Tarralyn LaJuan Ramsey (born July 8, 1979) is an American gospel musician, songwriter and artist. She began her music career in 2000, with the release of the religious ''Tarralyn Ramsey'' album on

Verity Records Verity Records is an American gospel music-focused record label, founded in 1994. The Gospel group operated by Provident Label Group, which in turn is owned by Sony Music Entertainment. Artists * 21:03 * Crystal Aikin * Deitrick Haddon * DeW ...

. This would be her ''Billboard'' magazine breakthrough release on the Gospel Albums chart. Following her win on the VH1 reality series ''Born to Diva'' in 2003, she signed with

Casablanca Records Casablanca Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group and operated under Republic Records. Under its founder Neil Bogart, Casablanca was most successful during the disco era of the mid to late 1970s. The label current ...

and released her second album, ''Tarralyn'' which featured the single "Up Against All Odds".

Early life

Ramsey was born on July 8, 1979, as Tarralyn LaJuan Ramsey, in

Melbourne, Florida Melbourne is a city in Brevard County, Florida, United States. It is located southeast of Orlando. As of th2020 Decennial Census there was a population of 84,678. The municipality is the second-largest in the county by both size and population. ...

, and was reared in the church by her parents, a bishop and a school teacher. She has a younger sister.

Music career

Early Gospel Beginnings

Her music career started in 2000, with the release of ''Tarralyn Ramsey'' by

on June 20, 2000. This album would be her breakthrough release on the ''Billboard'' magazine chart, which it placed at #12 on the Gospel Albums chart. The album would feature the Gospel hits "Tell It" and "Unconditional Love" and earn Ramsey a Stellar Award nomination for Best New Artist.

''Born to Diva'' and Casablanca Records

After being with Verity for several years, Ramsey moved on in her career and in 2003 entered the VH1 ''Born to Diva'' competition reality show. She was announced the winner of the competition by Sharon Osbourne live onstage and on television at '' VH1 Divas Duets'', and performed at the concert alongside headliners that included

Whitney Houston Whitney Elizabeth Houston (August 9, 1963 – February 11, 2012) was an American singer and actress. Nicknamed " The Voice", she is one of the bestselling music artists of all time, with sales of over 200 million records worldwide. Houston i ...

, Beyoncé and Chaka Khan. Following the win, she signed with Casablanca/Universal Records under former Sony Music executive

Tommy Mottola Thomas Daniel Mottola (born July 14, 1948) is an American music executive, producer and author. Mottola is currently the Chairman of Mottola Media Group and was previously the Chairman and CEO of Sony Music Entertainment, parent of the Columb ...

. Her sophomore album ''Tarralyn'' was released on June 8, 2004 and peaked at #59 on the Billboard R&B Albums chart. It was led by the single "Up Against All Odds" and her second single, "Baby U Know" featuring rapper Murphy Lee. The success of the win, led her to be featured on '' Entertainment Tonight'' as well as magazines such as Vibe, Ebony, Jet, People, Seventeen and others. She promoted the album by opening for

Mary J. Blige Mary Jane Blige ( ; born January 11, 1971) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Often referred to as the " Queen of Hip-Hop Soul" and " Queen of R&B", Blige has won nine Grammy Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, four American Music Award ...

on her ''No More Drama'' Tour and as well as joining the Seventeen Magazine/Pantene's "Total You" Tour, "The BET College Tour" and performing at venues such as Carnegie Hall and Rocket Nation.

''The Voice'', ''X-Factor'' and Going Independent

In 2009, by invitation, Ramsey was the first contestant on ''

The Voice The Voice may refer to: Fictional entities * The Voice or Presence, a fictional representation of God in DC Comics * The Voice (''Dune''), a fictional ability in the ''Dune'' universe * The Voice, a character in the American TV series ''Cleo ...

'', and performed

Faith Hill Audrey Faith McGraw (; born September 21, 1967), known professionally as Faith Hill, is an American singer and actress. She is one of the most successful country music artists of all time, having sold more than 40 million albums worldwide. Hill' ...

's "Breathe". She was chosen to be on

Christina Aguilera Christina María Aguilera (; ; born December 18, 1980) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and television personality. Known for her four-octave vocal range and ability to sustain high notes, she has been referred to as the " Voice of ...

's team. She made it to the Battle Rounds, performing "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" with

Frenchie Davis Franchell "Frenchie" Davis (born May 7, 1979) is an American Broadway performer and a soul, dance/ electronica, and pop singer. She came to public attention in 2003 as a contestant on the singing competition show ''American Idol''. Davis began p ...

. After her elimination from the competition, she later released her third studio album ''Beyond the Darkness'', a gospel album on her own independent label Taraprincel Records in 2009. The album was reviewed by ''Cross Rhythms'' magazine, where it received a seven out of ten rating. In 2012, Ramsey auditioned for ''

The X Factor ''The X Factor'' is a television music competition franchise created by British producer Simon Cowell and his company Syco Entertainment. It originated in the United Kingdom, where it was devised as a replacement for '' Pop Idol'' (2001–2003 ...

'' and earned four "Yes" votes from judges

Simon Cowell Simon Phillip Cowell (; born 7 October 1959) is an English television personality, entrepreneur and record executive. He is the creator of '' The X Factor'' and ''Got Talent'' franchises which have been sold around the world. He has judged on ...

, Demi Lovato,

L.A. Reid Antonio Marquis "L.A." Reid (born June 7, 1956) is an American record executive, A&R representative, and record producer. He is the founder and served as co-chairman of Hitco Entertainment. He also previously served as the chairman and CEO of Ep ...

and Britney Spears, but did not move on to the Bootcamp stage. She later formed her own label, Nylarrat Ent. Group, and released a holiday EP titled Tis the Season for Miracles'' on December 10, 2014. Her new single "Love" was released that year as well. Another stand-alone single, "Hope" was released in 2016. Since then, she has followed up with two more studio albums, the holiday-themed releases "O Holy Night" (2017) and "Winter Wonderland" (2020). Her latest single, "Jesus We Need You" premiered in April 2021.

Discography

Studio albums

Singles

*"Tell It" (2000) *"Unconditional Love" (2000) *"Up Against All Odds" (2003) *"Baby U Know" (with Murphy Lee) (2014) *"Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" (with

) (2011) *"Breathe" (2011) *"The Christmas Song (Chestnuts)" (2013) *"Love" (2014) *"Hope" (2016) *"Jesus We Need You" (2021)

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ramsey, Tarralyn 1979 births Living people African-American songwriters African-American Christians Musicians from Jacksonville, Florida Songwriters from Florida People from Melbourne, Florida 21st-century African-American people 20th-century African-American people