Prudencesa Renfro, known professionally as Pru, is an American singer-songwriter. Raised in

South Park, Houston South Park is a broad post-World War II development in the south-central area of Houston, Texas, a few miles south of MacGregor Park and directly south of the 610 Loop. According to the 2000 Census, the community has a population of 22,282. 81% ...

, Renfro gained public recognition after being signed to

Capitol Records Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007) is an American record label distributed by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-based record label of note ...

and releasing her debut album ''Pru'' in 2000.

Career

Early life and career beginnings

Prudencesa Renfro was raised in South Park, Houston, by her mother Patsy Renfro. She has three older siblings. Renfro became interested in music at a young age, and performed in bars while working as a bartender. She wrote song lyrics and poetry while attending high school and then

Texas Southern University Texas Southern University (Texas Southern or TSU) is a public historically black university in Houston, Texas. The university is one of the largest and most comprehensive historically black college or universities in the USA with nearly 10,000 ...

, coupling her lyrics with the music of other artists such as

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over a ...

Rachelle Ferrell Rachelle Ferrell (born May 21, 1961) is an American vocalist and musician. Although she has had some success in the mainstream R&B, pop, gospel and classical music scenes, she is noted for her talents as a contemporary jazz singer. In contem ...

Sade Sade may refer to: People * Marquis de Sade (1740–1814), French aristocrat, writer, and libertine * Sade (singer) (born 1959, Helen Folasade Adu), British Nigerian musician and lead singer of the eponymous band * Sade Baderinwa (born 1969), WAB ...

, Naughty by Nature, the Isley Brothers, and

Miles Davis Miles Dewey Davis III (May 26, 1926September 28, 1991) was an American trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the history of jazz and 20th-century music. Davis adopted a variety of music ...

. Renfro later moved to

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

to further pursue her music career. Renfro became professionally known as Pru, and was signed through Warner/Chappell Music Publishing by

' executive Roy Lott. Lott said that he was drawn to her songwriting and voice. Her demo was produced by Jack Ponti of CazzyDog Management and helped her to secure the record deal.

''Pru''

Renfro's debut album ''Pru'' was released on November 7, 2000.''Pru'' was released as an audio CD, cassette, and digital download on November 7, 2000: * * According to ''Billboard'' magazine, Capitol Records had placed significant focus on the marketing for the album, including the release of an electronic press kit and promotion through "non-retail accounts". Lott told ''Billboard'' that Renfro would act as a primary part of Capitol Records' attempt to attract a wider audience with her

crossover appeal Crossover may refer to: Entertainment Albums and songs * ''Cross Over'' (Dan Peek album) * ''Crossover'' (Dirty Rotten Imbeciles album), 1987 * ''Crossover'' (Intrigue album) * ''Crossover'' (Hitomi Shimatani album) * ''Crossover'' (Yoshino ...

. ''Pru'' reached a peak position of number 176 on the ''Billboard'' 200, spending two weeks on the chart, and peaked on ''Billboard's''

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 J ...

at number 38, leaving the chart after thirty-two weeks. Two singles"Candles" and "Aaroma (of a Man)" were released from the album. "Candles" reached number 68 on the

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 ...

''Billboard'' chart where it spent fourteen weeks, and peaked at number 65 on the R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay ''Billboard'' chart where it spent ten weeks. Renfro's style was compared to contemporary

neo soul Neo soul (sometimes called progressive soul) is a genre of popular music. As a term, it was coined by music industry entrepreneur Kedar Massenburg during the late 1990s to market and describe a style of music that emerged from soul and contempo ...

performers, such as Lauryn Hill, Macy Gray, and Erykah Badu.

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Renfro, Prudencesa 20th-century African-American women singers 20th-century American singer-songwriters 20th-century American women singers 21st-century American singer-songwriters 21st-century American women singers African-American women singer-songwriters American women singer-songwriters American neo soul singers American rhythm and blues singer-songwriters Capitol Records artists Living people Singers from Houston Singer-songwriters from Texas Year of birth missing (living people) 21st-century African-American women