Taja Sevelle (born Nancy Richardson) is an American singer and songwriter, best known for her 1987 single, "

Love Is Contagious "Love Is Contagious" is the debut single by American singer Taja Sevelle, released in 1987. The song was taken from her eponymous debut studio album, released by Paisley Park Records. It is Sevelle's only major chart hit, reaching number 7 on the ...

" and for the non-profit organization Urban Farming, which she founded in 2005.

Biography

Sevelle signed a

recording contract A recording contract (commonly called a record contract or record deal) is a legal agreement between a record label and a recording artist (or group), where the artist makes a record (or series of records) for the label to sell and promote. Artists ...

with

Prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. Th ...

Paisley Park Records Paisley Park Records was an American record label founded by musician Prince in 1985, which was distributed by and funded in part by Warner Bros. Records. It was started in 1985, following the success of the film and album '' Purple Rain''. ...

in 1987. She also released her self-titled debut album that year, and would go on to release two more studio albums on other labels, 1991's ''Fountains Free'' and 1997's ''Toys of Vanity''. Only two of the songs she recorded were written or co-written by Prince: "Wouldn't You Love to Love Me?" and "If I Could Get Your Attention", both from her debut album. She was first featured on Prince and the Revolution's 1985 album ''

Around the World in a Day ''Around the World in a Day'' is the seventh studio album by American recording artist Prince, and the second release where his backing band The Revolution is billed. It was released on April 22, 1985, by Paisley Park Records and Warner Bros. R ...

'', singing backing vocals on the song "The Ladder". During the 1990s, Sevelle wrote several songs for

Warner Music Warner Music Group Corp. ( d.b.a. Warner Music Group, commonly abbreviated as WMG) is an American multinational entertainment and record label conglomerate headquartered in New York City. It is one of the " big three" recording companies and t ...

Debut album

The eponymous album ''Taja Sevelle'' was produced by Minneapolis musician

Chico Bennett Chico Bennett is an American record producer, musician, and songwriter based in Los Angeles, California, United States. He has written, produced and/or remixed for Madonna, Lady Gaga, The Killers, Hilary Duff, Usher, Nelly Furtado and Destiny ...

. She mainly worked with

Warner Bros Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Di ...

. executives on the album. It failed to chart in the US, but reached number 48 in the UK and number 52 in the Netherlands.

Urban Farming

In 2005, Taja founded the

non-profit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

Urban Farming. Its mission is "to create an abundance of food for people in need by supporting and encouraging the establishment of gardens on unused land and space while increasing diversity, raising awareness for health and wellness, and inspiring and educating youth, adults and seniors to create an economically sustainable system to uplift communities around the globe." The organization began by planting three gardens of free food in

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 th ...

and there are now over 63,400 gardens in 61 countries around the world that are a part of the Urban Farming Global Food Chain.

Discography

Albums

Studio albums

Extended plays

Singles

Music videos

References

External links

Official website
* * * 1962 births American contemporary R&B singers Paisley Park Records artists Musicians from Minneapolis Living people Songwriters from Minnesota Singers from Minnesota Reprise Records artists 550 Music artists Epic Records artists {{US-singer-stub