Somaya Reece: Myspace myth!

Her music is POP but she LOVES to do all styles however it will always have a very unique signture STEEL-O to it that you will know oh snap that's a Somaya song. A BBOY BGIRL , POP love POP music, D.J scratching, Hip Hop, Reggae with a tone to it, Latin, with a get it CRUNK n punk rock feel to it.....It's UNIVERSAL not to be placed in one genre it's for WORLD! She co-produce the making of all my beats too.

Somaya Reece's debut song, "Mira Mi Pum Pum," has had over 6.2 million spins in only 11.5 weeks, breaking history and setting new records amongst all established Platinum selling artists on many of todays top music websites. All meanwhile holding her spot in the Top 5 ranked and a fluctuating NUM. 1 spot as a Top Ranked song on www.i meem.com with 25,000-65,000 daily plays.

A very popular in the Latin culture!

This song is a collaboration with Quba Libre, "Mira Mi Pum Pum" produced by M1


Who is she (according to her myspace profile)

First thing is FIRST I am NOT A MODEL. I am an actress n artist. I began acting while continuing the pursuit of my dream, to become an artist. Modeling has been something that followed me however I never aspired to be one PERIOD! Any type of modeling I do now is to promote my music, major ad campaigns or my music sponsorships.

I'm a bilingual Spanish speaking tasty mixed cocktail of Puerto Rican, and Salvadorian ! Island CARAMEL Latina with many flavors. I may sometimes be confused as the girl next door, but in reality I am the most fearless tomboy you will ever meet, independent with a REAL down home L.A feisty no holds barred tude!!! Not to be confused as rude ahah. Born and raised in the grimey streets of L.A, South Central and the Pico Union district i'm STREET smarter than the average boo boo bear. Yo I have my Puma tracksuit and shelltops with my phat laces tattooed to my body. I guess it's the back in the day b-girl in me :) I love my career!! If you are asking yourself, who is this Somaya girl??? If you don't already know then here we go. Let's make a long story short! I was discovered several years ago when I was working the front desk at a hotel in Beverly Hills. I was taking 3 different buses to get to work from my home in South Central to BH, working two jobs and going to college part time in the evenings. Believe me, I did not have it easy, I could go into detail but I won't. I'm not ashamed to say we moved around alot because well we couldn't always afford our rent in the hoods of L.A, Compton, Denker park area, the jungles, Pico Union district you name it I lived in the grimey areas. It was a dream to me to be given the opportunity to make a better life for me and my family. But it was more for my family they deserve it after all they did for me :)

I love you mom and dad!

When I was a child living in South Central I would sing in church, rap on the streets and was involved in many musical and dance after school programs, theatre, chorus and played the violin. YES I CAN play the violin. My dream was to become a great actress and musician. When I grew up hah kinda like a toys are us kid, I began to take theatre in college (UCLA) as becoming a sucessful musician, actress was my dream that turned into reality. I started out from the bottom and well I worked my way to where I am today and I continue to do that now. My career took off after 5 years of GRINDING, self promoting, tears, disapointments, but I hung in there and NEVER stopped believing in ME! Even when others didn't believe I kept on truckin. And well here I am today, 45 National commercials, 8 films, 3 songs that have hit the radio, 35 magazine cover or features, 4 television shows, later i'm stillt he same girl :)

Beyonce

Ask Beyonce what she wants people to hear when they listen to Dangerously In Love, her debut solo album, and the multi-platinum-selling pop/urban recording artist answers, "My range. I want them to hear all of the musical influences from hip-hop to rock to jazz, there's even a Shuggie Otis sample. I want them to really hearthe talent. I know that folks love me as a pop star. Now I want them to understand me as an artist."
That they will. Musically challenging and lyrically honest, Dangerously In Love is more than just a solo CD from a superstar. It is everything you'd expect from Beyonce and more than you could have hoped for. Another side of someone we've loved for years, Dangerously In Love is equally divided between seductive mid-tempos, lush ballads and fiery club bangers, providing a sharp focus on who Beyonce is right now: as a performer, as a woman, and as a creative force to be reckoned with. The vibe is more mature, more playful, more deeply passionate and sexually aggressive. Dangerously In Love is the sound of a grown woman clearly staking her claim in the world and, in the process, redefining expectations of who she is.

A 21-year-old Houston native, Beyonce Knowles is a founding member and chief songwriter of Destiny's Child, one of the biggest selling female acts of all time. With many of the group's hit songs co-written and co-produced by Beyonce, Destiny's Child has sold more than 33 million records worldwide. When Beyonce won the 2001 ASCAP Pop Songwriter Of The Year Award, she became the first African-American woman -- and the second woman ever -- to receive that honor.
Led by founding members Beyonce Knowles and Kelly Rowland, Destiny's Child burst on the scene in 1997 with their multi-platinum single, "No, No, No," from their self-titled album. That success was dwarfed when Destiny's Child's The Writing's On The Wall was released in 1999. The album would go on to sell more than 10 million copies worldwide, driven in part by three Top 10 hits: "Jumpin, Jumpin," "Say My Name" and "Bills, Bills, Bills," which spent 9 weeks at ..1 on the Billboard RandB singles chart.

A year after Michelle Williams joined Destiny's Child in 2000, the group recorded Survivor, which debuted at ..1 on the Billboard 200 album chart. Survivor was certified double platinum four weeks after its release and has gone on to sell more than nine million copies worldwide. In 2001 Destiny's Child took home two Grammy awards: Best RandB song ("Say My Name") and Best RandB performance by a Duo or Group ("Say My Name"). Destiny's Child has won numerous other awards, among them Billboard Artist of the year, NAACP Image Awards, American Music Awards, Nickelodeon Kid's Choice and The Sammy Davis Jr. Award for Entertainer of the Year at the Soul Train Awards. The group has toured worldwide and performed at many high profile events including The Michael Jackson 30th Anniversary Concert Special and the Concert For New York City.
Given the fact that the general public is so familiar with chart-topping songs such as "Say My Name," "Independent Woman, Part I" and "Survivor," it's fair to enquire how Dangerously In Love differs from a Destiny's Child project. "Naturally the songs on my album are going to share some similarities," Beyonce admits. "But this time because I only had to write for myself, my songs are much more personal. I also wanted beats that were harder and to be able to collaborate with other people. Basically this record was a chance for me to grow as a writer and a singer. There are more ballads. The vocals aren't as precisely produced and because it's just me, there aren't as many harmonies. The experience was very liberating and therapeutic. I felt free, because I could go into the studio and talk about whatever I wanted, but in many ways it was actually harder to be on my own creatively. I depend so much on Destiny's Child (Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams) to tell me if they like something or not. I'm so critical of myself that it's scary to have to depend on your own instincts."

Helping Beyonce trust those instincts are an impressive array of musical collaborators, among them Missy Elliot, Jay-Z, Sean Paul, Mark Batson, Mario Winans, D-Roy and Mr. B, OutKast's Big Boi, Rich Harrison, Fanatic, Scott Storch, and the legendary Luther Vandross on "The Closer I Get To You." Beyonce shares co-executive producer credits on Dangerously In Love with her father and manager Mathew Knowles. She took an active role in all aspects of the album: from writing and choosing material to producing, mastering and mixing the tracks. Beyonce pays tribute to her father on the hidden bonus track, "Daddy," which was produced by Beyonce and Mark Batson.
The sexy first single, "Crazy In Love," featuring Jay-Z, was co-produced by Beyonce and Rich Harrison. Jay-Z returns the favor for Beyonce's part on his hit "Bonnie and Clyde 03." With a beat that Beyonce says is "so hard it makes your heart hurt!," "Crazy In Love" is about that moment when you realize you're falling into love and looking crazy but you simply don't care. The abandon continues on "Speechless," produced by Fanatic. "As soon as I heard the track it inspired me," she admits. "It's very sexy, very sensual. The sort of ballad that I've never done before. This song is definitely a population increaser!"
Laced with an Arabic ambience, fused with a ghetto-fied edge and encompassing a sample from Donna Summer's "Love to Love You Baby," "Naughty Girl" is uptempo and party perfect: a sexy fantasy about having that one night where you lose all your inhibitions, head to theclub and work it like a naughty girl. "Many of the songs on the album examine aspects of relationships, and this is one element."
Also sexy is the dancehall-Arabic flavored "Baby Boy," featuring the red hot Sean Paul. "I knew Sean had to be on my album because I love his approach," she says. "'Baby Boy' is another song about a fantasy and it's one of my favorites."

Such unabashed and upfront emotions might come as a surprise to long time fans but make no mistake, Dangerously In Love isn't a rejection of DC's sound. "I love Destiny's Child and I am a member of the group, "she asserts. "We haven't broken up. We're going to continue to tour and record and be a group. We've recorded a song, 'I Know,' for "The Fighting Temptations" soundtrack. We all decided a long time back to explore solo projects and I'm the third member of the group to release my own record. Things like working apart keep the fire going and keep the fans eager for you. I'm not trying to get away from DC or the legacy we have. I just wanted to show a different approach and the growth I've experienced. "
That growth is evident in Beyonce's burgeoning acting career. In 2001 she starred in MTV's "Carmen." In 2002 she appeared as Foxy Cleopatra in "Austin Powers in Goldmember." This year she will co-star with Cuba Gooding Jr. in "The Fighting Temptations." She has two more features currently in production and can also be seen on the small screen in a series of Spike Lee-directed commercials for Pepsi-Cola. She is also the spokesperson for L'Oreal.

Rihanna

If nothing else, it has been an eventful and eye opening year for Barbados born songstress Rihanna. In addition to recording one of the most popular singles of 2005, the hypnotic "Pon De Replay" (which bass bumped out of more car windows while igniting a slew of barbeques last summer), she won over the masses with her charming Bajan persona.

"So much has happened in my life, I feel like I've grown five years in a year," she gushes. No doubt, by the time Def Jam Records released Rihanna's debut album Music of the Sun, it was obvious that this young woman was more than a one-hit wonder. With a work ethic reminiscent of Motown sisters back in the day when soul reigned supreme, Rihanna traveled throughout the world.

2005 saw Rihanna rocking the mic on tour with Gwen Stefani, making crowds sweat in Japan, posing for magazine covers in Los Angeles and shooting her first film role for Bring It On Yet Again. This was a long way from the quiet life she led in Barbados in the parish of St.Michael. Robyn Rihanna Fenty has come through her musical initiation process unscathed. And now she is poised for everything that 2006 may hold as she readies to do it again with her sophomore release A Girl Like Me.

"I grew up so much this past year. I had no choice. To pursue my dreams, and with their support, I left my entire family in Barbados to move to the States. It was a little scary to have no friends or family and all of a sudden step into a recording studio," recalled Rihanna.

"2005 taught me the dedication and responsibility it takes to make this dream a reality. Waking up at 5:00 am to start rehearsals, the training, the schoolwork, interviews, video shoots, going all day; it always seemed glamorous but it is real work. My love for music and singing will never change but the rose colored glasses are no longer so rosy."

"Many times over the past year, I didn't have anyone my age with me. When recording this album, I wanted it to seem like I was having a personal conversation with girls my age," says the eighteen-year-old singer. "People think, because we're young, we aren't complex, but that's not true. We deal with life and love and broken hearts in the same way a woman a few years older might. My goal on A Girl Like Me was to find songs that express the many things young women want to say, but might not know how."

Dropping from the harmonic heavens to the groovalistic dance floor, Rihanna has returned with another single that will have listeners begging the d.j. to play it one more time. Produced by Jason Rotem, the sizzling "S.O.S." is bringing the summer heat early this year. With its hypnotic beat and enticing melody, "S.O.S." utilizes the electro-funk of Soft Cell's '80s classic "Tainted Love" to create a soulful anthem of young love.

"I got excited when I first heard this track and three days later, it was recorded," Rihanna says. Turning heads with its rebel sound, "S.O.S." has been used as the theme song for their NIKE latest women's line, which can be viewed on NikeWomen.com. "Making that commercial was yet another new experience," she says. "It took six days to shoot, but working with choreographer Jamie King (Madonna and Shakira) was amazing."

Focusing on progressing as an artist, Rihanna has recorded a compelling track of heartbreak called "Unfaithful." Penned by her label-mate Ne-Yo and Stargate, the song documents the tragic decay of a relationship when another person starts cheating.

Yet, in this instance, it is the girl who has strayed. "On a lot of records, men talk about cheating as though it's all a game. For me, 'Unfaithful' is not just about stepping out on your man, but the pain that it causes both parties."

Perhaps the most surprising track is the rock meets island vibe of "Kisses Don't Lie." Evan Rogers and Carl Sturken, the principles of her production company, SRP, used a mixture of Caribbean elements, electric guitar and a mesmerizing bassline." Coming from Barbados, I really hadn't heard that much rock music," Rihanna confesses. "Touring with Gwen changed my perspective. So, when I was discussing this project with L.A. Reid, Chairman of Island Def Jam Records, I made sure to say I want to experiment with some rock."

During the recording of A Girl Like Me, Rihanna jet set down to Jamaica to record with Sean Paul on the yardie duet "Break It Off." Smiling, Rihanna explains, "I have so much respect and love for Sean Paul. He took me to visit the Bob Marley Museum before going into the studio, which was an amazing experience. When we finally got to the studio, I felt as though Marley's spirit was in the room with us."

With A Girl Like Me, the beautiful singer proves that her breakthrough was no fluke. After selling 1 million copies worldwide of her debut Music Of The Sun, once again, the summer belongs to Rihanna