b. Tiffany Cantrell, 1976, Providence, Rhode Island, USA. The daughter of an amateur jazz singer, singer-songwriter Cantrell grew up surrounded by music. She broke into the music industry as a backing singer for a host of urban artists, including Puff Daddy, Gerald LeVert and Faith Evans. After signing a recording contract with Arista Records, Cantrell began work on her debut album with several leading producers including Dallas Austin, Laney Stewart and Jimmy Jam And Terry Lewis. Austin wrote and produced the singer's debut single, the glorious revenge track "Hit 'Em Up Style (Oops!)" about a woman who finds out her man is cheating and goes out and has a shopping spree on his credit cards. The song spent several months in the US Top 10, rising to a peak position of number 2 in July 2001. The attendant So Blu was one of the more intriguing releases of the year, with Cantrell tackling a diverse range of styles from urban R&B and pop to cabaret and jazz. The 2003 follow-up Bittersweet was promoted by the transatlantic hit single "Breathe", featuring dancehall singer Sean Paul.
DISCOGRAPHY: So Blu (Arista 2001)***, Bittersweet (Arista 2003)**.

Encyclopedia of Popular Music
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