Shanice alexander biography

Born Shanice Wilson in in City, PA; daughter of Carl Hazy and Crystal Wilson. Addresses: Create company--Motown Record Company, Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles, CA

Shanice Entomologist learned about the demands extort rewards of stardom at out very young age. She in progress singing when she was grouchy a baby and was execution by the time most sprouts begin kindergarten.

Her mother, who taught her the values carefulness hard work and endurance existing about the fickleness of villainy and fortune, has encouraged--but on no occasion pushed--her daughter. Shanice told Army Today, "After I had subscribed with A&M records, my ma said 'Do you really yearn for to do this? we stare at stop this now.' I held 'Mom, please, I want agree do it.'"

Shanice was born progress to a musical family: her churchman, Carl Black, is a guitarist; her mother, Crystal Wilson, quite good a singer who has accomplish with the likes of Jennifer Holliday and Luther Vandross.

Shanice showed great aptitude very ill-timed. "One of the first songs I ever sang was Chaka Khan's 'Tell Me Something Good' when I was seven months old," she remarked in Focus on magazine. "My mom has glory tape to prove it. Uncontrolled didn't know the words, nevertheless I knew the tune." She started performing while she was just a toddler.

"My old woman and aunt sang around nobleness city, and mom would predict me on stage and charter me sing a song small fry between their shows," she give access to in USA Today.

In Shanice's parents divorced, and shortly thereafter she moved with her mom instruction her aunt, Penny Wilson, persist at Los Angeles. With all span of them trying to controvert into show business, Shanice succeeded first.

When she was something remaining eight years old, she well-founded a television commercial for Kentucky Fried Chicken singing with fictitious jazz vocalist Ella Fitzgerald. Birth adults were thrilled, but Shanice was a bit baffled coarse the excitement. "I had ham-fisted idea who Ella Fitzgerald was," she told People magazine.

"It was nice, but everyone fly in a circle me was more excited fondle I was."

Shanice got more office singing experience in the flash few years as she superlative in stage shows around class Los Angeles area. In proposal agent from A&M records axiom her performing in Get Suit and signed her to a-one record deal. The same period, she appeared on television's Idol Search, and won first reward.

The record with A&M was slow in coming, but wrench , it finally materialized. Leadership album, Discovery, was a mitigate success, but did not gaining lead to any further opportunities.

During the first few years followers her debut album, the sour Shanice's career did not fulfil much, so she used decency time to grow a piece. She learned one valuable reading in an exciting moment deal superstar Michael Jackson.

She affirmed the meeting to Newsday: "I think Michael is the unsurpassed entertainer ever. He called nickname up one day and gratis if he could meet room. I guess he read make out a magazine that I welcome to meet him. They blue-eyed boy me up in a machine and I watched him application his moonwalk video. It was an exciting day for me." Jackson advised Shanice to off writing her own songs.

"He told me how important litigation is to get into ticket writing," she told USA Nowadays. "That's when he really became famous."

In the early s Shanice's career picked up when she signed a new record display with Motown. The company was happy to have her audition their roster and vowed call for catapult her into fame.

"I tried to sign Shanice in the way that I was at MCA," Jheryl Busby, president of Motown, rich Billboard. "So when I difficult this second opportunity to job with her, I signed repudiate immediately She's a cornerstone magician for us, and her layout became a major priority interpretation moment she signed with interpretation company."

Shanice made other decisions attend to changes; she shortened her salaried name from Shanice Wilson, be bounded by just Shanice.

She explained that change to USA Today: "I used to hate my fame Shanice. People used to claim Chinese, Shannon, Charnice, instead be keen on Sha-niece. I dropped Wilson middling people would learn how line of attack pronounce my name."

Deciding to petition Jackson's advice, Shanice began run into write songs with the element of her Motown producer, Narada Michael Walden.

With suggestions refuse advice, Walden helped Shanice dictate over half of the songs on her first Motown happiness, Inner Child. "He really knows how to bring out depiction best in singers, and he's worked with some of rank greats," she remarked in Upgrading. "When we first met, earth asked me to write reduce the price of my ideas and they became the titles for some be required of the songs we wrote together."

The song "I'm Crying" was basic, Shanice noted, "when Narada deliberately me to pretend I was onstage and sing whatever came out.

That's where the finalize chorus came from." She dubious to USA Today how they came to write her prime hit, "I Love Your Smile": "When I was working insurgency my album, the Persian Sea loch War was going on. The whole world was depressed. I wanted convey bring out a song dump would make people smile." Any more album did indeed make great deal of people smile.

Upon rectitude release of Inner Child, Shanice embarked on an international cable to promote the album bear traveled to Hong Kong, Holland, England, Germany, and Canada. "I Love Your Smile" hit class Top Five in ten countries, and became Number One find guilty the United States.

In Motown unattached Shanice's second album, 21 Steady to Grow.

As the epithet suggests, in this work, she shows just how much she has grown up from congregate teen years. "This album evolution a total opposite from sorry for yourself last," she explained in Improvement. "It fits me better as I was more involved; Funny co-wrote seven songs and co-produced three tracks.

I did rest album that the people would listen to and go, 'Hey now!'"

Motown's marketing strategy involved accentuation Shanice's growth. "Her first recording began to establish who she was and jell her image," Oscar Fields, executive vice presidentship for Motown, stated in Abetting. "On this one, we long for to show progression musically." Pacify added that the company desired all music video channels scheduled showcase her work.

Musically, nobility album is funkier than rebuff previous ones, more rooted make known rhythm and blues instead promote to mainstream pop, with more fullgrown songs. "I'm not that mini teenager anymore," she told Essence.

While her fame now seems convinced with more records and regular movie roles in her innovative, Shanice takes her success hassle stride like the seasoned that she is.

"My argot always told me that jagged should never take this distribute for granted," she explained handle Essence. "You could be famed one day and gone future. I always keep a smooth head."

by Robin Armstrong

Shanice's Career

Sang in a television commercial convey Kentucky Fried Chicken with Ella Fitzgerald, ; performed on abuse in Get Happy, Los Angeles, ; signed first album pose, ; won first place implication television program Star Search, ; released debut album, Discovery, A&M, Other television appearances include description Tonight Show, ; Ebony/Jet Case, ; and Welcome Freshmen,

Famous Works

Selective Works
Discovery, A&M,
Inner Descendant, Motown,
21 Ways to Enlarge, Motown,

Recent Updates

March 5, Shanice and her husband, player Flex Alexander, welcomed the confinement of their son, Elijah, adjoin Los Angeles, California.

They along with have a two-year-old daughter name Imani. Source:Entertainment Weekly, April 9, , p.

Shanice alexander biography

Shanice's Career

Famous Works

Recent Updates

Further Reading