Tamia Hill (born Tamia Marilyn Washington on May 9, 1975), professionally
known as Tamia, is a four-time Grammy-nominated Canadian R&B
and soul singer, songwriter, record producer, composer, model and
entrepreneur, as well as an occasional actress.
She is best known for her 2000 hit "Stranger In My House" and
Fabolous' 2003 song "Into You", sampling her 1998 song "So
Into You", from her debut album. Tamia is married to NBA player
Grant Hill of the Phoenix Suns. They have two daughters Myla Grace
and Lael Rose.
Born as Tamia Marilyn Washington in Windsor, Ontario, Canada, she
grew up in the inner city, not far from the Detroit border, with
her mother and three younger brothers Tiras, Tajhee, and Trajan. "My
family comes in all shades from really light to very dark."
Aside from the music she heard and sang at church, Tamia was exposed
to diverse music from an early age by her mother, Barbara. Singing
was always her passion. As early as age 6, she was onstage singing
gospel at the local church and by age 12 had already been involved
in several musicals which continued to help her hone her musical
skills. Tamia studied piano and voice with renowned Windsor musician,
Eugene Davis, who was also instrumental in encouraging her to pursue
her vocal passion. It was not long before the gifted young singer
began receiving recognition for her talent. Her mother and Godmother
decided that the arts program at Walkerville Collegiate Institute
in Windsor would best suit Tamia's musical talent. Along with attending
highschool at Walkerville, she made several appearances in local
theater and choral concerts before winning Canada's prestigious YTV
Vocal Achievement Award in 1993 and the Steve Ross Music Scholarship
at the American Academy of Achievement's Annual Salute to Excellence
in 1994.
"I was always happy growing up, but I realize now there are
some things missing because of my situation. Now that I have a child,
I know the importance of having a father in the household."
Tamia enjoys a wide range of music, especially ballads. She told
Teen, "I don't care about labels-country music, rock music,
it's the way it makes me feel that counts". Ebony Man described
Tamia as "Naturally witty, comical, talented … and a bundle
of energy". She told CNN's Mark Scheerer "I used to staple
two paper plates together and put rice in them to make a tambourine…."
In early 1994, Tamia recorded her first single, "You Put a
Move On My Heart", which was produced by Quincy Jones. The single
later appeared on his Q's Jook Joint album. The song itself, went
at #12 on the R&B charts and at #98 on the Billboard Hot 100,
the single was a success on the R&B charts, and showcased Tamia's
early hit.
[edit] Personal life
Tamia has been married to NBA player Grant Hill since July 24, 1999.
They have two children Myla Grace Hill (2002) and Lael Rose Hill
(2007). The singer has been diagnosed with Multiple sclerosis. In
an interview with Smooth magazine, Tamia reported that the disease
is seemingly in remission and she has symptoms now and then but they
are controlled.
[edit] Career
[edit] Tamia and other collaborations (1995–1997)
In early to mid 1995, Tamia, who has five-octave vocal range, began
recording her eponymous debut album, with production from the likes
of Mario Winans, Jermaine Dupri, Tim & Bob, as well as additional
help from Quincy Jones. The album's first single, "You Put a
Move On My Heart", was released in December 1995, which was
produced by Quincy Jones, off of his Q's Jook Joint album, charted
at #98 on the Billboard Hot 100, but became Tamia's first Top 40
hit on the R&B charts, peaking at #12, showcasing her first Top
40 R&B hit. Another single, "Slow Jams" which was co-written
by American singer-songwriter Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds,
features Barry White, and Babyface himself. The single also appeared
on Q's Jook Joint, and appeared at #68 on the Billboard Hot 100 and
at #19 on the R&B charts, becoming her second Top 40 R&B
hit. In the second quarter of 1996, Tamia collaborated with American
soul singer Gladys Knight, Brandy, and Chaka Khan for the single, "Missing
You", which was featured in the 1996 blockbuster film, Set It
Off, and released in August of that year, the single peaked at #10
on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, and at #25 on the Billboard Hot
100, becoming her first Top 40 single.
Tamia's debut album was released in Canada on April 14, 1997, three
weeks later it was released in the United Kingdom on May 11, and
in North America the following day. The album became a critical and
commercial success, debuting at number two on the Billboard 200 and
at number one on the Billboard R&B Albums Chart, selling 145,000
copies in first week sales.
[edit] Acting
In June 1997, Tamia made her film debut as Sheri Silver in the action-thriller
Speed 2: Cruise Control. As the cruise liner's musical entertainer,
she performed the Diane Warren penned single "Make Tonight Beautiful",
which was released as part of the film's soundtrack. She has also
appeared in other TV sitcoms, including Rock Me Baby and an episode
of Kenan and Kel.
[edit] A Nu Day (2000–2001)
On October 24, 2000, Tamia released her second album, A Nu Day.
The album debuted at number forty-six on the Billboard 200 and number
eight on the Top R&b/Hip-Hop Albums Chart. On June 4, 2001, A
Nu Day, was certified gold by the RIAA. A Nu Day is Tamia's best
selling album to date.
The first single from A Nu Day was "Can't Go for That" which
was written by Missy Elliott. The single peaked at #84 on the Billboard
Hot 100 and number twenty-three on the R&B chart.
The second single from A Nu Day was the hit "Stranger in My
House". The single went to number ten on the Billboard Hot 100,
number three on the Billboard R&B chart and to number one for
10 weeks on the Billboard Hot Dance chart. "Stranger In My House" still
remains Tamia's biggest hit to date.
The third and final single from A Nu Day was "Tell Me Who".
Although the single missed the Hot 100, it managed to reach #63 on
the R&B chart and peaked at #2 on the Billboard Hot Dance chart.
[edit] More (2003–2004)
Tamia released her third studio album, More, on April 6, 2004 in
the United States. The album debuted at number seventeen on the Billboard
200 and at number four on the Billboard R&B Albums Chart. The
album was certified Gold by the RIAA, for shipping over one million
units in North America.
The lead single "Into You", which is a collaboration with
rapper Fabolous, sampled the chorus from Tamia's "So Into You",
a song from her self-titled debut album. The song soared to #4 on
the Hot 100 and to #1 on the Billboard R&B chart.
The second single, called "Officially Missing You", peaked
at #83 on the Billboard Hot 100, and #31 on the R&B chart.
The third single, "Questions", missed the Hot 100, but
managed to climb to #40 on the R&B charts.
The fourth and final single, "Still", peaked at #83 on
the R&B chart and #34 on the Billboard Hot Dance chart.
[edit] Split from Elektra Records and Between Friends
In 2005, Tamia split from Elektra Records.
On May 15, 2006, Tamia released Between Friends on South African
independent label Gallo Records. It was released in the US on November
14, 2006. The album has three tracks produced by Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins.
The rest are produced by Shep Crawford. The album peaked at number
66 on the Billboard 200 and number nine on the Billboard Top R&B
albums chart. Although none of the singles released made the Hot
100, Between Friends has sold more than 350,000 copies in the United
States, 120,000 in South Africa, and more than 800,000 worldwide[citation
needed] to date.
The first single off Between Friends, "Can't Get Enough",
peaked at #26 on Billboard's R&B chart.
The second single, "Me", which was written by Shep Crawford
(who wrote "Stranger In My House"), also reached the Top
30 of the R&B chart and peaked at #29.
On October 27, 2007, Tamia re-released her album Between Friends
entitled A Gift Between Friends. The album also contains a few Christmas
songs.
Shortly after the re-release of the album, Tamia released the third
single, "Almost", which peaked at #59 on the US R&B
chart in early 2008.
[edit] Live album
On her 2008 Summer Soul Concert Series tour, Tamia recorded her
Sunday 10 August 2008 performance at the Lincoln Theatre (Washington,
D.C.).[1] The recorded performance is planned to be released as a
live CD album, along with the DVD. Both were slated for release on
December 2, 2008, but have been pushed back several times. As of
September 2009, it has not been released. The live album, called
Live in Washington, DC, will include 3 new tracks. In March 2010,
she confirmed on her Twitter page that the live album would be released
later this year.[2]
[edit] The Queen Project
It was announced in September 2009 that Deborah Cox, Kelly Price
and her have formed a supergroup, The Queen Project. Tamia's longtime
collaborator, Shep Crawford, who has also produced Cox's "Nobody's
Supposed to Be Here" and Price's "As We Lay" will
be the main collaborator for the project. The women have made it
clear that they seek to empower other women with this project. Their
collaboration will not be limited to the studio. They also plan to
do a number of community service projects. The first single is to
be released this fall with an album early 2010.
Tamia has since stated to Kempire Radio that the project has no
tentative release date, admitting the project may have been a bit "ambitious" in
timing as the members are also promoting their own albums and solo
projects but still wish to pursue.[3]
[edit] Greatest Hits
Tamia released her greatest hits in South Africa on 2 November 2009.
It includes a bonus DVD.[4]
[edit] New album 2011
In March 2010, Tamia confirmed on her official Twitter page that
she is working on her new album. As of November 8, 2010, Tamia told
Kempire Radio she is "seven songs into the album" and will
remain true to her signature themes of love:
"I'm on a roll. Obviously, I love my ballads so they'll be
there, too."
[3] The album will feature writing and production from Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins
in addition to Chuck Harmony, The Runners, Claude Kelly, Ivan Barias,
and others.[5] The album is presently untitled.
[edit] Discography
Main article: Tamia discography
[edit] Albums
1998: Tamia
2000: A Nu Day
2004: More
2006: Between Friends
2009: Greatest Hits
2011: Untitled (Tamia album)
Soundtracks
1996: The Associate (on "Keep Hope Alive")
1997: Speed 2: Cruise Control (on "Make Tonight Beautiful")
[edit] Tours
2004, Verizon Ladies First Tour
2005, South Africa Tour
2005, Ladies In Soul Concert
2006 - 2007, Between Friends Tour
2008, Summer Soul Concert Series Tour
2008 September, Johannesburg Arts Alive, South Africa
2009, Summer Soul Concert Series Tour
2009, The Queen Project
[edit] Awards and nominations
Grammy Awards
1997, Best New R&B Female Artist(Nominated)
1997, Best Female R&B Vocal Performance: "You Put a Move On My Heart" (Nominated)
1997, Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group: "Slow Jams" (Nominated)
1997, Best Pop Collaboration w/ Vocals: "Missing You" (Nominated)
2000, Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group: "Spend My Life with
You" (Nominated)
Juno Awards
1999, Best New Solo Artist (Nominated)
1999, Best R&B/Soul Recording: "Tamia" (Nominated)
2001, Best R&B/Soul Recording: "A Nu Day" (Nominated)
2005, R&B/Soul Recording of the Year: "More" (Nominated)
2007, R&B/Soul Recording of the Year: "Between Friends" (Nominated)