Teairra Marí has come a long way from the days of making demo tapes in her cousin's basement.

In those days, growing up on Detroit's east side at Eight Mile and John R Street, she was known as Teairra Maria Thomas, a girl who loved to sing at home, in the Spain Middle School choir and in her church choir. Her grandmother, Veronica Lake, was better known because she had been a former backup singer for Aretha Franklin.

"She taught me so much," Teairra Marí recalls. "She taught me how to use my voice." Teairra Marí's love of music eventually led to her release of an EP through the independent label K.I.S.S Productions a few years ago. The disc reached the hands of L.A. Reid, the chairman of Island Def Jam, who offered her a contract with Rock-A-Fella Records once he heard her sing in person.

Now Teairra Marí, the label's first female R&B artist, is being touted as the "princess of the Roc." At 17, she is traveling around the country, promoting her album, "Roc-A-Fella Records Presents Teairra Marí," set to debut Tuesday. Fittingly, she'll be in Detroit that day to meet fans and celebrate at an album-release party.

"Now, I travel 24/7," she says. "Yesterday, I went from New York to Boston and back to New York all in one day. I have to get up at 4:30 a.m. to get my hair and makeup done and make TV and radio appearances.

"I used to get up at 7:30, go to school, come back home and take a nap or something ... or talk on the phone."

That's back when she attended Detroit School of the Arts. These days, she's home-schooled.

The singer confesses that sometimes she gets homesick and misses living in Detroit.

"I have family here. I love everything. I loved going to school," Teairra Marí says. "Detroit has a certain swagger. I can easily relate to and understand the people here."

However, she says she loves the experience she's getting in the music industry.

"Oh man, I've met so many people," she explains. "Some of the people I met -- Beyoncé, she gives great advice. Jay-Z is like a father to me. L.A. Reid is like another father."

Though Teairra Marí's main goal at the moment is promoting her album, she has other plans, as well.

"I want to get into acting. ... I'm looking to make Teairra Marí a household name. I want to be a brand like a J.Lo or Oprah Winfrey. I want to do something different, maybe fashion. But, not like a clothing line, maybe a shoe line."

If all her dreams come true, who knows, maybe Eight Mile -- known worldwide for Eminem and the movie -- eventually will be known for Teairra Marí.

http://www.detnews.com/20...265155.htm

why are these girls faces always obscured by their hair?

lilgish said:

I think its usually to hide the plainess of their faces, or their inexpressiveness.
But i dont know why in this chick's instance. Shes actually really pretty. I would think the same if she was bald.


U think she could carry off the Erykah Badizzzoo?

Didnt Aaliyah start the whole hair in your face thing?

I thought this would be an album review

they lost me at "princess". What a tired-ass marketing word.

Amerie + Ciarra = Teairra Mari

sirnozedevoidofunk said:

Youre more than welcome to post a review if you have one.

http://www.billboard.com/.../index.jsp

Edited By Barry A. Jeckell. August 03, 2005, 11:00 AM


Teairra Mari Off To 'Good' Start

By Gail Mitchell

"This is just the beginning."

Singer Teairra Mari closes the liner-note thank-you list on her Def Jam Recordings debut, "Roc-a-Fella Records Presents Teairra Mari" (released Aug. 2) with this familiar refrain. But given how quickly her first single, "Make Her Feel Good," has come out of the gate, it is easy to believe the 17-year-old will indeed make good on that promise.

It is a vow that has been in the making since she was 12. That is when the Detroit native (born Teairra Maria Thomas) declared to her mother, "I know I can do what Brandy, Monica and Aaliyah do."
Influenced by Motown and the late Aaliyah -— a fellow Detroit High School for the Fine and Performing Arts alumna -— Teairra Mari comes by her talent naturally: Her grandmother sang backup for Aretha Franklin.

Following her declaration, Teairra Mari began splitting her time between singing in church and recording demos in her cousin's basement. She even scored a local hit with an early song, "You Thought."

Four years later a new demo found its way to Atlanta producers Daryl Simmons and Anthony "T.A." Tate, and Tate signed Teairra Mari to his production company, Music Line Entertainment. Soon after, the singer found herself auditioning for Island Def Jam Music Group chairman Antonio "L.A." Reid.

"She immediately captured the room," IDJMG VP of A&R Shakir Stewart recalls. "Her style and attitude were like no other seen in a while. She's a natural."

Signed to Def Jam in July 2004, Teairra Mari was later added to president/CEO Jay-Z's Roc-a-Fella roster. Crowned by Jay-Z as the label's "Princess of the Roc," the artist has also been described by songwriter/producer Sean Garrett as an "urban Avril Lavigne. [She] talks about life as it is."

Teairra Mari says her sound is "sleek, sassy and edgy. I don't want to do anything that doesn't sound like me."

That pronouncement was the guideline Reid, Carter and Stewart followed as they determined who should collaborate with the young singer. In addition to Garrett, the lineup included Kwame, Rodney Jerkins, Bryan-Michael Cox, Allstar, Cool & Dre and the Trackboyz.

The result? Songs that resonate as pages from the life of a young black female in urban America or what Teairra Mari terms "a girl's dictionary." "Make Her Feel Good" (already No. 10 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart) confidently explains what a female wants emotionally from a male suitor.

Other songs reflect more personal issues. For example, second single "No Daddy" (co-written by the singer) addresses the artist growing up without a father. But rather than taking a sad tone, a defiant Teairra Mari sings over a club track.

Teairra Mari -- who, along with other Roc-a-Fella artists, is featured in the fall 2005 campaign for Jay-Z's Roc-a-Wear fashion line -- is performing on Teen People magazine's mall tour, which started in early July in Minneapolis.

waiiiiit....is this that chick that sings that is there any guys around that know how to make a girl feel, mess?

Moonwalkbjrain said:

Yessir. That would be her.

dreamfactory313 said:

ya know i just cant get into that song. i wish her well and i'm sure it takes alot of hard work to get into the music business but i just not that excited about her. right now she seems like just another 15 minute artist they put together right quick. i would like for her to prove otherwise.

brownsugar said:

She has outstanding vocal talent. Ive heard her sing live. Let her grow into her own. She may not have the greatest song out right now but she has alot of potential. Most of the kids that go to the Detroit Highschool for the Fine and Performing Arts are amazingly gifted. Aaliyah is an alumni and you will be hearing more from many others in the future. I betcha.

dreamfactory313 said:

ewwwww! hate the song sooooo bad. her voice is really annoying to me.

Moonwalkbjrain said:

Ya cant please everyone.

GeminiMoon said:

but i was thinking more like...

Ashanti + Ciarra = Teairra Mari

all these girls move the same, look the same, and sing the same dull ass songs about how guys don't know how to treat girls....shyt thats life, can you sing about something else please???

missfee said:

That little chick can blow...She got a song called "Act Right"...that's pretty good for the typical R&B shit...It's going to be a hit...

missfee said:

Amen!

murph said:

Yezzir! U know wassup.