About Me
Ms. Shy is a lyrical diva hailing from Tampa, Florida and on the move shaking the clubs with her surprisingly powerful flow. She's taking the Hip-Hop world by storm with her fiesty presence, unique mix of jazzy vocals and distinctive rap style.
Ms. Shy entered the world in the middle of the disco age. The chink eyed, chubby cheeked premie was born in the Sunshine State's capital -Tallahassee, Florida. She was raised all over the city, mostly in the country boondocks of Lake Jackson. Her family moved around quite a bit during her elementary years so she couldn't develop lasting friendships.
"I used to play pranks on the band director. Thats how kids started noticing me."
But being in band was as close as she got to listening to music.
"Man, one day in home-room some students were crowded around the desk jamming to some old school compilations. I wasn't familiar with any of that sh*t. I knew like, the popular songs from the radio but I couldn't name the Artists. I could only make out parts of the hooks. Except Salt-n-Pepper, Heavy-D, and a few others. I was up on them. But when it came to pretty much everybody else, I was clueless."
Rap and R&B were foreign words to Ms. Shy in her younger years. That was due to being raised by a strict father figure who insisted on listening to soft rock/country music and artists like Elton John and Phil Collins. Ms. Shy never got to tune in to the hip music of the late 80's thru early 90's, except for the occasional Soul Train episode she snuck and watched when visiting relatives. Her mother noticed that she had an odd interest in classical music and encouraged her to join the orchestra. She participated in school band programs every year up until her 10th grade year. At the age of 12, her family relocated to Tampa, Florida. After graduating from Wharton High School in 99', she joined the military in February of 2000. Parent pressure, and the need for college tuition coaxed her into signing up.
"I dont regret my time in the military but I wish I had spent the time pursuing a degree in Theatre instead."
After playing soldier girl for four years, she moved to Seoul, South Korea to teach English to elementary students for the SISA English Academy, one of the most prominent private schools in the area. While residing in Seoul, Ms. Shy also entertained as a belly dancer at several establishments and events throughout the country. She fell in love with belly dancing while in the Army and continued to study it while overseas. She became apart of the Yongsan Belly Dance Troupe and attended special workshops at the Belly Dance Academy of Korea where she met two fellow dancers and decided to form her own troupe, called Applause.
Ms. Shy returned to the U.S. in November of 2005 to pursue teaching belly dance, but soon ventured to other areas of entertainment once back in Tampa, Fl. She became associated with local music artists and was inspired to learn music production. Frooty Loops were her first program she made a beat on, and soon after she discovered her talent for rapping it was on to learning the recording process.
"One day a group of guys were free-styling and I loved being around the cypher. But for some reason I wanted to get in on it. I started free-styling, just playing around... Everyone had a real shocked look on their faces. Thats when I knew I had something special."
From that point, Ms. Shy was eager to advance her knowledge in production and began working on strengthening her skills as an Artist.
"I love to dance more than anything else. But there's so many testimonies I have. Making an album is about expressing myself and relating to the people. So this project is a necessity to me, not a dream. And I'm sure some songs will be controversial because I don't sugercoat what I'm saying. I just keep it real."
Already, this multi-talented starlet rises above the typical image of female Hip-Hop Artists by stepping out of the box - Ms. Shy makes music not just targeting one particular audience. She explores various genres of music, including Classical, Rock, Neo-soul, and Indie and makes it clear she can bring more to the table than a marketable sex appeal.
"I'm not just another cute face with a mic. I feel like my potential is unlimited because there are so many other areas of entertainment I'm skilled in. And these days you gotta know more than one part of the business, so I'm glad I do. "
Aside from being an Independent Artist, Ms. Shy also models. She is currently working on her debut Album, and preparing for her first music video shoot for her unreleased single, "1 Customer". You can call her Ms. Shy aka Ms. Pretty Kitty aka Ms. 411 - she's becoming a common name in the South Floridal Hip-Hop community from networking with hundreds of artists, promotion teams, and entertainment companies and also from regular features in Street Magazines and Newspapers. She also assists in Executive Administration at Executive Image Studios, the production house and headquarters for both AlleyKats Recording Label and HeadHunters Entertainment.
Ms. Shy Get Loose
***This page is specifically to promote my music. My active (personal) myspace profile is: myspace.com/noire_belle_fleur
