Tamia

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About Tamia


A native of Canada, contemporary R&B singer and songwriter Tamia got an early start in the music industry, singing on the Rod Temperton-penned "You Put a Move on My Heart," the first single from Quincy Jones' 1994 hit album Q's Jook Joint, when she was only a teenager. That paved the way for the release of her debut album in 1998.

Tamia was born and raised in Windsor, Ontario. As a child, she took acting and singing lessons, eventually performing in a number of local choirs and theatrical presentations. 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. That same year, she attended a party her manager Brenda Richie held for Luther Vandross. At that party, she met Quincy Jones, who became taken with Tamia's talent.

By the end of the year, she had sung "You Put a Move on My Heart" for Jones' new album, Q's Jook Joint. The song became a Top Ten R&B hit and earned her a Grammy nomination for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance; another song on the album, a duet with Babyface entitled "Slow Jams," was nominated for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group. She also sang "Missing You" with Brandy, Gladys Knight, and Chaka Khan on the soundtrack for the 1995 film Set It Off. "Missing You" was also nominated for a Grammy, making for a total of three nominations for Tamia before she had even released an album.

Such exposure, plus nominations from the NAACP Image Awards and the Soul Train Music Awards, made Tamia a hot commodity in the music industry. She carefully crafted her debut album over the course of 1996 and 1997, taking time out to play a small role in Speed II: Cruise Control in 1997; she also sang "Make Tonight Beautiful" for the soundtrack. Tamia finally released her debut album, Tamia, in April 1998. The album boasted an impressive list of collaborators and producers, including Jermaine Dupri, Keith Crouch, Tim Kelly and Bob Robinson, Stevie J., Mario Winans, and Quincy Jones. It peaked at number 18 on Billboard's R&B chart.

Two years later and newly signed to Elektra, Tamia released her second album, A Nu Day, featuring production collaborations from Missy Elliott, Dallas Austin, and Shep Crawford. The single "Stranger in My House" became a surprise Top Ten Hot 100 hit, which helped push the album into the Top Ten of the R&B chart. More (Elektra, 2004) and Between Friends (Image Entertainment, 2006) maintained the streak of Top Ten R&B albums. Beautiful Surprise (Plus 1, 2012) was led by its title song, the video for which featured the singer's longtime husband, professional basketball player Grant Hill. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Rovi

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Music

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  • Tamia Performs 'Officially Missing You/Give Me You'
    tamia
    Video
    Tamia Performs 'Officially Missing You/Give Me You'
  • Beautiful Surprise
    tamia
    Video
    Beautiful Surprise
  • Me
    tamia
    Video
    Me
  • Questions
    tamia
    Video
    Questions
  • Stranger In My House
    tamia
    Video
    Stranger In My House
  • 40107
    SoundStream
    SoundStream
    song name
    0:00
    Audio powered by
    All the music you want, just 10 bucks a month. Try it free.
    • Stranger In My House
      http://listen.vo.llnwd.net/g1/8/9/3/9/5/237659398.mp3
    • Beautiful Surprise
      http://listen.vo.llnwd.net/g2/5/5/9/5/6/930065955.mp3
    • So Into You
      http://listen.vo.llnwd.net/g1/4/1/6/6/9/254796614.mp3
    • Officially Missing You
      http://listen.vo.llnwd.net/g1/8/4/8/4/8/173984848.mp3
    • Still
      http://listen.vo.llnwd.net/g1/0/2/2/5/8/173985220.mp3
    • Give Me You
      http://listen.vo.llnwd.net/g2/2/8/6/5/6/930065682.mp3

Photos

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  • Tamia at the 55th annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles, California on February 10, 2013.
    Tamia
    Tamia at the 55th annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles, California on February 10, 2013.
    Getty Images/Mary HK Choi
  • Tamia arrives at the 6th Annual Soul Train Lady of Soul Awards on September 2, 2000 in Santa Monica, Ca.
    Tamia
    Tamia arrives at the 6th Annual Soul Train Lady of Soul Awards on September 2, 2000 in Santa Monica, Ca.
    Kevin Winter/Getty Images
  • Actress Saundra Santiago and singer Tamia pose backstage at the 2001 American Latino Media Arts awards at the Pasadena Civic Center in Pasadena, CA.
    Tamia
    Actress Saundra Santiago and singer Tamia pose backstage at the 2001 American Latino Media Arts awards at the Pasadena Civic Center in Pasadena, CA.
    Getty Images
  • Singer Tamia attends the 32nd Annual NAACP Image Awards March 1, 2001 in Universal City, CA.
    Tamia
    Singer Tamia attends the 32nd Annual NAACP Image Awards March 1, 2001 in Universal City, CA.
    Newsmakers
  • Singer Tamia performs at the 2003 Essence Festival July 5, 2003 in New Orleans, Louisiana.
    Tamia
    Singer Tamia performs at the 2003 Essence Festival July 5, 2003 in New Orleans, Louisiana.
    Chris Graythen/Getty Images
  • Tamia
    Tamia
    Tamia
    publicity photo
  • Tamia
    Tamia
    Tamia
    publicity photo
  • Singer Tamia performs onstage during the second stop on the "Verizon Ladies First Tour 2004" in 2004 at the New Orleans Arena, in New Orleans, Louisiana.
    Tamia
    Singer Tamia performs onstage during the second stop on the "Verizon Ladies First Tour 2004" in 2004 at the New Orleans Arena, in New Orleans, Louisiana.
    Frank Micelotta/Getty Images
  • Singer Tamia performs onstage during the start of the "Verizon Ladies First Tour 2004" in 2004 in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.
    Tamia
    Singer Tamia performs onstage during the start of the "Verizon Ladies First Tour 2004" in 2004 in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.
    Frank Micelotta/Getty Images
  • Singer Tamia performs at the Hot 97 and VH1 Soul Present Who's Next Live Music Series featuring at SOB's in the West Village on January 24, 2007 in New York City.
    Tamia
    Singer Tamia performs at the Hot 97 and VH1 Soul Present Who's Next Live Music Series featuring at SOB's in the West Village on January 24, 2007 in New York City.
    Donna Ward/Getty Images

News

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  • Tamia
    R&B Singer Tamia Talks New Album and 'Basketball Wives'
    www.vibe.com
    R&B vet Tamia is back on the music market, climbing the Billboard charts once again through her forthcoming album Beautiful Surprise (June). Do you re...
    Read More
  • Tamia
    Tamia Returns After Six-Year Hiatus With 'Beautiful Surprise' | Billboard
    www.billboard.com
    Six years have elapsed since Tamia's last album, but the singer/songwriter is picking up right where she left off. The R&B artist's fifth album, "Beau...
    Read More

Tour Dates

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  • May 22 Wednesday
    Oranjestad, Aruba Unknown venue
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  • Jun 7 Friday
    Raleigh, NC, US Lincoln Theatre
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  • Jun 8 Saturday
    New York, NY, US Highline Ballroom
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  • Jun 8 Saturday
    New York, NY, US Highline Ballroom
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  • Jun 9 Sunday
    Washington, DC, US Howard Theatre
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  • Jun 10 Monday
    Washington, DC, US Howard Theatre
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  • Jun 12 Wednesday
    Charlotte, NC, US McGlohon Theatre at Spirit Square
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  • Jun 13 Thursday
    Philadelphia, PA, US Theater of the Living Arts
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  • Jun 14 Friday
    Baltimore, MD, US Rams Head Live
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  • Jun 18 Tuesday
    Chicago, IL, US House of Blues
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  • Jun 19 Wednesday
    Detroit, MI, US Chene Park Amphitheater
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  • Jun 21 Friday
    Toronto, ON, Canada Virgin Mobile Mod Club
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  • Jul 4 Thursday
    New Orleans, LA, US Louisiana Superdome
    Buy Ticket

Discography

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  • Beautiful Surprise (2012)
    Tamia
    Beautiful Surprise (2012)
    Plus 1
  • Between Friends (2006)
    Tamia
    Between Friends (2006)
    Plus 1
  • More (2004)
    Tamia
    More (2004)
    Elektra Entertainment
  • A Nu Day (2000)
    Tamia
    A Nu Day (2000)
    Elektra Entertainment
  • Les Chants de la Terre (1999)
    Tamia
    Les Chants de la Terre (1999)
    Universal Distribution
  • Tamia (1998)
    Tamia
    Tamia (1998)
    Qwest
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