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Tamia
Background information
Birth name	Tamia Marylin Washington
Born	May 9, 1975 (1975-05-09) (age 33)
Origin	Windsor, Ontario, Canada
Genre(s)	R&B, Soul
Occupation(s)	Singer, songwriter, actress, entrepreneur
Years active	1995–present
Label(s)	Qwest/Warner (1995–1999) Elektra/Atlantic (2000–2005) Image (2006–present)
Associated acts	Anita Baker, Eric Benét, Brandy, Fabolous, Quincy Jones
Website	TamiaWorld.com

Tamia Marylin Washington Hill (born Tamia Marylin Washington on May 9, 1975), professionally known as Tamia, is a Canadian-American Grammy-nominated R&B singer. She first gained prominence at age 19 for contributing to "You Put a Move on My Heart," the first single from Quincy Jones' 1995 album Q's Jook Joint.

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.

Biography

Tamia was born to a teenage African Canadian mother. She grew up in Windsor, Ontario, Canada with her brothers Tiras, Tajhee and Trajan. Although having a start in the traditional gospel choir, she soon developed an interest in singing popular music as a solo artist. At first only aspiring to be a vocal coach, she began singing in Southern Ontario, performing "We're Gonna Make It" on the Toronto Hospital for Sick Children Telethon in 1993. She soon earned a reputation and several awards, including the YTV Vocal Achievement Award in 1993. The following year, she won the Steve Ross Music Scholarship at the American Academy of Achievement's Annual Salute to Excellence in 1994. Her star ascending, she embarked on a trip to Los Angeles where her voice caught the attention of producer Quincy Jones at a 1994 award show after party.

In 1994, at the age of 19, Tamia recorded vocals for the Quincy Jones' song "You Put a Move on My Heart" from his Q's Jook Joint album. Jones released the song as a single in 1995, and it was nominated for a Grammy Award. Later that year, Tamia participated in another collaboration, "Missing You", a single from the Set It Off soundtrack that also featured singers Brandy, Chaka Khan, and Gladys Knight. The song was also nominated for a Grammy Award.

Personal

In Detroit, Michigan (across the Detroit River from her hometown of Windsor, Ontario), Tamia was introduced to then Detroit Pistons basketball player Grant Hill by singer Anita Baker. The two married on July 24, 1999. They had their first child, a daughter named Myla Grace Hill, on January 23, 2002. In 2003, Tamia and her husband announced on Extra that she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. In an interview with Smooth magazine, she reported that the disease is seemingly in remission and she has symptoms now and then but they are controlled. She stated pregnancy greatly helped as it calmed the progression of her disease^{citation needed}. On August 9, 2007, Tamia gave birth to their second child, Lael Rose Hill. The Hills currently reside in Phoenix, Arizona.

Music career

Tamia

In 1998, Tamia released her self-titled debut album, Tamia. The album debuted at #67 on the Billboard 200 and number eighteen on the Billboard Top R&B Albums Chart. The album was certified Gold by the RIAA.

The first single off "Tamia" was "Imagination". The single peaked at thirty-seven on the Hot 100 and number twelve on the Billboard R&B Charts.

The second single, "So Into You", peaked at number thirty on the Hot 100 and number seven on the Billboard R&B Charts.

The third single off her debut album was "Falling for You", which did not manage to debut on any chart.

The fourth and final single, "Loving You Still", peaked at number seventy-eight on the Billboard R&B Charts while missing the Hot 100.

A Nu Day

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 charted at eighty-four on the Billboard Hot 100 and number twenty-three on the R&B charts.

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 ten 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". The single missed the Hot 100, peaked at sixty-three on the R&B charts and peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot Dance chart

More

On April 6, 2004 Tamia released her third studio album, More. The album debuted at number seventeen on the Billboard 200 and number four on the Billboard R&B Album chart. The album was certified Gold by the RIAA.

The lead single "Into You" , a collaboration with rapper Fabolous which sampled the chorus from 1998's "So Into You", taken from her self-titled debut album. The song soared to number four on the Hot 100 and to number one on the Billboard R&B charts.

The second single "Officially Missing You" peaked at number eighty-three on the Billboard Hot 100 and thirty-one on the R&B charts.

The third single, "Questions", missed the Hot 100 and Peaked at number forty on the R&B charts.

The fourth and final single, "Still", peaked at number eighty-three on the R&B charts and number thirty-four on the Hot Dance Chart.

Split from Atlantic Records and Between Friends

In 2005, Tamia split from Atlantic Records.

On May 15, 2006 Tamia released Between Friends on South African independent label Gallo Records; on November 14, 2006 it was released in he US. The album has three tracks produced by Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins; the rest is produced by Shep Crawford. The album peaked at number sixty-six on the Billboard 200 and number nine on the Billboard Top R&B albums chart. To date, Between Friends has sold more than 345,000 copies in the United States, 120,000 in South Africa, and more than 700,000 worldwide^{citation needed}.

The first single off Between Friends, "Can't Get Enough", peaked at number twenty-six on Billboard's R&B chart. While missing the Hot 100.

The second single, "Me", which was written by Shep Crawford who wrote "Stranger In My House" peaked at twenty-nine on Billboard's R&B chart, also missing the Hot 100.

The third single, "Almost" peaked at fifty-nine on Billboard's R&B chart on March 8, 2007.

On October 27, 2007, Tamia released an album entitled A Gift Between Friends. The album is a re-release of Between Friends, with the addition of a few Christmas songs.

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. It will be released as a live album and the DVD both slated for release on 2 December 2008. The live album, Live in Washington DC, will also include 3 new tracks. ².

In September 2008 Lola Waxx Records (British Boutique label) will release a compilation called Independent Soul Divas: Independence Day. Tamia has had no connection with the recording. Compiler, Allis Karim(Lola Waxx's CEO) cites Tamia as one of the main influences and inspirations behind the creation of the album^{citation needed}.

Acting career

Tamia first acted in the film Speed 2: Cruise Control in 1997. She has also appeared on the television series Kenan & Kel, Beverly Hills 90210, Rock Me Baby and For Your Love. Tamia was also the focus of an episode of The Steve Harvey Show when two characters (Romeo & Bullethead) win tickets to a Tamia concert.

Discography

Main article: Tamia discography

Albums

• 1997: Tamia
• 2000: A Nu Day
• 2004: More
• 2006: Between Friends
• 2007: A Gift Between Friends

Singles

• 1996: "You Put a Move on My Heart" (with Quincy Jones)
• 1996: "Slow Jams" (with Quincy Jones, Babyface, Portrait & Barry White)
• 1996: "Missing You" (with Brandy, Gladys Knight and Chaka Khan)
• 1997: "Keep Hope Alive"
• 1997: "Make Tonight Beautiful"
• 1998: "Imagination" (featuring Jermaine Dupri)
• 1998: "So Into You"
• 1998: "Careless Whisper" (Japan Only)
• 1999: "Falling for You" (Radio Only)
• 1999: "Loving You Still"
• 1999: "Spend My Life with You" (with Eric Benét)
• 2000: "Can't Go for That"
• 2000: "Can't Go for That (213 Remix)" featuring 213
• 2001: "Stranger in My House"
• 2001: "Tell Me Who"
• 2003: "Officially Missing You"
• 2003: "Into You" (with Fabolous)
• 2004: "Questions"
• 2004: "Still"
• 2005: "Things I Collected" (South Africa Only)
• 2006: "Can't Get Enough"
• 2007: "Me"
• 2007: "Almost"

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

Awards and nominations

Grammy Awards

• 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 Of The Year: "Tamia" (Nominated)
• 2001, Best R&B/Soul Recording Of The Year: "A Nu Day" (Nominated)
• 2005, Best R&B/Soul Recording Of The Year: "More" (Nominated)
• 2007, Best R&B/Soul Recording Of The Year: "Between Friends" (Nominated)

See also

• List of number-one dance hits (United States)
• List of artists who reached number one on the U.S. Dance chart
• List of people with multiple sclerosis

External links

Official

• Official site
• Official South African site
• Tamia at MySpace
• Tamia at the Internet Movie Database

Unofficial/Fansites

• Tamia Fans
• Forever Tamia

Interviews

• Interview with Al Sharpton on AskDoctorV.com (April 25, 2007)

References