ARTIST

Blu Cantrell

It's difficult for new R&B singers to set themselves apart from the competition. But Providence, Rhode Island native Blu Cantrell didn't have that problem. While the storyline of her 2001 debut single, "Hit 'Em Up Style (Oops!)," mirrored the relationship woes from her contemporaries, Blu's distinctive, swing jazz influenced vocal style added impressive edge to the racing hip-hop track compliments of TLC producer Dallas Austin, whose credits also include Madonna, Michael Jackson, and Boyz II Men.

Cantrell's mother was a jazz singer, so belting the sophisticated rifts came easy to the artist who released her debut album, So Blu, in 2001 on Arista Records. Cantrell's mother couldn't afford a babysitter, so she often took Cantrell and her siblings to her shows. Though the children were relegated to the dressing room, an intrigued Cantrell would go to the stage to watch the show.

Blu's own career did not begin to take off until she met producers Tab and C. "Tricky" Stewart of RedZone Entertainment during a trip to Atlanta. The duo was impressed with Cantrell's demo. Soon, Cantrell received opportunities to sing background vocals for R&B and hip-hop luminaries Faith Evans, P. Diddy, Gerald Levert, and Aaron Hall, among others.

Arista Records president/CEO Antonio "L.A." Reid immediately fell in love with Blu's talent. "Her voice seemed to satisfy that yearning in my soul, not only for a great singer, but, also for a sound that I felt was missing in today's music," Reid said in a statement. "Blu is that sound. Blu is that soul. Blu is that artist."

Obviously, Reid wasn't the only one who felt this way. The gold certified So Blu reached Number Five on Billboard's Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. In 2002, Cantrell portrayed herself in the film Drumline. Her 2003 sophomore album, Bittersweet, includes the debut single, "Breathe."

Written by Billy Johnson Jr.