HinweiseARTIST: Teairra Mari
TITLE: Roc-A-Fella Presents Teairra Mari
LABEL: Roc-A-Fella/Def Jam
GENRE: R&B
BITRATE: 203kbps avg
PLAYTIME: 0h 45min total
RELEASE DATE: 2005-08-02
RIP DATE: 2005-07-18

Crowned the "Princess of the Roc" by Jay-Z, Teairra Mari is on the verge of
making DetroitÆs 8 Mile stretch famous for something other than Eminem. Lounging
in AtlantaÆs swank Silent Sound Studios, the petite starlet knows the weight of
the responsibility she carries: to be the first R&B darling to come out under
Shawn CarterÆs watchful eye. "Right now, my sound has to be different," she
says. "ItÆs gotta be edgy and a breath of fresh air."

Inheriting her sultry pipes from her gospel-belting grandmother, Veronica Lake,
who, Teairra says, once sang backup for Aretha Franklin, Teairra Maria Thomas
sang her first solo in church at the age of 12. That same year, Teairra, who
attended AaliyahÆs alma mater, the Detroit School of Arts, cut a demo with local
producer Mike Litt called "You Thought," which nabbed airplay throughout
Detroit. Though raised on the good gospel, Teairra, now 17, has since decided on
a more secular musical path. "I sang in church my whole life," she recalls. "But
I loved R&B."

Eventually her demo made its way into the hands of Atlanta producers Daryl
Simmons and Anthony "T.A." Tate. Soon after meeting Teairra, the duo arranged an
audition with LA Reid, chairman of the Island Def Jam Music Group. Impressed
with her performance, Reid signed her to Def Jam in July 2004. Then Jay-Z,
excited by her everyday girl appeal and raw talent, added Teairra to his
Roc-A-Fella roster. "I just want to be around hits," says Jay. "I knew Teairra
MarÝ was a star the minute I met her."

Anchored by the insanely melodic single "Make Her Feel Good" - where she begs
the question: "Is there any boys around that know how to make a girl feel...make
her feel good?" - TeairraÆs as-yet-untitled debut has enough energy and spirit
to put everyone in a good mood. ItÆs a collection of hip hop/R&B-tinged tunes
glazed with a Æ90s-era flavor, reminiscent of Mariah CareyÆs "Fantasy" days.
Veteran record exec Tracey Waples has already dubbed her "the peopleÆs champ"
for this generation: "Like Mary J. Blige did, Teairra is gonna be a spokesperson
for young females everywhere."

Before the predictions get out of hand, Teairra just wants to set forth on the
road taken by hometown legends Aaliyah and Aretha. "DetroitÆs not like any other
city," she says, showing off her exclusive-to-Detroit butterfly nail design.
"Our swagger is different, and I have something in store for the world."