WHERE IS PRINCES PROTÉGÉ TAMAR?: Her album has been shelved; until Grammy night, she hadnt seen Prince in six months. February 19, 2007
http://www.eurweb.com/story/eur31546.cfm *The build-up was perfectly orchestrated for singer Tamar Davis, who was introduced to the world by Prince as the next big voice in R&B. The singer put in work as a background vocalist for the Purple One, and even recorded her own songs for an album to be released under Universal Republic, the label that gave Prince a one-album deal for his latest disc, 3121. But the record company has since shelved her solo album, and Tamar now finds herself back in her Houston hometown when shes not shuttling back and forth between New York and former home base Los Angeles to record another album. Tamar tells Billboard that she was prepared for the roller coaster ride that is the music industry, having read about similar hardships faced by other artists like Anthony Hamilton, Alicia Keys and Ne-Yo. "I don't have anything negative to say, and I don't feel defeated," she declares. "I'm pushing forward." As for Prince, she says they still talk, but she saw him for the first time in six months at the Grammys. Its all for the best, says Tamar. "It does hurt that I don't get to perform as much with him," she says. "But if I stay under his wing, I can't fly. And I'm ready to fly." Tamars duet with Prince, Beautiful, Loved and Blessed, was nominated for best R&B performance by a duo or group with vocals, but lost to "Family Affair" featuring John Legend and Joss Stone with Van Hunt. "It's an interesting thing to be nominated and yet be an unsigned artist looking for a home," she said. Luckily, Tamar owns the masters she recorded for Universal Republic, and plans to tweak them a bit before carrying them over to her new album. "The last album was all live, and I didn't get the DJ Scratch feel on some of the songs I wanted to," she says. "This album is more R&B/hip-hop/funky with a Tina Turner vibe. But it's still very melodic." Whether Prince will appear on the new album remains a question. "He will probably be on here somewhere. It's a good mystery that I'm keeping," Tamar says. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- NewPowerNewYork Mailing List website: Www.NPNY.Org ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Unsubscribe? Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED], in body place npny ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Questions/Help?: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
