Tamia Marilyn Washington Hill is a Canadian singer and songwriter. Born and raised in Windsor, Ontario, Tamia performed in various singing and dancing competitions as a child. In 1994, after signing a development deal with Warner Bros. Records, she was asked by veteran producer Quincy Jones to appear on his album Q's Jook Joint (1995), earning her Grammy Award nominations for their collaboration on "You Put a Move on My Heart" and "Slow Jams". Her self-titled debut album was released in 1998 and followed by a series of successful albums with Elektra Records, including A Nu Day (2000) and More (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".
"If Only You Knew" is a single written and produced primarily by Dexter Wansel and Cynthia Biggs for American singer Patti LaBelle's sixth solo album, I'm in Love Again. It was released as the album's official first single in 1983, spending four weeks at #1 on the U.S. R&B chart during January and February 1984; it reached #46 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Tamia is the debut studio album by Canadian recording artist Tamia. It was released on April 14, 1998, on Quincy Jones's Qwest Records, while distribution was handled through Warner Bros. Recorded after the release of her Grammy Award-nominated collaborations with Jones and the single "Missing You", her contribution to the soundtrack of the 1996 motion picture Set It Off, Tamia worked with a plethora of producers on her debut, including Jermaine Dupri, Tim & Bob, Mario Winans, J-Dub, Keith Crouch, and Christopher "Tricky" Stewart, many of which would become frequent producers on subsequent projects.
Between Friends is the fourth studio album by Canadian R&B singer Tamia. Her first project under her own independent label, Plus One Music Group, founded after her departure from Elektra Records in 2004, it was first released in South Africa on May 12, 2006, followed by a worldwide release in the fourth quarter of 2006. A departure from her third studio album More (2004). which included a diverse roster of collaborators, Tamia reteamed with frequent contributor Shep Crawford to work on most of the album, with its title referring to their working relationship and connection during the recording process.
More is the third studio album by Canadian R&B recording artist Tamia. It was released by Elektra Records on April 6, 2004 in North America. Created over a period of three years, in which the singer gave birth to her first child, the album, initially titled Still, was indefinitely bumped from its original August 2003 schedule after Tamia was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and forced to undergo treatment. With the illness in remission, she resumed work on the album later that year and arranged additional recording sessions with producers Poke & Tone, Spanador and R. Kelly to revamp parts of the album which saw her also reteaming with frequent partners such as Jermaine Dupri, Shep Crawford and Mario Winans.
Canadian singer and songwriter Tamia has released nine albums, and twenty-six singles. She began her career in 1995 as a protégé of musician Quincy Jones, who offered her the chance to appear on his album Q's Jook Joint (1995). Selected as the album's first single, their collaboration "You Put a Move on My Heart" became a top 20 success on the US Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs. The song, along with their second collaboration "Slow Jams" and "Missing You", a song she recorded with Brandy, Gladys Knight, and Chaka Khan for the soundtrack of the 1996 motion picture Set It Off, was later nominated for a Grammy Award.
"Me" is a song by Canadian recording artist Tamia. It was written and produced by Shep Crawford for the singer's second album A Nu Day (2000), but it did not make into the final track list. However it was later included on her fourth studio album Between Friends (2006) and released as its second single in 2007, reaching number 29 on the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.
"Bassline" is a song by American recording artist Chris Brown, taken from his fifth studio album Fortune (2012). It was written by Andrea Simms, Andrew "Pop" Wansel, Brown, David Johnson, Robert Calloway, Ronald "Flippa" Colson and Warren "Oak" Felder. The song was produced by Pop Wansel and Dayvi Jae. Musically, "Bassline" is a dubstep, electropop and electrohop song, which incorporates elements of reggae. Instrumentation is provided by a wobble bass and synthesizers. The song contains lyrics about Brown telling a woman to leave the nightclub with him. "Bassline" garnered mixed reviews from music critics; some reviewers noted it as one of the standout tracks on the album, while others criticized the song's production and lyrics. It also received comparisons to the songs by Kesha and LMFAO. Upon the release of Fortune, "Bassline" debuted at numbers 28 and 122 on the UK R&B Chart and UK Singles Chart, respectively.
"Beautiful Surprise" is a song by Canadian recording artist Tamia. It was written by Claude Kelly, Salaam Remi and the singer herself for her same-titled fifth album (2012), while production was overseen by Remi. The last song to be recorded for Beautiful Surprise, the R&B song has a breezy mid-tempo groove that is structured around a smooth synth. Lyrically, the song is an ode to her family, husband Grant Hill and her two daughters Myla and Lael, on which she sings about how happy she is to have experienced an unexpected but fulfilling love with a man.
"Ring Off" is a song recorded by American singer Beyoncé, taken from the reissue of her fifth studio album Beyoncé (2013), subtitled Platinum Edition (2014). The song was released on November 28, 2014, to contemporary hit radio in Italy and urban adult contemporary in the United States as the second single from the reissue. A midtempo reggae-tinged ballad which is built around a slight dancehall rhythm and dubstep-influenced beats, "Ring Off" addresses the end of a marriage between Beyoncé's parents. It was written in a form of open letter of encouragement for her mother Tina Knowles.
Love Life is the sixth studio album by Canadian recording artist Tamia, released on June 9, 2015 by Plus One Music Group and Def Jam Recordings. Her first major label release since More (2004), it saw Tamia consulting a diverse roster of collaborators including songwriting credits from Rachel Assil, Claude Kelly, and Dillon Pace. With much of the album completed in ten days only, she used two studios to record material for Love Life simultaneously. Production comes courtesy of the likes of Pop & Oak, The-Dream, Tricky Stewart and Polow da Don, as well as frequent collaborators The Stereotypes and Shep Crawford, amongst others.
"Stuck with Me" is a song by Canadian recording artist Tamia. It was written by Rachel Assil, Kesia Hollins and Jamal Jones for her sixth studio album Love Life (2015), while production was helmed by Jones under his production moniker Polow da Don. "Stuck with Me" is a silky, romantic R&B slow jam in which the singer professes her undying love for her significant other. Musically, the light and airy groove is built upon a liquid, pulsing bass line over which Tamia sings with smoky vocals, also making use of her falsetto range.
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 Records.
"Love Falls Over Me" is a song by Canadian recording artist Tamia. It was written by Tamia along with Warren Felder, Alicia Renee Williams, and Andrew Wansel for her sixth studio album Love Life (2015), while production was helmed by Felder and Wansel under their production moniker Pop & Oak. A sensual electro R&B song that has the singer gushing over the man who fills in her blanks, it was released as the album's third single on November 4, 2015. Pushed by several commissioned dance remixes that were produced by DJs Bobby Blanco, Desperados, and Stonebridge, it reached number 21 on the US Billboard Dance Club Songs chart.
"Beggin & Pleadin" is song by American recording artist Brandy. It was written by Ronald Colson, Warren "Oak" Felder, Kirby Lauryen, Steve Mostyn, Andrew "Pop" Wansel, and Brandy, while production was helmed by Pop & Oak, Mostyn, and Colson. "Beggin & Pleadin'" is influenced by 1950s blues, particularly the music of Ray Charles. The song is unconventionally built on a modern trap beat, and samples John Lee Hooker's song "Boom Boom". Autobiographical in nature, the lyrics are a point of view account of a female protagonist, who sings cathartically about her mercurial temperament, following an inflammatory argument with her fiancé.
"Missin U" is a song by American singer Usher. It was released by RCA Records on August 26, 2016 on for online streaming and for digital download. The record is taken from his eighth studio album, Hard II Love. The song was written by Usher, Robert Calloway, Walter Becker, Donald Fagen, Autoro Whitfield, Faheem Mardre, Andrew Wansel, and Warren Felder, while production was handled by the latter two. The song features a sample of Steely Dan's song "Third World Man" from their 1980 album Gaucho. The song impacted urban contemporary radio as the album's third single on September 13, 2016
Warren "Oak" Felder 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 Pop & Oak, and was nominated for a Grammy Award in 2015.
"Drake Would Love Me" is an R&B song recorded by American singer K. Michelle for her second studio album, Anybody Wanna Buy a Heart? (2014). It was written by Michelle and Bianca Atterberry. Its music and production came from Oak Felder, Ronald "Flippa" Colson, and Stephen Mostyn. Atlantic Records initially released the song via streaming on VH1's website on December 2, 2014, before it became available with the rest of the album the following week.
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 since the release of her solo debut single "Imagination" and its eponymous parent album. A breakaway from her previous album Love Life (2015), the singer worked with a smaller team of collaborators on the album, involving longtime contributors Shep Crawford and Salaam Remi as well as songwriters Lundon Knighten and Jonas Myrin and chief producer Lil' Ronnie and his team.
"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 production was handled by Remi. A throw-back to 1990s music, the uptempo R&B song exhibits elements of 1990s funk, soul, and dance music. Built on a stoic, snare-heavy retro break beat and a smooth, rhythmic groove, the song's instrumentation includes moody synthesizers, keyboard tones, and drums. Lyrically, "Leave It Smokin'" finds the singer looking for passions in her lover to fuel her needs.
