Shiré Breathes New Life into Hip Hop R&B Baltimore Songstress Teams With Hot City, Midi Mafia and SRC/Universal
Baltimore, MD — The pop music charts have been largely dominated by a blend of Hip Hop and R&B/Pop crossover artists in the past decade. From Mary J. Blige and Faith Evans to Fantasia and Keyshia Cole, the marriage of gritty soul music over intense Hip Hop production has shaped the sound of today’s popular music scene. Baltimore native Shiré (Sha-ray) is bringing a fresh voice to fans with her new single “Miss My Love” and the new prelude album Baltimore’s Daughter. She will be unleashing her debut solo album on SRC/Universal in conjunction with Hot City Music Group and Midi Mafia’s Family Ties Entertainment in 2008.
With multi-platinum production team Midi Mafia firmly behind her, Shiré is carving a new niche in the realm of Hip Hop R&B. Her honest approach to songwriting lends heart-rendering passion to her work, as she pours her life experiences into each lyric. Blessed with a naturally strong voice, the smooth rasp of her tone meshes perfectly with Midi Mafia’s stellar production. After seeing recent success with Fantasia’s chart-topper “When I See You” and Jennifer Lopez’ new #1 European hit “Hold It Don’t Drop It,” Midi Mafia is poised to bring Shiré to the forefront of the mainstream. Bruce Waynne of Midi Mafia and Family Ties has full confidence in the project. “The combination of Shire’s vocal ability, beauty, work ethic and swagger makes her the complete package.”
Far from a newcomer to the industry, Shiré got her big break as a high school student when Sisqo of Dru Hill utilized her talents as the foundation for the girl group Lovher. In 2003, Lovher made a splash with their single “How’s It Gonna Be” and the follow-up “Girlfriend,” which Shiré wrote. They were the first all-female group signed to Def Soul/Def Jam, however their debut album never transpired due to business issues between Lovher, Sisqo and the label. When the deal fell apart, Shiré kept her groove by signing with Philadelphia-based label Hot City Music Group.
Charles “CK” King of Hot City Music Group was inspired by the young singer’s drive and vision from the day he met her. “Shiré epitomizes the old cliche’ that ‘Success is but failure turned inside out,” CK says. “Just when most people would’ve given up on their dream, Shiré fought even harder for hers. I knew that I had to sign her from the first time that I worked with her. She has ‘it’ – that rare blend of pure talent, drive, determination and the relentless work ethic that it takes to be a superstar in this business. My partner, Mike Floyd and I truly believe that she is destined for greatness.”
In 2007, Hot City Music Group partnered with Midi Mafia’s Family Ties Entertainment to find the right major label deal for Shiré. Steve Rifkind made his move to sign the young talent to SRC/Universal, and everything has been moving toward the release of Shiré’s debut album. “I think she is outstanding, hard working and very driven,” says Rifkind. “Plus, she has the voice of an angel.”
In keeping with the assertive promotional campaigns that Steve Rifkind is famous for, Shiré has made her prelude album Baltimore’s Daughter available for stream/download at www.tygereye.net/shire. “With the help of my Hot City Music and Family Ties team and SRC, I have been blessed with a second chance to pursue my dream,” explains Shiré. “I was able to re-invent myself yet stay true to who I am. Baltimore’s Daughter is not only the prelude to my album, but it symbolizes who I was and who I’ve become. I represent the girl next door – that “round the way” chic. I am the voice of the urban community. Stay tuned, I’m still picking up the pieces.”
For more information on Shiré, and to hear Baltimore’s Daughter, go to www.tygereye.net/shire, www.myspace.com/shireuniversal, www.myspace.com/hotcitymusicgroup and www.myspace.com/familytiesent
For interviews and press information, contact dove@tygereye.net
Baltimore’s Daughter Track List
1. Change The Game
2. Miss My Love
3. Baltimore’s Daughter
4. Twisted
5. Don’t Deserve
6. I Made It
7. Off The Break
8. 2nite
9. Cream
10. Think About It
11. I’m Scarred
12. Mister Manager
13. Mann Up
About Shiré
A native of the tough city of Baltimore, MD, Talia “Shiré” Burgess always knew that she would someday be a star. She is bringing a fresh voice to fans with her new single “Miss My Love” and the new prelude album Baltimore’s Daughter. She will be unleashing her debut solo album on SRC/Universal in conjunction with Hot City Music Group and Midi Mafia’s Family Ties Entertainment in 2008.
Shiré (prounounced Sha-ray) began singing and dancing at the tender age of seven, however, oddly enough singing was not her first love. She loved the theatre and began acting in numerous school plays. She competed in the state competitions for the Arts, and for three years in a row she won the award for The Best Theatrical Performance.
While still in high school, she met R&B mega-star Sisqo of the the group Dru Hill. Sisqo wanted to create a female version of Dru Hill, so he formed a girl group around Shiré and named them Lovher. He signed them to his production company and then to a deal with Def Soul/Def Jam Records as the first female group ever on that label. Shiré and Lovher were quickly thrusted into the music world. Still as an impressionable teenager and barely out of high school, Shiré (at the time known as “Chinky”) got her first brush with stardom when she did a duet with Sisqo, which was featured on Dru-Hill’s second album. Sisqo took the group on tour with him, and they performed with him on national television shows like TRL and the 1st Annual BET Awards.
In 2003, Lovher’s first single and video from the soundtrack for the hit film Rush Hour 2 entitled “How’s It Gonna Be” debuted. That same year, Lovher performed “Girlfriend” at the Lady of Soul Awards. The song was Lovher’s first official single, and was written by Shiré. She was featured in several magazines including Vibe, Teen People, Black Beat, Right On and Honey, and received a notable mention in Billboard Magazine.
Just before the group’s debut album was to be released, Shiré’s seemingly promising career came to an abrupt end. Due to some unknown political reasons within the structure of the group’s record deal and Sisqo’s internal problems with the label, Def Jam never released the group’s album. Soon after, Sisqo, Dru-Hill and Lovher were all dropped from the label. Shiré was devastated. Her childhood dreams of becoming a star seemed to be over within a blink of an eye. Shortly thereafter the group broke-up and she moved back home to Baltimore and slowly began picking up the pieces.
While living in Baltimore, Shiré turned back to her original love of acting and performing in the theatre and was casted as the lead in an eight week play called Can a Good Woman Change a Bad Man, written by Sherry Grant. The play seemed to breathe life back into her childhood dreams of stardom. She then flew to Los Angeles, CA and took an eight week acting course taught by Margie Herbert. She left L.A. inspired and very hopeful. Then her calling for music somehow resurfaced.
Shiré met with some local producers and began to record music again. She began doing features on several platinum rap artist albums, such as DMX, Cam’ron, Method Man and appeared on the famed DJ Kay Slay Mixtape Album. Then in 2006, she briefly reunited with her former group members and decided to give the group another chance – this time independent of Sisqo. In February, 2006 the group moved to Philadelphia, PA and began recording some new material with the Philly-based production company/record label, Hot City Music Group. However, in January, 2007 the group decided to part ways – for good this time – due to professional and creative differences. Once again, Shiré had to figure out a way to pick up the pieces and move on. Instead of moving back to Baltimore, she decided to make Philadelphia her home, and she continued to work with Hot City Music Group.
For the first time in her life Shiré decided to focus on fulfilling her own goals and dreams. With the help of her current team consisting of Hot City Music Group and Family Ties Entertainment, she began writing songs for her solo project and for other major recording artists. Unlike most singers of her generation, Shiré is a true artist who loves to make real music about real life situations; the ups and the downs. She has evolved into a prolific singer/songwriter, and all of her songs feature beautiful melodies, meaningful lyrics and powerful arrangements. Shiré’s uniquely thick and raspy, yet honey-coated voice suits her songs to a tee, and fans have responded with pure adoration.
Within three months of focusing on her own solo project her team was able to create her industry buzz and she was courted by a number of major record labels and publishing companies. Within 24 hours of hearing her music and personally meeting her, Steve Rifkind, long time record executive and owner of SRC Records, fell in love with her and offered her a Record deal on the spot.
Now that the music business is finally going back to real singers, Shiré has a very promising future ahead of her. She is currently in the studio finishing up her debut album and is at this time, and has just released her first single “Miss My Love,” which was produced by Midi Mafia and Lokken Load. Her new prelude mixtape album Baltimore’s Daughter is now available for download at www.tygereye.net/shire
One thing is for certain; Shiré is living out her dream of becoming a superstar, and the response from the industry and fans alike is all positive. When it’s all said and done, just how bright will her star shine?
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