioned for the University of The Arts in Philadelphia for the dance program and was accepted. I studied under professors like Judith Jamieson and had colleagues like Questlove from the Roots. Looking back, this was a critical time in my self discovery. It allowed me the creative outlets I didn't even know I was looking for. I realized though concert dance is both beautiful and expressive, there's always a wall up. While on stage you must pretend there are no spectators. Yet with music, audience interaction is crucial. I was about to graduate and felt Philadelphia's been dope, but it's time to move west.
My first job was three lines on the first season of "Living Single". Though it wasn't an Oscar nominated performance, acting jobs were easier to audition for. I quickly had to refocus and the find the music circle somewhere in between my glamorous waitressing jobs. I started to meet producers and very few, if any, took me seriously. Yet some projects allowed me to travel abroad to Europe, the UK and India. I started booking background gigs for artists like the late Biggie Smalls, Tevin Campbell, Natalie Cole, Paula Abdul and Aaliyah. But in October 1995, something amazing happened. I was doing a showcase for BMI, and my neighbors asked me to look at this new act they just started working with. They ended up being The Black Eyed Peas, and the rest is well, a long story. In short, I went into the studio and co-wrote "The Way You Make Me Feel" with the guys. I started doing little free styles with them on stage and it just felt so natural. I have yet to find anything remotely similar to the creative fluidity I have with the Peas. I started producing and growing as a writer by learning how to play guitar. I started to create a buzz locally by performing my original songs. My work on The Black Eyed Peas, "Behind The Front", got the attention of Interscope Records. I was presented with a contract in 1998 and signed soon after. Though I have a completed album, the work only intensifies. A major label gets a bit concerned when they realize alternative black artists don't always guarantee the big money commercial R&B or pop acts do. Yet artists like D'Angelo, Maxwell, Erykah and Lauryn Hill continue to blow up charts across the board.
I will continue to write, produce and perform with the gifts God has blessed me with. I hope this encourages and inspires anyone who chooses this profession. The investment you make in your craft exceeds anything a label can do for you. Ironically, the same instruments I quit after high school, I now rely on for my music. If things are disturbed during it's natural course, they always come back around no matter what. Stay focused, keep your feet on the ground and maintain a sense of humor.
Thanx so much for taking an interest in me and my work. And know if a girl from a small town can move to Los Angeles with $36.00 to her name and maintain self respect, anything can happen.
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