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Tamia was born and raised in Windsor, Ontario. As a child, she took acting and singing lessons, eventually performing in a number of local choirs and theatrical presentations. She soon earned a reputation and several awards, including the YTV Vocal Achievement Award in 1993. The following year, she won the Steve Ross Music Scholarship at the American Academy of Achievement's Annual Salute to Excellence in 1994.
That same year, she attended a fateful party thrown by her manager Brenda Richie for Luther Vandross. There she met producer Quincy Jones, who became taken with Tamia's talent during a one-song performance. Soon Jones had Tamia in the studio, recording "You Put a Move on My Heart" for Jones' new album, Q's Jook Joint. The song became a Top Ten R&B hit and earned her a Grammy nomination for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance. Another song on the album, a duet with Babyface entitled "Slow Jams," was nominated for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group. She also sang "Missing You" with Brandy, Gladys Knight, and Chaka Khan on the soundtrack for the 1995 film “Set It Off.†With a Grammy nod for "Missing You,†this made for three nominations for Tamia, who hadn’t even released an album yet.
Nominations for NAACP Image Awards and the Soul Train Music Awards followed, and Tamia crafted her debut CD over the course of 1996-97 and the self-titled album arrived in April 1998. “Tamia†went Gold and made it to 18 on the R&B charts, while garnering two top forty hits, including “So Into You,†which rose to 30 on the Billboard Hot 100 and went all the way to 7 on the R&B charts.
In 2000, Tamia released her follow-up, “A Nu Day,†this time on Elektra, which included contributions from Missy Elliott. The album was a slow-burning smash, mainly on the strength of its second single, “Stranger in My House,†which hit the Top Ten on the Hot 100, 3 on the R&B charts, and spent an astounding ten weeks at 1 on the dance charts. The single and the album are, to date, among Tamia’s biggest sellers.
With her fan base growing, Tamia’s third album, “More,†was able to climb to 17 on the Billboard charts, making it her third straight Gold record. Her duet with Fabolous, “Into You†was also a blockbuster, peaking at 4 on the Top 100 and hitting 1 on the R&B charts.
In 2006, Tamia released “Between Friends,†which has recently been re-released as a Christmas album (entitled “A Gift Between Friendsâ€) with several bonus tracks. Hit singles from her latest release include “Me†and “Can’t Get Enough.â€
Tamia met husband Grant Hill, star basketball player with the Phoenix Suns, when they were introduced in Detroit by legendary singer Anita Baker. Tamia and Hill married in July of 1999. The Hills live in Phoenix, Arizona, with their two daughters, Myla Grace and Lael Rose.