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A’Lisa B.
A'Lisa was born on June 18th, in a small town called Leland, Mississippi, and her mom says that she was "trying to sing before she could talk". With an eclectic taste for music almost as diverse as her heritage (A'Lisa is part Jamaican, Italian, Irish, Creek Indian, East Indian, Norwegian, Portuguese, and more) she grew up listening to and being influenced by artists like Elvis, Sam Cooke, Michael Jackson, The Beatles, Tina Turner, and B. B. King. Her family moved to the windy city of Chicago when A'Lisa was only 3 years old, and it is there that she started to develop her talents by entering talent shows, doing background work for local music studios, and even trying out for the highly rated television show "Star Search".
After recording and shopping demos to almost every major recording label, A'Lisa started singing professionally in 1989 when she was featured on a Techno-Dance single that she co-wrote, called "Don't You Wanna Dance". It was released on Atlantic Records, and although it wasn't a big hit, it did get a lot of local college radio play in her hometown of Chicago. On the strength of that single as well as her incredible talents as a vocalist and songwriter, A'Lisa was introduced to the late Frank Rodrigo, former owner of SOS Records, best known for the huge dance singles "Short Short man", and "Lick It". Frank saw something special in A'Lisa and signed her to an exclusive publishing and artist agreement. Then with the backing of the world-renowned production team 20 Fingers (Charlie "Babie" Rosario & Manny Mohr), A'Lisa started writing hits for other artists, including "Praying For An Angel" for Rochelle and "In My Heart" for Isaac.
Then Frank found what he felt would be the perfect song to introduce A'Lisa to the world. A song called "I'm in love", written by 20 Fingers Producers Charlie "Babie" Rosario and Manfred "Manny" Mohr. And even though this single didn't catch on here in the States, "I'm in love" became a huge hit in France, Italy, Germany, and Canada. But just as A'Lisa was preparing to tour and promote her new single, SOS records had another hit single here in the States called "Fat Boy". And even though Durand Estevez was the solo artist on this smash dance hit, Frank envisioned a different direction for this song. He felt that a group would go even farther than a solo artist and after much discussion, A'Lisa, Durand, and vocalist Tommye Miller became the incredible dance sensation "Max-A-Million". On the strength of the single "Fat Boy", a CD was released in August of 1995 called "Take Your Time", distributed by BMG. This CD which featured dance, reggae, r&b, and pop was a huge hit all over the world, reaching Gold and Platinum status in 19 countries, and spawned a world tour of Europe, Asia, Mexico, Canada, and The United States (including Guam).
Max-A-Million recieved two top awards at the 16th, 17th and 18th Annual Chicago Music Awards for "Pop Recording Artist of the Year" and "Best Reggae Album/CD of the Year", for the 20 fingers production "Fat Boy." They also received several nominations at the 16th Annual Reggae and World Music Awards including "Best Crossover Song" for their platinum hit "Sexual Healing", as well as for "Best Music Video" for "Take Your Timeâ€, another platinum hit, "Best New Entertainer", and "Songwriter of the Year". Max-A-Million received recognition from the late great Barry White in an article in Details Magazine concerning their hit "Sexual Healing"…"loved the way [they] blended Reggae, R&B, and Hip Hop, and Marvin Gaye would have loved it too." Max-A-Million headlined and performed with many other top recording artists including The Backstreet Boy's, Kool and the Gang, Brandy, Queen Latifa, Mary J. Blige, and Deborah Cox.
Max-A-Million disbanded in 1999 but A'Lisa has kept herself busy by writing, producing, and doing backup work for several artists; in English and in Spanish; which have included Gillette (BMG), Vi3 (MCA Records), Natalie Burge (American Idol), Raul ("Hit That","Dreamin") and Phoenix Phenom ("Juke Box"), as well as writing for dance divas Angelina, Giovanna, and Lisette Melindez. She has worked with several incredible producers, including Grammy award winner Maurice Joshua (Nsync, Destiny’s Child) and Earl Robinson (R. Kelly, Public Announcement). If that weren’t enough, she is also the voice of several commercials as well as the voice of Chicago radio super stations B96, WGCI, and V103 by way of her jingle/commercial/bumper work. If you have ever listened to any of those stations you've heard her angelic, soulful voice.
At present A’Lisa is working with several producers, preparing to release her solo project. Following in the footsteps of ledgends like Gloria Estefan, Luis Miguel, and the late greats Selena and Nat King Cole, A'Lisa is singing in both english and spanish. In fact, A'Lisa has been getting a lot of attention lately for her cover version of the Luis Miguel song "Cuando Vuelva a Tu Lado" now featured on her youtube site. You can hear it for yourself here . You can also follow her on facebook . She's grown, she's evolved, and she's ready to show the world why she truly is one in a million.
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