Shanice Biography

news-details Possessing a rare five-octave vocal range which truly displays her abundant talent in singing, Shanice Lorraine Wilson easily stood out among the group of other R&B female artists to emerge as one of the celebrated singers of the '90s. In fact, what makes her distinguishable is not solely considered from that quality, but also her sense of interpretation and emotion she always puts into her every performance that certainly makes her a special music figure in every person's heart.

Music has long been an inseparable part in Shanice's life maybe even from the day she was born on May 14, 1973 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania as the girl actually comes from a musical family of a guitarist named Carl Black and singer Crystal Wilson. Shared the same interest her parents had in this field, she quickly learned how to sing properly and at a very young age had already performed together with her mother and aunt, Penny Wilson, onstage. Her involvement in music went deeper when she followed Crystal relocating to Los Angeles two years after the older woman's divorce with her husband in 1979, gaining more professional singing experience through some musical stage shows around the area of the city.

Much to Shanice's surprise, her stage performance in the 1985 production of �Get Happy� apparently impressed an A&M Records executive named John McClain who did not waste much time to offer the 11-year-old girl a lavish recording contract. However, it was not until the year 1987 that she finally saw the release of her first piece of work, �Discovery�, yet the wait was really worthy for it managed to spawn several hits, like �No 1/2 Steppin'" and "(Baby Tell Me) Can You Dance?", which delightfully led her to receive initial public attention. Aimed to score higher, she then joined Motown Records in 1990 to collaborate with producer Narada Michael Walden who had been renowned for his skills in yielding numerous memorable works of notable singers, such as Whitney Houston's also Aretha Franklin's. Backed up by such a superb talent, she confidently released her sophomore album, "Inner Child�, on November 19, 1991.

Her decision to leave A&M for Motown was proven right when "Inner Child" instantly soared to the top ten of Billboard Heatseeker to later satisfyingly earn Gold status from RIAA, thanks to its number 1 Hot R&B/Hip Hop Singles and Tracks and #2 Billboard Hot 100 hit "I Love Your Smile." This attainment undoubtedly brought great impact to Shanice's singing career, not only propelling her to widespread recognition, but also directing her to obtain a Grammy nomination for Best R&B Vocal Performance � Female in 1992. The success still continued as her single for �Beverly Hills 90210� TV soundtrack entitled �Saving Forever for You� wonderfully made its way to be included in the top ten of three Billboard charts by the same year, notably that of Billboard Hot 100 in which it seated on the fourth rank.

Taking a three-year hiatus before launched her next effort, "21...Ways To Grow" in June 1994, Shanice afterwards got more involved in movie soundtrack projects of the 1995 features namely �Pocahontas� and �Panther� besides provided either guest or background vocals for the likes of Toni Braxton, Usher, Mary J. Blige, and Babyface. Blown away by her beautiful voice, the latter musician thus persuaded her to sign under his label, LaFace Records, afterwards helped her in releasing her fourth album, which was a self-titled one, and also a compilation of her hit songs, �Ultimate Collection: The Best of Shanice� in 1999. Nevertheless, both records were not able to surpass the glory of what �Inner Child� had attained and so this gifted singer concluded to draw herself from the spotlight, focusing on her private life, marrying her longtime boyfriend, Flex Alexander, on February 19, 2000.

Later enjoyed her role as a mother of two children, Imani Shekinah whom she delivered by August 31, 2001 and Elijah Alexander on March 5, 2004, Shanice resurfaced with her first single after six years, "Every Woman Dreams", in June 2005, followed by an album of the same name by February 21, 2006. While the song did fairly well at R&B radio, the fifth studio record encountered quite satisfying sale of nearly 6,000 copies in its first week, giving a good sign for the singer in her effort to make decent comeback in the mainstream music scene.