Over the last three years, while portraying character Layla Williamson on ABC TV’s long-running daytime soap One Life To Live, singer/actress Tika Sumpter
has also been preparing to launch a new dimension in her career, that of pop/crossover songstress. Tika has been meeting and spending time with potential songwriting collaborators and music producers, working out potential tracks in the studio and fine-tuning her own musical direction.
The result is an impressive set of seven new songs recorded in New York with producer Charlie Moratta, who was involved with creating and producing the sound and hits for the classic rap duo EPMD, infamous R&B group Jodeci, and pioneer rap group Das EFX. Moratta wrote most of the music for the new tracks, with Tika and her two writing partners handling lyrics & melodies. The beautiful ballad Fall in Love was written solely by Tika Sumpter .
Tika, like many artists, uses her songs as an emotional outlet for what’s going on in her life at the time, while also trying to musically convey the various sides of her personality…..a very ambitious, outspoken, sexual, fabulous, independent spirit with powerful beauty & talent ! While very much an individual, Tika grew up admiring other talented women like Janet Jackson, En Vogue, Whitney Houston and Salt n' Pepa, with more contemporary musical influences like Alicia Keys, Mariah Carey, and male singers Akon, John Mayer and Jack Johnson. Her vocal talents come as no surprise, as a Tika Sumpter grew up the fourth child of a family of singers in Queens and Middle Island, NY and discovered her vocal abilities as a teenager.
While now putting a huge focus on her music, New Yorker Tika Sumpter plans to maintain her acting career and will continue on the very hip ABC show One Life To Live, which recently even featured guest appearances by Mary J. Blige and Snoop Dogg. Earlier this year, Tika was nominated as “Best Actress in a Daytime Series†for a 2008 NAACP Image Award, for her work on One Life To Live and also just shot a small role in the upcoming feature film Brooklyn’s Finest, starring Don Cheadle & Richard Gere, in which she plays a beautiful temptress opposite Cheadle’s character.
This past year, Tika performed a track called Paint the World, America’s Anthem on the independent compilation CD One Life, Many Voices featuring cast members from One Life To Live in the effort to aid victims of Hurricane Katrina. She also makes various charity event appearances throughout the year, in support of many causes, especially those designed to help with children & education.
Tika Sumpter is currently meeting with potential managers to work with her music career and should be on track with the right record company in the very near future, Until then, you can hear some of her new music at tikasumpter.com.
All press/media inquiries: James Sliman
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