1. How did these black female artists start off their way to success?
2. Do black female artists express their singing through music only?
All these beautiful ladies listed are talented in so many ways. They bring all sorts of sound. They all are recognized as role models especially ones that females can look up to. They fill our ears with outstanding music that makes you want to sing and dance.
Mary J. Blige
Mary was born in Bronx, NY. At an early age she started singing in a church choir. As she grew older she sang solo in the choir and at school talent shows. At the age of seventeen she made a demo tape and was soon recognized. With the help of Sean "Puffy" Combs, she made a successful debut album in 1992. In 1994 her album "My Life", earned her a Grammy nomination for Best R&B Album, and received an award for Best Rap Performance. Mary took a little break but came back in 1996. Her and "Puffy" split up and he started his own label. In 1997 her album "Share My World" debuted No.1 on the Billboard charts.
TLC
T-boz, Left Eye, and Chilli make up this group. T-boz started singing in church. She is the main singer in the group. Her influences are Prince, Janet Jackson, and Patti LaBelle. Left Eye began as a rapper in Philly. She performed in plays and talent shows. Left Eye is the rapper of the group. Chilli started out as a professional dancer. Chilli is the singer and choreographer in the group. In 1992 they took over all female groups with their top three platinum singles, "Ain't To Proud To Beg", "Baby, Baby, Baby", and "What About Your Friends". In 1994 with major success, their album CrazySexyCool went platinum also. They received two Grammy Awards for Best R&B Performance and Best R&B Album. And also received many more. In 1995 they went on tour with the famous Boyz II Men. During their break, still keeping busy, Chilli was pregnant with her son. She also was in a film "Hav Plenty" and has been practicing on her acting skills. T-Boz was in a film "Belly". She started a few companies Shee Inc. and Grung Girl Music. She's still writing music and poetry. During all this, Left Eye was focused on her TV show "The Cut". TLC's last album "FanMail", was their most experienced and emotional album out of them all. Of course with the help of "L.A." Reid, Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds, and Dallas Austin, they were back on top.
Mya
Mya Marie Harrison was born on October 11, 1980. She since has become one of music’s most talented stars. Not only does she have a beautiful voice, but she is also a talented dancer. As a child in Washington D.C., she took tap, jazz, ballet, and violin lessons. Mya was, and still is a shy girl. In school, she could never build up enough courage to audition for plays and solos. Mya has said that she never had the guts to do that. Mya’s father, a performer in R&B bands first heard her sing at the age 14. It was then when he knew her voice was something special. He had Mya record a few demos, took them to a club where he was playing and met Haqq Islam, the president and CEO or University Music. Islam was so impressed by the sound of Mya’s voice that he personally made a stop at the Harrison house to hear her sing some more. Mya is a bright woman. She graduated high school at the age of 16 and attended the University of Maryland, but left after a semester to pursue her musical dreams. Mya’s first hit single was "It’s All About Me". In the video for the song, Mya wants and gets what she wants without taking any nonsense from anyone. Mya also had other hit singles from her first album, Mya, such as the ballad "Mya First Night With You" and "What Cha Say" which she wrote and co-produced. Mya released her second album, Fear of Flying in 2000. When asked about Fear, Mya said "I’ve grown a lot and I wanted the second album to reflect that. The past few years have given me time to think about what I want to do, the decisions I make in life and where I want to be. I’m becoming more and more of my own person and making those choices for myself. On my own." There’s no doubt that Mya has indeed grown up. She shows her determination through songs such as the lead single "Best Of Me" which Mya co-wrote. On this album she produced and wrote many of the songs. Aside from music, Mya serves on the advisory board of the Secret to Self-Esteem program because she says she knows how it is to have low self-esteem, especially in this business. Mya is a role model for youth because of what she stands for and a great entertainer.
Aaliyah
Aaliyah Dana Haughton was born in 1979 in Brooklyn, NY. With her breakthrough album "Age Ain’t Nothing But A Number", it is said that she paved the way for future female singers such as Monica, Mya and Brandy just to name a few. Shortly after her birth, the Haughtons moved to Detroit, Michigan. She graduated from the Detroit High School of the Performing Arts with a 4.0 proving she was a hard-working student. Aaliyah’s first single was "Back in Forth" which came out when she was just 15. It was a big hit and even got the #1 spot on Hot 100 singles chart. Despite rumors of Aaliyah and her mentor, R. Kelly being married, she received rave reviews for her album "Age Ain’t Nothing But A Number". In the summer of 1994, Entertainment Weekly said "...Imagine En Vogue packed into one teenage body and backed by hip-hop svengali R. Kelly, and you have Aaliyah...a promising start..." Aaliyah’s sophomore album was even more of a hit going double platinum. Along with hits from that album, Aaliyah also began working on songs from movie soundtracks such as Dr. Doolittle and Romeo Must Die. Romeo Must Die also marked Aaliyah’s first time as a leading lady. Aaliyah also received great reviews from her work alongside Jet Li. "Try Again", the hit single from the Romeo Must Die soundtrack went to the top of the US charts in the summer of 2000. On July 17, 2001, Aaliyah released her third and last album simply called Aaliyah. She described it as her most personal album so far. In August of 2001, Aaliyah was the victim of a fatal plane crash along with many of the friends. She was in the Bahamas shooting the video for the second single off of Aaliyah "Rock the Boat". Although Aaliyah is not here today, her music lives on through her many fans and family. She was just at the peak of her success when she died doing what she loved, music. She once said she wanted to be known as an all-around entertainer. Now she is with her successful film and music career.
Erykah Badu
Erykah was born in 1972 in Dallas. At the age of four she performed on stage with her mother Kolleen Wright, who is a professional actress. At the age of seven, she wrote her first song on an old piano that her grandmother bought for her. Erykah Badu not only sings but she also writes, produce, poetry, directing, dance, drama, and much more. Her latest album Baduizm sold a million copies within two months of its release in February 1997. She won over ten accolades from her last album.
Whitney Houston
Whitney Houston was born August 9, 1963 in Newark, New Jersey. At the age of eleven she sang in the gospel choir. In her youth she sang and modeled. She's married to Bobby Brown and she has one child.
3LW
These three young girls make beautiful music every time they open their mouths, Adrienne, Kiely, and Naturi. Kiely was born July 9, 1986 in Alexandria, Virginia. She was only five years old when she started acting. TLC are one of her role models. Naturi was born May 20, 1984 in East Orange, New Jersey. When she was as young as five years old she was in her church choir. Her favorite singer is Whitney Houston. Adrienne was born October 24, 1983. She was also in her church choir.
I chose these special artists because i listen to all of there music. They're all very talented and intelligent. They make differences in many peoples lives and are an inspiration.
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