Tamia Marilyn Washington Hill (born May 9, 1975) is a Canadian singer, songwriter, and producer. Born and raised in

Windsor, Ontario Windsor is a city in southwestern Ontario, Canada, on the south bank of the Detroit River directly across from Detroit, Michigan, United States. Geographically located within but administratively independent of Essex County, it is the southe ...

, Tamia performed in various singing and dancing competitions as a child. In 1994, after signing a development deal with

Warner Bros. Records Warner Records Inc. (formerly Warner Bros. Records Inc.) is an American record label. A subsidiary of the Warner Music Group, it is headquartered in Los Angeles, California. It was founded on March 19, 1958, as the recorded music division of the ...

, she was asked by veteran producer

Quincy Jones Quincy Delight Jones Jr. (born March 14, 1933) is an American record producer, musician, songwriter, composer, arranger, and film and television producer. His career spans 70 years in the entertainment industry with a record of 80 Grammy Award n ...

to appear on his album ''

Q's Jook Joint ''Q's Jook Joint'' is an album by Quincy Jones, released in 1995 by Qwest Records. The album reached No. 1 on the '' Billboard'' jazz albums chart on December 30, 1995. ''Q's Jook Joint'' won the Grammy Award for Best Engineered Album, Non-Classi ...

'' (1995), earning her

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pr ...

nominations for their collaboration on "

You Put a Move on My Heart "You Put a Move on My Heart" is a song by British recording artist Mica Paris, written and produced by Rod Temperton for her third studio '' Whisper a Prayer'' (1993). Reception Though not released as a single, the song received general acclai ...

" and "

Slow Jams "Slow Jams" is a song by American musician Quincy Jones, taken from his studio album ''Q's Jook Joint'' (1995). Written and produced by Rod Temperton, vocals for the song were initially recorded by Babyface, Portrait, Barry White and Coko. A r ...

". Her self-titled debut album was released in 1998 and followed by a series of successful albums with Elektra Records, including ''

A Nu Day ''A Nu Day'' is the second studio album by Canadian recording artist Tamia. It was released by Elektra Records on October 10, 2000, following her transition from Qwest Records. A less ballad-driven collection of songs and more progressive approach ...

'' (2000) and ''

More More or Mores may refer to: Computing * MORE (application), outline software for Mac OS * more (command), a shell command * MORE protocol, a routing protocol * Missouri Research and Education Network Music Albums * ''More!'' (album), by Booka S ...

'' (2004). Several songs from these albums became hit singles on the pop and R&B record charts, including " So Into You", " Stranger in My House" and " Imagination" as well as her collaborations " Into You", " Missing You" and "

Spend My Life with You "Spend My Life with You" is a Grammy-nominated R&B song by R&B singer Eric Benét, featuring R&B singer Tamia. Released as the second single from Benét's second studio album '' A Day in the Life'' (1999), the song spent three weeks at number ...

". Since her departure from Elektra, Tamia has released most of her projects independently on her own label

Plus One Music Group Tamia Marilyn Washington Hill (born May 9, 1975) is a Canadian singer, songwriter, and producer. Born and raised in Windsor, Ontario, Tamia performed in various singing and dancing competitions as a child. In 1994, after signing a development dea ...

, through ventures with Def Jam,

eOne Music MNRK Music Group (pronounced "monarch", formerly known as Koch Records and eOne Music) is a New York City-based independent record label and music management company. It was formed in 2009 from the music assets of Koch Entertainment, which had ...

and others. In 2015, her sixth album '' Love Life'' debuted and peaked at number two on '' Billboard''s

Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a music chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales in the United States and is compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The chart debuted as Hot R&B LPs in the issue dated ...

, becoming her highest-charting album on the chart. A NAACP Image Award recipient for her work with singer

Eric Benét Eric Benét Jordan (born October 15, 1967) is an American R&B/neo soul singer-songwriter and actor, who has received a total of four Grammy nominations to date for his musical work. Biography Early life Benét was born on October 15, 1966 ...

, Tamia is a six-time

nominee and has been nominated for numerous other awards and accolades, including a

Soul Train Music Award The Soul Train Music Awards is an annual music awards show which previously aired in national broadcast syndication, and honors the best in African-American culture, music and entertainment. It is produced by the makers of ''Soul Train'', the pro ...

, a

Source Award ''The Source'' is an American hip hop and entertainment website, and a magazine that publishes annually or . It is the world's longest-running rap periodical, being founded as a newsletter in 1988 by Jonathan Shecter. David Mays was the magaz ...

and four

Juno Awards The Juno Awards, more popularly known as the JUNOS, are awards presented annually to Canadian musical artists and bands to acknowledge their artistic and technical achievements in all aspects of music. New members of the Canadian Music Hall of ...

. She has been married to former basketball player Grant Hill since 1999; they have two daughters. Diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2003, Tamia is an advocate for the

National Multiple Sclerosis Society The National Multiple Sclerosis Society (NMSS) is a nonprofit organization that was founded in New York City as the Association for Advancement of Research on Multiple Sclerosis on March 11, 1946 by Sylvia Lawry. Ms. Lawry was a lawyer looking fo ...

(NMSS) on behalf of others affected by the disease.

Early life

Tamia was born in

. The only daughter of a white father and black mother, Barbara Washington-Peden, she has three younger brothers named Tiras, Tajhee, and Trajan. Peden gave birth to Tamia when she was 17 years old and raised her children as a

single mom A single parent is a person who has a child or children but does not have a spouse or live-in partner to assist in the upbringing or support of the child. Reasons for becoming a single parent include divorce, break-up, abandonment, becoming wid ...

in the projects between Glengarry Avenue and McDougall Street in downtown Windsor. Aside from the music she heard and sang at church, Tamia was exposed to diverse music from an early age by her mother. As early as age six, she was on stage singing at the local church, and by age 12, had already been involved in several musicals which helped 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 talent. It was not long before she was able to develop her skills in the Walkerville Centre for Creative Arts program for visual and performing arts students, introduced at

Walkerville Collegiate Institute Walkerville Collegiate Institute (WCI) is a secondary school (grades 9 to 12) in the Walkerville area of Windsor, Ontario and managed by the Greater Essex County District School Board. It is the home of the Walkerville Centre for the Creative A ...

in Windsor. Along with attending high school at Walkerville, she made several appearances in local theater and choral concerts before winning Canada's prestigious YTV Vocal Achievement Award in 1993. In 1994, Tamia performed at a multiple sclerosis benefit in

Aspen, Colorado Aspen is a home rule municipality that is the county seat and the most populous municipality of Pitkin County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 7,004 at the 2020 United States Census. Aspen is in a remote area of the Rocky Moun ...

when she met music manager, Lionel Richie's ex-wife Brenda Richie, who was cosponsoring the event and introduced herself to Tamia after the show. A few months later, Tamia, who was being courted by

at the time, called Richie to say that she was coming to

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

for a photo session, resulting in her lasting stay and a management deal with Richie. Weeks later, Richie arranged for her to perform at a star-studded party that she held for singer Luther Vandross. Her performance reportedly impressed all in attendance, including veteran producer

, who took notice and later offered her the chance to appear on his album ''

'' (1995).

Career

1995–1998: Collaborations and ''Tamia''

", a

Mica Paris Michelle Antoinette Wallen (born 27 April 1969), known professionally as Mica Paris (), is an English singer, presenter and actress. Paris was born in Islington in North London, but moved to Brockley, South London, when she was nine. She rel ...

cover, was one out of several Jones songs Tamia recorded vocals for. Selected as the first single from ''Q's Jook Joint'', it became a moderate commercial success, reaching the top twenty of the US ''Billboard''

Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by '' Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 ...

, but earned acclaim from critics, resulting in a

nomination for

Best Female R&B Vocal Performance The Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance (previously called Best Rhythm and Blues Solo Vocal Performance, Female) was an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards ...

at the 39th ceremony. Tamia along with

Babyface Babyface or Baby Face can refer to: Nicknames * Lester Joseph Gillis a.k.a. Baby Face Nelson, an infamous 1930s bank robber * Roosevelt "Baby Face" Willette (1933–1971), an American hard bop and soul-jazz musician * "Baby Face", Jimmy McLarnin ...

Portrait A portrait is a painting, photograph, sculpture, or other artistic representation of a person, in which the face and its expressions are predominant. The intent is to display the likeness, personality, and even the mood of the person. For this r ...

, and

Barry White Barry Eugene Carter (September 12, 1944 – July 4, 2003), better known by his stage name Barry White, was an American singer and songwriter. A two-time Grammy Award winner known for his bass voice and romantic image, his greatest success came ...

received a second nomination that night for "

", the second single from Jones' album, which fared similarly on the charts, peaking at number two on the

New Zealand Singles Chart The Official New Zealand Music Chart ( mi, Te Papa Tātai Waiata Matua o Aotearoa) is the weekly New Zealand top 40 singles and albums charts, issued weekly by Recorded Music NZ (formerly Recording Industry Association of New Zealand). The Music ...

, and received a third nod in the Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals category for her performance on " Missing You", a collaboration with singers Brandy,

Gladys Knight Gladys Maria Knight (born May 28, 1944), known as the "Empress of Soul", is an American singer, actress and businesswoman. A seven-time Grammy Award-winner, Knight recorded hits through the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s with her family group Gladys K ...

, and Chaka Khan for the soundtrack of the 1996 motion picture '' Set It Off''. A top thirty success on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100, it was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). In 1997, Tamia made her film debut in the action-thriller '' Speed 2: Cruise Control''. Playing 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. The same year, she has also appeared in television sitcoms such as '' Rock Me Baby'' and ''

Kenan and Kel ''Kenan & Kel'' is an American buddy comedy sitcom created by Kim Bass. The show originally aired on the Nickelodeon network for four seasons, from July 15, 1996, to July 15, 2000. Set in Chicago, Illinois, the series follows mischievous Kenan ...

'' and recorded the all-star

charity single A charity record or charity single is a song released by musicians with most or all proceeds raised going to a dedicated foundation or charity. George Harrison's "Bangla Desh" single in 1971 is commonly acknowledged as the first ever purpose-made ...

"Love Shouldn't Hurt" for the National Committee for the Prevention of Child Abuse along with

All-4-One All-4-One is an American male R&B and pop group best known for their hit singles " I Swear", "So Much in Love" and "I Can Love You Like That". The group is composed of Jamie Jones, Delious Kennedy, Alfred Nevarez, and Tony Borowiak, all from ...

Michael Bolton Michael Bolotin
, The Jewish Historical Society of New Haven, 1998. (born February 26, 1953), known professio ...

, and others. Following this, Jones enlisted the services of several producers to work on Tamia's debut self-titled album, including

Jermaine Dupri Jermaine Dupri Mauldin (born September 23, 1972) is an American rapper, songwriter, record producer, record executive, entrepreneur, and DJ. Early life Jermaine Dupri Mauldin was born on September 23, 1972, the son of Tina (Mosley) and Michael ...

Tim & Bob Tim & Bob (Tim Kelley and Bob Robinson), also known as Funktwons, were a songwriting and production duo. Tim & Bob have discovered and or worked on some of the biggest artists in the music industry and has helped develop the Atlanta music scene ...

, and

Mario Winans Mario Mendell Winans ( Brown; born August 29, 1974) is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer best known for his 2004 song " I Don't Wanna Know", which reached number 2 in the United States and number 1 in the United Kingdom. Wina ...

, many of which would become frequent producers on subsequent projects. Upon its April 1998 release, ''Tamia'' received a mixed to positive reception by critics, who complimented Tamia's vocal performance and the progression from her earlier recordings but found the material uneven. It debuted and peaked at number sixty-seven on the US ''Billboard'' 200. Five singles were released from the album, including the top twenty entries " Imagination" and " So into You". In 1999, ''Tamia'' garnered the singer two Juno Award nominations for Best New Solo Artist and R&B/Soul Recording of the Year.

1999–2005: ''A Nu Day'' and ''More''

In 1999, Tamia collaborated with American singer

on his single "

". The song reached the top of ''Billboard''s

chart and earned her a fourth Grammy Award nomination as well as the

NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Song This article lists the winners and nominees for the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Song. The award was first given in 1972, before being retired until the 1996 ceremony. In 2017 the category was divided, honoring traditional and contemporary song ...

. Frustrated by Qwest's label politics, Tamia transitioned to Elektra Records the same year and began worked on her second album ''

''. Rapper-producer Missy Elliott, frequent co-producer Bink,

Dallas Austin Dallas L. Austin (born December 29, 1970) is an American musician, songwriter, record producer, and film producer. Biography Early life During a 2019 interview with DJ Vlad, Dallas Austin detailed previously unknown or unconfirmed events in ...

and

Shep Crawford Shep Crawford (December 18, 1970) is a Grammy Award-winning American R&B and gospel musician, songwriter, and record producer best known for Whitney Houston's "Same Script, Different Cast", Deborah Cox's "Nobody's Supposed to Be Here", Tami ...

worked with Tamia on the majority project, which she declared "not as ballad-driven as" her debut album and felt it was "more aggressive in terms of the formats of the songs". Released in October 2000, ''A Nu Day'' received a mixed response from critics, who complimented her more stylish sound but found the material inconsistent. It debuted and peaked at number forty-six on the ''Billboard'' 200 and became her first top ten entry on the

, peaking at number eight. A steady seller, it reached gold status in the US and produced three of Tamia's commercially most successful singles, including her only US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 top ten hit single " Stranger in My House". In 2001, ''A Nu Day'' was nominated in the R&B/Soul Recording of the Year category at the annual Juno Awards. In 2003, Tamia appeared on the international top ten hit " Into You", a collaboration with rapper

Fabolous John David Jackson (born November 18, 1977), better known by his stage name Fabolous, is an American rapper. Raised in Brooklyn, he first gained recognition while still a senior in high school, when he performed live on American music executive ...

from his second studio album '' Street Dreams'' (2003) based on her 1998 single " So into You". It reached the top five in Australia and the US and was followed by "

Officially Missing You "Officially Missing You" is a song by Canadian R&B recording artist Tamia, taken from her third studio album, ''More'' (2004). Released as the album's lead single, it was written by Marcus Vest, better known by his stage name Seven Aurelius. Th ...

", the lead single from her third album. Initially titled ''Still'', the project was indefinitely bumped from its original August 2003 schedule after Tamia's multiple sclerosis diagnosis and subsequent treatment. With the illness in remission, she resumed work later that year and arranged additional recording sessions to revamp parts of the album. Finally released in April 2004, ''

'' was released to generally mixed reception from music critics and debuted and peaked at number 17 on the US ''Billboard'' 200 and number four on the

, with first week sales of 71,000 copies, marking the highest-selling and highest-charting opening of Tamia's catalogue yet. In support of ''More'', Tamia was featured as a special guest on the Verizon Ladies First Tour, co-headlined by Beyoncé,

Alicia Keys Alicia Augello Cook (born January 25, 1981), known professionally as Alicia Keys, is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. A classically trained pianist, Keys started composing songs when she was 12 and was signed at 15 years old by Col ...

and Missy Elliott, which became one of the biggest concert tours of the year. In 2005, ''More'' became Tamia's third consecutive album to earn a Juno Award nomination in the R&B/Soul Recording of the Year category.

2005–2013: ''Between Friends'' and ''Beautiful Surprise''

In order to gain more creative control over future projects, Tamia left Elektra amid its merger with Atlantic Records in 2005 and decided to go

independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independ ...

, founding her own record label

. Unlike previous projects, she only consulted longtime contributor

to work with her on her fourth studio album. A rather intimate process, the pair met on a daily basis in an

Orlando Orlando () is a city in the U.S. state of Florida and is the county seat of Orange County. In Central Florida, it is the center of the Orlando metropolitan area, which had a population of 2,509,831, according to U.S. Census Bureau figures re ...

recording studio to write and produce new songs, with

Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins Rodney Roy Jerkins (born July 29, 1977), also known by his stage name Darkchild, is an American record producer, rapper, and songwriter. He has collaborated with a broad range of popular artists. Jerkins has won multiple Grammy Awards. Among hi ...

providing additional material late into the production of the album. Alluding to her working relationship with Crawford, it was eventually titled '' Between Friends'', and first released in

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...

in May 2006 in

, followed by a worldwide distribution in the fourth quarter of 2006. A moderate commercial success, it number 66 on the ''Billboard'' 200, while peaking at number 2 on ''Billboard''s Independent Albums. Its first two singles, " Can't Get Enough" and " Me", both reached the top 30 on the

chart. In November 2009, ''Greatest Hits'', a compilation album, was released in South Africa. The same year, Tamia announced that she was working with Crawford to form a supergroup called TDK along with singers

Kelly Price Kelly Cherelle Price (born April 4, 1973) is an American R&B and gospel singer. She started her singing career in 1992. Price originally garnered attention by singing backing vocals for Mariah Carey on multiple songs, including her ''Billboar ...

and

Deborah Cox Deborah Cox (born July 13, 1974) is a Canadian singer, songwriter, actress, and record producer. Born and raised in Toronto, she began performing on television commercials at age 12, and entered various talent shows in her teenage years before ...

. Their joint album ''The Queen Project'' failed to materialize however due timing issues and label politics. In August 2012, Tamia's fifth studio ''

Beautiful Surprise ''Beautiful Surprise'' is the fifth studio album by Canadian recording artist Tamia. It was released by her own label, Plus One Music Group on August 28, 2012 in the United States, with distribution handled by EMI and Capitol Records. Her first ...

'' was released on Plus One and EMI Music. The singer worked with a vast of different producers on the album, including

Chuck Harmony Charles T. Harmon (born 1979),Gerrick D. Kennedy''Los Angeles Times'', February 24, 2015. better known as Chuck Harmony, is an American music producer, musician, songwriter and entrepreneur, based in Nashville, Tennessee. He is a three-time Gram ...

, The Runners, and

Carvin & Ivan Carvin & Ivan are a production duo from Philadelphia consisting of Record producer, producer and songwriters Ivan "Orthodox" Barias and Carvin "Ransum" Haggins. Initially starting out as solo hip hop artists, Haggins and Barias moved into producti ...

. ''Beautiful Surprise'' earned a mixed reception from music critics and debuted at 23 on the ''Billboard'' 200 and at number six on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums. Lead single "

", co-written by

Claude Kelly Claude Kelly (born December 27, 1980)Shirley Halperin and Bob Love"THR Names Music's 35 Top Hitmakers,"''The Hollywood Reporter'', February 6, 2013. is an American singer, songwriter and music producer. He is a four-time Grammy Award nominee, a ...

and

Salaam Remi Salaam Remi Gibbs (born May 14, 1972) is a Grammy winning American record producer known for his association with Nas, Amy Winehouse, Robby, Fugees, Fergie, Estelle, Black Thought, and Miguel, and for his reggae-tinged (often referred to as ...

, peaked at number 24 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs. Both the single and its parent album received nominations in the

Best R&B Song The Grammy Award for Best R&B Song (sometimes known as the R&B Songwriter's Award) has been awarded since 1969. From 1969 to 2000, it was known as the Grammy Award for Best Rhythm and Blues Song. Beyoncé has won it a record four times, while Bab ...

and

Best R&B Album The Grammy Award for Best R&B Album is an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for quality works on albums in the R&B music genre. Honors ...

categories at the 55th Annual Grammy Awards, while garnering Tamia a

nomination at the

2012 Soul Train Music Awards The 2012 Soul Train Music Awards were held at Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas, Nevada on November 25, 2012. The show was hosted by actor/comedian Cedric the Entertainer. Performers included New Edition, Miguel, Ne-Yo, Keyshia Cole, Tyrese, Elle Varn ...

. In support of ''Beautiful Surprise'', Tamia joined

R. Kelly Robert Sylvester Kelly (born January 8, 1967) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and sex offender convicted of racketeering and multiple sex offenses. During his recording career, Kelly sold over 75 million records worldwi ...

during his The Single Ladies Tour from October until December 2012.

2014–present: ''Love Life'' and ''Passion Like Fire''

In August 2014, Tamia signed with

Def Jam Recordings Def Jam Recordings (also simply known as Def Jam) is an American multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It is based in Manhattan, New York City, specializing predominantly in hip hop, contemporary R&B, soul and pop. The l ...

, marking her return to major label ranks. '' Love Life'', her sixth album, was completed in ten days and released on June 9, 2015, in the United States in collaboration with her own label, Plus One Music Group. A departure from her previous independent projects, she worked with a wider range of high-profile producers on its songs, including

Polow da Don Jamal Fincher Jones (born October 15, 1977, or 1978), professionally known as Polow da Don, is an American record producer and rapper. Jones has produced a variety of singles for a multitude of artists including "Anaconda" by Nicki Minaj (2014 ...

as well as

Oak Felder Warren "Oak" Felder (born November 9, 1980)Dale KawashimaSongwriter Universe, September 7, 2017. is a Turkish-born American songwriter and record producer based in Atlanta and Los Angeles. He is known for his work as part of the production duo Po ...

and

Pop Wansel Andrew "Pop" Wansel (born April 27, 1988) is an American record producer, musician and songwriter from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. As the son of Philadelphia soul musician Dexter Wansel, Pop grew up in the music industry and began writing and pr ...

from duo

Pop & Oak Pop & Oak is a songwriting and production duo consisting of Andrew "Pop" Wansel and Warren "Oak" Felder. Wansel is the son of Dexter Wansel, staff songwriter, producer and session musician of Gamble and Huff's Philadelphia International Recor ...

as well as frequent collaborators

Christopher "Tricky" Stewart Christopher Alan "Tricky" Stewart (born January 4, 1974) is an American record producer, record executive, songwriter, and music publisher. In a career spanning over 30 years, Stewart has won 5 Grammys and is responsible for over 50 million rec ...

and

The-Dream Terius Youngdell Nash (born September 20, 1977), better known by his stage name The-Dream, is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. His co-writing credits include songs with "Me Against the Music" (2003) for Britney Spears, " Rid ...

. ''Love Life'' earned generally favorable reviews from critics, who summed it as "grown-up, worn-in R&B at its finest", and debuted at number 24 on the US ''Billboard'' 200, selling 16,000 copies in the week ending June 14, 2015. It also debuted on top of ''Billboard''s

Top R&B Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a music chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales in the United States and is compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The chart debuted as Hot R&B LPs in the issue dated Ja ...

and at number two on the

, becoming Tamia's highest-charting album ever on both charts, and spawned produced three singles, including lead single "

Sandwich and a Soda "Sandwich and a Soda" is a song by Canadian recording artist Tamia, recorded for her sixth studio album '' Love Life'' (2015). It was written by Tamia, Stephen Mostyn, Autoro Whitfield, Alicia Renee Williams, Warren Felder, and Andrew Wansel, wi ...

" and follow-up “ Stuck with Me” both of which reached the top twenty on ''Billboard''s

Adult R&B Songs The Adult R&B Songs chart (formerly called Adult R&B Airplay) is an airplay chart that is published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine. The chart tracks and measures the airplay of songs played on urban adult contemporary radio stations, whose playl ...

. ''

Passion Like Fire ''Passion Like Fire'' is the seventh studio album by Canadian singer Tamia. It was released on September 7, 2018 through Plus One Music Group and 21 Entertainment. Her first project to be distributed by eOne Music, its release marked twenty years ...

'', Tamia's seventh album, was released in September 2018 through Plus One, 21 Entertainment, and

. A breakaway from her previous album, the singer worked with a smaller team of collaborators on the album, involving longtime contributors

Lil Ronnie Lil' Ronnie (born Ronnie Jackson) is an American record producer from Kansas City, Missouri and Atlanta, Georgia, who has produced tracks for artists R. Kelly, T.I., Bow Wow, Britney Spears T-Pain, Usher, Mary J. Blige, Ciara, Reuben Studdar ...

and

. While critical reception was generally lukewarm, the album debuted at number 145 on the US ''Billboard'' 200, becoming her lowest-charting album yet, also reaching number 17 on

chart. Its release was preceded by the singles "

Leave It Smokin' "Leave It Smokin" is a song by Canadian singer Tamia. Inspired by New York summertime music, Tamia wrote the song alongside frequent collaborators Alicia Renee Williams and Salaam Remi for her seventh studio album ''Passion Like Fire'' (2018); its ...

" and "Today I Do", the former of which became her biggest hit in years, peaking at number two on ''Billboard''s

. In support of the album, Tamia embarked on the Passion Like Fire Tour which launched on September 18, 2018, and visited most of the major US cities. In 2019, she was awarded the Soul Music Icon Award at the fourth annual Black Music Honors.

Personal life

Singer

Anita Baker Anita Denise Baker (born January 26, 1958) is an American singer-songwriter. She is one of the most popular singers of soulful ballads, especially renowned for her work during the height of the quiet storm period in the 1980s. Starting her career ...

introduced Tamia to American basketball player Grant Hill through a

blind date A blind date is a social engagement between two people who have not met, usually arranged by a mutual acquaintance. Structure A blind date is arranged for by a mutual acquaintance of both participants. The two people who take part in the blind ...

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at t ...

Michigan Michigan () is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the List of U.S. states and ...

in 1996. After a courtship of about three years, the pair eventually married on July 24, 1999, in a private reception in Battle Creek, Michigan. The ceremony was officiated by Rev. John H. Grant, Hill's cousin, and attended by 250 guests. The couple initially resided in

, but later relocated to Orlando, Florida when Hill left the

Detroit Pistons The Detroit Pistons are an American professional basketball team based in Detroit. The Pistons compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division and play their home games at L ...

to sign with the Orlando Magic team. Their first daughter, Myla Grace, was born on January 23, 2002. A second daughter Lael Rose Hill followed on August 9, 2007. In 2003, amid the recording of her third album ''More'', doctors at

Duke University Hospital Duke University Hospital is a 957-acute care bed academic tertiary care facility located in Durham, North Carolina. Established in 1930, it is the flagship teaching hospital for the Duke University Health System, a network of physicians and hos ...

in Durham, North Carolina diagnosed Tamia with multiple sclerosis, a

demyelinating disease A demyelinating disease is any disease of the nervous system in which the myelin sheath of neurons is damaged. This damage impairs the conduction of signals in the affected nerves. In turn, the reduction in conduction ability causes deficiency i ...

in which the insulating covers of

nerve cells A neuron, neurone, or nerve cell is an electrically excitable cell that communicates with other cells via specialized connections called synapses. The neuron is the main component of nervous tissue in all animals except sponges and placozoa. ...

in the

brain A brain is an organ that serves as the center of the nervous system in all vertebrate and most invertebrate animals. It is located in the head, usually close to the sensory organs for senses such as vision. It is the most complex organ in a ve ...

and

spinal cord The spinal cord is a long, thin, tubular structure made up of nervous tissue, which extends from the medulla oblongata in the brainstem to the lumbar region of the vertebral column (backbone). The backbone encloses the central canal of the sp ...

are damaged, after she had been experiencing mystifying bouts of fatigue and

numbness Hypoesthesia or numbness is a common side effect of various medical conditions that manifests as a reduced sense of touch or sensation, or a partial loss of sensitivity to sensory stimuli. In everyday speech this is generally referred to as num ...

in her hands, feet and legs. While the music project was indefinitely bumped from its original August 2003 schedule, the singer went into subsequent treatment, using corticosteroids to help delay the onset of more severe symptoms. Diagnosed early, the illness has since been in remission though she has occasional but controllable symptoms.

Discography

* ''

Tamia Tamia Marilyn Washington Hill (born May 9, 1975) is a Canadian singer, songwriter, and producer. Born and raised in Windsor, Ontario, Tamia performed in various singing and dancing competitions as a child. In 1994, after signing a development de ...

'' (1998) * ''

'' (2000) * ''

'' (2004) * '' Between Friends'' (2006) * ''

'' (2012) * '' Love Life'' (2015) * ''

'' (2018)

Tours

;Headlining *1998 Tour *A Nu Day Tour *2005 Tour *Between Friends Tour *Beautiful Surprise Tour *Love Life Tour *Passion Like Fire Tour ;Co-headlining *The Queen Project *Soul Summer Concert Series ;Opening act * Verizon Ladies First Tour *Single Ladies Tour

Awards and nominations

;Grammy Awards , - , rowspan="3" ,

1997 File:1997 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The movie set of ''Titanic'', the highest-grossing movie in history at the time; '' Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'', is published; Comet Hale-Bopp passes by Earth and becomes one of ...

, " Missing You" (with Brandy, Chaka Khan and

) , Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals , , - , "

" (with

) ,

, , - , "

" (with Quincy Jones,

and

) ,

Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals The Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal was awarded between 1970 and 2011. From 1967 to 1969 and in 1971 the award included instrumental performances. The award had several minor name changes: *From 1967 to 1968 the ...

, , - ,

2000 File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from S ...

, "

" (with

) , Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals , , - , rowspan="2" ,

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fa ...

, "

" ,

, , - , ''Beautiful Surprise'' ,

, ; NAACP Image Award , - , 2000 , "Spend My Life with You" (with Eric Benét) , Outstanding Song , ; Juno Award , - , rowspan="2" ,

1999 File:1999 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The funeral procession of King Hussein of Jordan in Amman; the 1999 İzmit earthquake kills over 17,000 people in Turkey; the Columbine High School massacre, one of the first major school shoot ...

, , Breakthrough Artist of the Year , , - , ''Tamia'' , R&B/Soul Recording of the Year , , - , 2001 , ''A Nu Day'' , R&B/Soul Recording of the Year , , - , 2004 , ''

'' , R&B/Soul Recording of the Year , , - , 2005 , ''More'' , R&B/Soul Recording of the Year , ;

Soul Train Music Awards The Soul Train Music Awards is an annual music awards show which previously aired in national broadcast syndication, and honors the best in African-American culture, music and entertainment. It is produced by the makers of '' Soul Train'', the p ...

, - ,

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gat ...

, , Best Independent/Soul Artist , ;UB Honors Awards , - , rowspan="2" , 2012 , rowspan="2" , ''Beautiful Surprise'' , Best Independent Urban Album , , - , Best R&B Album Of The Year , ;RLM World Music Awards , - , 2013 , , Best Female Artist , ;Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Awards , - , 2007 , , Top R&B/Hip-Hop Artist - Female , ;

Source Awards ''The Source'' is an American hip hop and entertainment website, and a magazine that publishes annually or . It is the world's longest-running rap periodical, being founded as a newsletter in 1988 by Jonathan Shecter. David Mays was the ma ...

, - , 2003 , " Into You" (with

) , R&B/Rap Collaboration Of The Year ,

References

External links

; Official
Official site
*
YouTube
; Interviews
Interview with Al Sharpton on AskDoctorV.com (April 25, 2007)

Tamia Talks New Album, Beyonce, and Country Music
{{Authority control 1975 births 21st-century Black Canadian women singers 20th-century Black Canadian women singers Canadian expatriate musicians in the United States Canadian women pop singers Canadian gospel singers Canadian house musicians Canadian mezzo-sopranos Canadian contemporary R&B singers Canadian soul singers Elektra Records artists Living people Musicians from Windsor, Ontario People with multiple sclerosis Qwest Records artists Singers with a three-octave vocal range Canadian women singer-songwriters Ballad musicians Canadian hip hop singers Canadian women hip hop musicians