TaQuita Thorns (August 24, 1986) is an American singer-songwriter and

MTV MTV (an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on ...

star from Detroit, Michigan.

Early life

TaQuita's list of influences includes

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James Brown James Joseph Brown (May 3, 1933 – December 25, 2006) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, musician, and record producer. The central progenitor of funk music and a major figure of 20th-century music, he is referred to by Honorific nick ...

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, and

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. TaQuita began to write music and perform as a child. Her first experience performing was singing at a family gathering at age two. When she wrote songs she would also pair them with illustrations. She was recognized for her talent and allowed to sing over the school

public address system A public address system (or PA system) is an electronic system comprising microphones, amplifiers, loudspeakers, and related equipment. It increases the apparent volume (loudness) of a human voice, musical instrument, or other acoustic sound sou ...

kindergarten Kindergarten is a preschool educational approach based on playing, singing, practical activities such as drawing, and social interaction as part of the transition from home to school. Such institutions were originally made in the late 18th cen ...

. At 10-year-old she joined the ''Diamonds in the Rough'', a girl group. TaQuita also enjoyed athletics and got involved in sports at Denby Tech High School. She ran cross-country, and joined the cheer team, ''JROTC'' and the marching band. In high school, TaQuita earned the position of lead vocalist in the school choir, and captain of the dance team. She performed on the "All City" dance team, which represented the top dancers at each of Detroit's high schools. TaQuita graduated from high school in 2004.

Early career and MTV

While studying dance and music at

Wayne State University Wayne State University (WSU) is a public university, public research university in Detroit, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1868, Wayne State consists of 13 schools and colleges offering approximately 375 programs. It is Michigan's third-l ...

, TaQuita auditioned for Sean "P. Diddy" Combs and was selected to be on

's '' Making the Band 3''. She moved to New York City where the filming took place. MTV later decided to feature TaQuita in a separate series, ''The TaQuita & Kaui Show''. Between filming "Making the Band" and "Taquita & Kaui", TaQuita performed as a principal singer with the Velocity group at Detroit's Greektown Casino, where she opened for acts such as Busta Rhymes, India.Irie and Howie Mandel. "The TaQuita & Kaui Show" went on air in 2007. The show focused on TaQuita and

Making the Band ''Making the Band'' is an ABC/MTV reality television series that exists in separate iterations, each focusing on a specific music act. It spawned musical acts O-Town, Da Band, Danity Kane, Day26, and Donnie Klang. Except for the first itera ...

co-star, Kaui Beamer, while they auditioned for jobs in the

Vegas Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-larg ...

entertainment industry. The show was staged in a tiny apartment at the Happi Inn, and various locations around Las Vegas. The cast included Rita, the manager of the Happi Inn, and other residents.

Solo career

After the filming of "The TaQuita & Kaui Show", Thorns pursued a solo career as a professional singer and songwriter. On February 11, 2012, TaQuita performed her first show as a solo act at the Peacock Lounge in

Sunnyvale, California Sunnyvale () is a city located in the Santa Clara Valley in northwestern Santa Clara County, California, United States. Sunnyvale lies along the historic El Camino Real (California), El Camino Real and U.S. Route 101 in California, Highway 1 ...

. On April 13, 2012, she opened for San Jose-based rapper

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at his 8th Annual Masquerade Party at the Blank Club in San Jose. TaQuita also performed live in Las Vegas in September at the PURE House Music Festival and, in December 2012, she appeared as a guest presenter at the OUTMusic Awards and featured performer at its official after party. TaQuita Thorns released two singles and music videos in anticipation of her first album titled, ''Rough & Fancy Vol. 1''. In November 2012, TaQuita released the music video "Believe (Power of Love)". In March 2013, TaQuita released the music video "Nobody But You". TaQuita Thorns released her debut album, Rough & Fancy Vol. 1, on May 21, 2013. She debuted several songs from the album at her Los Angeles Premiere at The Mint LA on May 5, 2013, where she was backed by many of the acclaimed musicians who play on the record. Ms. Thorns and her 11-piece band also performed as the special guest at DIVA’Lation, a concert series for independent female artists, held on June 13, 2013, at The Joint in West Los Angeles.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Thorns, TaQuita A+ 1986 births Living people African-American women singer-songwriters American women singer-songwriters Wayne State University alumni Singers from Detroit 21st-century African-American women singers 21st-century American women singers Singer-songwriters from Michigan