SHE found fame in the mid 90s after teaming up with a world famous producer.
R&B star Tamia, who got her big break from Quincy Jones when she was asked to guest on his record Q’s Jook Joint, is still going strong 30 years later.
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Along the way, she’s starred in Hollywood film Speed 2, been nominated for six Grammys and had a successful marriage to former NBA star Grant Hill, which has bore two children.
The 48-year-old is still totally into her first love, music, and was lavished with praise at a recent gig stateside.
One audience member in Detroit said: “Baby Tamia is timeless and gorgeous give her all her flowers.”
Another posted: “I really enjoyed the show! You are beautiful and you have a beautiful voice and personality.”
A third shared: “Still one of the best to do it.”
Tamia is best known for her late 90s hit singles So Into You and Imagination.
Her best performing chart single was 2000’s Stranger in My House, which cracked the Billboard top 10.
The multi-talented star’s foray into film saw her appear on the big screen opposite Sandra Bullock in the 1997 Speed sequel.
The film didn’t live up to its blockbuster predecessor, which featured Keanu Reeves in the lead role.
Reeves was absent in Speed 2, instead Jason Patric was the hero, and the action played out on a cruise ship under threat from villain John Geiger, played by Willem Dafoe.
Tamia played a member of the out of control ship’s crew, Sheri Silver.
In 2003 Tamia was diagnosed with the autoimmune condition Multiple Sclerosis [MS].
The condition sees the immune system attack the myelin sheath which surrounds the nerve fibres in the brain and spinal cord, leading to small patches of inflammation.
It stops affected nerve fibres from working, causing symptoms to appear. Though the inflammation can clear for periods of time, repeated bouts of it can leave a small scar – sclerosis – which can permanently damage nerve fibres.
According to GPs writing for Patient UK, someone with MS will typically have multiple small areas of scarring in their brain and spinal cord.
Tamia was asked about living with the condition by Buzz Africa in 2013, she said: “I feel great! I think it was a wake up call to get my act together and start taking care of myself. That’s sort of how I looked at it. From that moment on, I really made my health and wellness a priority.”
Her husband has been a constant support over the years.
Tamia and Grant were set up on a blind date in 1996 and tied the knot three years later at a ceremony in Battle Creek, Michigan, in front of 250 guests.
The couple have two daughters Myla Grace, 22, and Lael Rose Hill, 17.
She previously said of their relationship: “From the beginning I felt very secure and comfortable. We just had some sort of mesh and it was very easy.”
The biggest thing Tamia has learned over the course of her three decades in the industry is to be bold, describing it as the key to longevity.
She told Billboard: “You can’t be a wallflower and sit back. The music business is so fickle and you can’t rely on someone to tell you what’s good and what isn’t good.
“You have to be bold and know what you’re doing is what you’d supposed to be doing. You have to have a clear vision of what you want to do, and you need a boldness about yourself to execute it.”
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