''Tamia'' is the debut studio album by

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

recording artist

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 dea ...

. It was released on April 14, 1998 on

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 ...

Qwest Records Qwest Records is the American record label started by Quincy Jones in 1980 as a joint venture with Warner Bros. Records, and owned by Warner Music Group, although Jones was still under contract with A&M Records through 1981. George Benson's 1980 ...

, while distribution was handled through

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 ...

. Recorded after the release of 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 pres ...

-nominated collaborations with Jones and the single "

Missing You Missing You, Missin' You, or Missing U may refer to: Film and television * ''Missing You'' (2008 film), a Singaporean film * ''Missing You'' (2016 film), a South Korean film * ''Missing U'' (film), a 2013 short animated film by Brooke Wagstaff ...

", 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 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 ...

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. Winan ...

, J-Dub,

Keith Crouch Keith Edward Crouch is an American songwriter and music producer. Crouch began his career as a songwriter at the age of fifteen and landed his first gig at seventeen. From 1993 to 1994, Crouch produced six songs for Brandy's self-titled debut al ...

, and

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 ...

, many of which would become frequent producers on subsequent projects. Upon its 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 ''Billboard'' 200 chart and entered the top twenty of the

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 J ...

chart. Five singles were released from the album. "

Imagination Imagination is the production or simulation of novel objects, sensations, and ideas in the mind without any immediate input of the senses. Stefan Szczelkun characterises it as the forming of experiences in one's mind, which can be re-creations ...

" was chosen as the album's lead single, reaching the top 20 in Canada and top forty in both the United States and New Zealand. The album's second single produced by

called " So into You" was well-received and charted even higher. A remake of "

Careless Whisper "Careless Whisper" is a song written by George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley. Released on the 1984 Wham! album ''Make It Big'', the single release was credited either to ''Wham! featuring George Michael'' (in North America and several other count ...

" was released as the album's fourth single in Japan. A critical success, ''Tamia'' garnered the singer two

Juno Award 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 ...

nominations for Best New Solo Artist and R&B/Soul Recording of the Year at the 1999 award ceremony.

Background

After dominating local talent competitions through her teenage years, in 1994,

Windsor Windsor may refer to: Places Australia * Windsor, New South Wales ** Municipality of Windsor, a former local government area * Windsor, Queensland, a suburb of Brisbane, Queensland **Shire of Windsor, a former local government authority around Wi ...

native Tamia performed at a

multiple sclerosis Multiple (cerebral) sclerosis (MS), also known as encephalomyelitis disseminata or disseminated sclerosis, is the most common demyelinating disease, in which the insulating covers of nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord are damaged. This d ...

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 Mounta ...

when she met music manager,

Lionel Richie Lionel Brockman Richie Jr. (born June 20, 1949) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and television personality. He rose to fame in the 1970s as a songwriter and the co-lead singer of funk band the Commodores; writing and recordi ...

'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

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 ...

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 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' ...

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 Luther Ronzoni Vandross Jr. (April 20, 1951 – July 1, 2005) was an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. Known for his sweet and soulful vocals, Vandross has sold over 40 million records worldwide. He achieved eleven consecutive P ...

. Her performance reportedly impressed all in attendance, including veteran producer

, who later offered her the chance 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 (magazine), Billboard'' jazz albums chart on December 30, 1995. ''Q's Jook Joint'' won the Grammy Award for Grammy Award ...

'' (1995). Overwhelmed by his offer, Tamia recorded vocals for "You Put a Move on My Heart", which Jones later selected as the album's first single. A moderate commercial success, the collaboration earned acclaim from critics; it was later nominated for a

along with their second collaboration "Slow Jams" and "

", a song she recorded with

Brandy Brandy is a liquor produced by distilling wine. Brandy generally contains 35–60% alcohol by volume (70–120 US proof) and is typically consumed as an after-dinner digestif. Some brandies are aged in wooden casks. Others are coloured with ...

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, and

Chaka Khan Yvette Marie Stevens (born March 23, 1953), better known by her stage name Chaka Khan (), is an American singer. Her career has spanned more than five decades, beginning in the 1970s as the lead vocalist of the funk band Rufus. Known as the " Qu ...

for the soundtrack of the 1996 motion picture '' Set It Off''. All three track reached the top twenty on ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

''s

Hot R&B Singles 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 p ...

chart and gained Tamia additional recognition with nominations from the

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 pro ...

and the

NAACP Image Awards The NAACP Image Awards is an annual awards ceremony presented by the U.S.-based National Association for the Advancement of Colored People ( NAACP) to honor outstanding performances in film, television, theatre, music, and literature. Similar to ...

. Following this, Jones signed her his label

, a joint venture with Warner Bros., and enlisted the services of several producers to work on her debut self-titled album. Recording was reportedly intermitted when Tamia filmed the role of Sheri Silver in '' Speed 2: Cruise Control'', playing the part of a featured vocalist at the dinner theatre aboard the luxury cruise ship.

Release and reception

''Tamia'' earned generally mixed to positive reviews from critics. Leo Stanley of

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

remarked that the album "is an appealingly stylish collection of contemporary urban soul", while also stating that "it suffers from some uneven material". He rated the album three out of five stars. Cherie Saunders from ''

Vibe ''Vibe'' is an American music and entertainment magazine founded by producers David Salzman and Quincy Jones. The publication predominantly features R&B and hip hop music artists, actors and other entertainers. After shutting down productio ...

'' found that "the disc is a deliberate attempt – and successful one – to free Tamia from the steely adult-contemporary cage". Impressed with the up-tempo songs on the album, she however found that ''Tamia''s "strength clearly lies with ballads", concluding that "despite some inconsistency, Tamia's shining vocal skills prove that she won't get pushed around by anyone on today's music playground". In his review for ''

'', Paul Verna wrote that ''Tamia'' "excels at ballad and midtempo tracks such as " So into You", "Falling for You", and "Rain on Me". He was less impressed with lead single "Imagination", which he criticized for

's unsuitable guest rap and a lack of "vocal punch". Upon its release, ''Tamia'' debuted and peaked at sixty-seven on the US ''Billboard'' 200 and reached the eighteenth spot on ''Billboard''s

chart. In total, the album sold 416,000 copies in the United States, and finished sixty-second on ''Billboard''s

year-end chart in 1998. In Japan, ''Tamia'' was certified gold by the

Recording Industry Association of Japan The is an industry trade group composed of Japanese corporations involved in the music industry. It was founded in 1942 as the Japan Phonogram Record Cultural Association, and adopted its current name in 1969. The RIAJ's activities include pr ...

(RIAJ) in June 1998 for more than 100,000 copies shipped to stores. Five singles were released from the album, including "

" and " So into You" both of which reached the top forty of the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100. A critical success, ''Tamia'' garnered the singer two

nominations for Best New Solo Artist and R&B/Soul Recording of the Year at the 1999 award ceremony.

Track listing

Notes and sample credits *"Imagination" contains a sample of "

I Want You Back "I Want You Back" is the first national single by the Jackson 5. It was released by Motown on October 6, 1969, and became the first number-one hit for the band on January 31, 1970. It was performed on the band's first television appearances, on ...

" performed by

The Jackson 5 The Jackson 5 (sometimes stylized as the Jackson 5ive, also known as the Jacksons) are an American pop band composed of members of the Jackson family. The group was founded in 1964 in Gary, Indiana, and for most o ...

. *"So Into You" contains a sample of "Say Yeah" performed by

The Commodores Commodores are an American funk and Soul music, soul band, which were at their peak in the late 1970s through the mid 1980s. The members of the group met as mostly freshmen at Tuskegee Institute (now Tuskegee University) in 1968, and signed wit ...

. *"Falling For You" contains a sample of " Best of My Love" performed by

The Emotions ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

. *"Careless Whisper" is a cover of

George Michael George Michael (born Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou; 25 June 1963 – 25 December 2016) was an English singer and songwriter. He is considered one of the most significant cultural icons of the MTV generation and is one of the best-selling musici ...

's "

". *"You Put a Move on My Heart" is a cover of

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 ...

's "You Put a Move on My Heart".

Personnel

Performance credits * Tamia Washington – vocals, background vocals *

Siedah Garrett Deborah Christine "Siedah" Garrett (born June 24, 1960) is an American singer and songwriter who has written songs and performed backing vocals for many recording artists in the music industry, such as Michael Jackson, the Pointer Sisters, Brand N ...

– background vocals * Marc Nelson – background vocals * Alex Brown – background vocals * Bridgette Bryant – background vocals * Gordon Chambers – background vocals * Jermaine Dupri – background vocals, rap * Manuel Seal Jr. – background vocals * Mario Winans – background vocals * Terrell Carter – background vocals * Liza Broome – background vocals * Pamela Cork – background vocals * Chelle Davis – background vocals * Tanya Smith – background vocals Instruments * Gerald Albright – saxophone * Pete Christlieb – saxophone * Tom Scott – saxophone * Michael Thompson – guitar * Alex Al – bass * George Bohannon – trombone * Oscar Brashear – trumpet * Tim Kelley - keyboards, drum programming, bass * Ray Brown – trumpet * Jeff Clayton – saxophone * John Clayton – conductor * Keith Crouch – multi instruments * Ronnie Garrett – bass * Gary Grant – trumpet * Erik Hanson – synthesizer * Jerry Hey – trumpet * Paul Jackson Jr. – guitar * Charles Loper – trombone * Jack Nimitz – saxophone * Greg Phillinganes – keyboards * Bob Robinson – piano * John "J.R." Robinson – drums * Daryl Simmons – percussion, piano, keyboards * John Jubu Smith – guitar * Neil Stubenhaus – bass * Rod Temperton – keyboards * Snooky Young – trumpet * Ralph Stacy – bass * William Frank "Bill" Reichenbach Jr. – trombone * Christopher "Tricky" Stewart – keyboards * Reggie C. Young – trombone * Steven Meeder – drums * Fred Jackson Jr. – saxophone Technical and production *

– producer, executive producer *

Marc Nelson Marc K. Nelson (born January 23, 1971) is an American singer and songwriter. He was an original member of Boyz II Men while still attending Philadelphia's High School of Performing Arts. However, Nelson left the group to pursue a solo career ...

– vocal arrangements * Bob Brown – engineer * Paul D. Allen – engineer * Francis Buckley – engineer *

Gordon Chambers Gordon Anthony Chambers (c. 1969) is an American singer-songwriter and record producer who has written songs for more than 75 recording artists including Angie Stone, Yolanda Adams, The Isley Brothers, Brandy, Trey Songz, Chaka Khan, Patti LaBell ...

– vocal arrangements * John Clayton – arranger *

– arranger, producer, vocal arrangements *

– producer * Erik Hanson – drum programming *

Tim Kelley Tim Kelley (born May 20, 1986) is a former American alpine ski racer. He was born in Burlington, Vermont to former alpine skier Lindy Cochran and her husband Steve Kelley. His siblings Jessica Kelley and Robby Kelley both raced on the US Ski Te ...

– composer, all programming, arranger, vocal arrangements, producer * Thom "TK" Kidd – engineer * Herb Powers – mastering * Brenda Richie – executive producer * Bob Robinson – producer *

Manuel Seal Manuel L. Seal, Jr. (born September 26, 1960) is an American multi-instrumentalist, record producer, composer, singer, songwriter, vocal coach, and arranger. His credits include artists as Mariah Carey, Janet Jackson, Usher, TLC, Aretha Frankli ...

– producer *

Jon-John Robinson Jon-John Robinson (born April 22, 1970) is an American record producer and songwriter who specializes in R&B, pop and hip-hop music. Career Robinson is a two-time Grammy award-winning, multi-platinum producer and a voting member of the Recordi ...

– producer *

Daryl Simmons Daryl L. Simmons is an American R&B musician, songwriter and record producer, who worked with the production duo of L.A. Reid and Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds. In 1977–1980 Daryl, with Manchild (band) recorded 2 soul & funk albums & the minor h ...

– producer, drum programming * Tamia Washington – executive producer *

Phil Tan Phil Tan is a Malaysian-American music and audio engineer. Early life and education Tan was born in Malaysia. He attended Full Sail University in Florida in the U.S., where he attained a degree in Recording Arts in 1990. Afterwards he moved to Atla ...

– engineer *

Rod Temperton Rodney Lynn Temperton (9 October 1949 – 25 September 2016) was an English songwriter, producer and musician. Temperton was the keyboardist and main songwriter for the 1970s pop music, disco and funk band Heatwave, writing songs including "St ...

– arranger *

– programming, producer * Tim Shider – producer *

Stevie J Steven Aaron Jordan (born November 2, 1971) Note: Live HHS link goes to error page, but copy-pasting the URL works. is an American DJ, record producer, and television personality. One of the most successful record producers of the mid-to-late 19 ...

– producer * Mauricio Iragorri – engineer *

– composer, programming, producer, engineer * Stephanie Gylden – engineer * Mark D. Persaud – associate executive producer * J-Dub – producer * Samuel J. Sapp – producer * Ian Alexander – executive producer * Tom Brown – engineer * Jay Brown – associate executive producer

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

External links

*
Tamia
' at

Discogs Discogs (short for discographies) is a database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. While the site was originally created with a goal of becoming the la ...

{{Authority control 1998 debut albums Albums produced by Jermaine Dupri Albums produced by Tim & Bob Albums produced by Quincy Jones Albums produced by Tricky Stewart Qwest Records albums Tamia albums Warner Records albums