Tamia Marilyn Hill (nee Washington) was born and raised in Windsor, Ontario with her mother Barbara, and three younger brothers Tiras, Tajhee, and Trajan. Aside from the music she heard and sang at church, Tamia was exposed to diverse music from an early age by her mother. Singing was always her passion. As early as age six, she was on stage singing at the local church, and by age 12, had already been involved in several musicals which helped hone her musical skills.

In early-to-mid 1995, Tamia began recording her eponymous debut album, with production from the likes of Mario Winans, Jermaine Dupri, Tim & Bob, as well as additional help from Quincy Jones. The album's first single, "You Put a Move on My Heart", a cover of the 1993 song by British singer Mica Paris, was released on December 2, 1995, which was produced by Quincy Jones, off of his Q's Jook Joint album, charted at number 98 on the Billboard Hot 100, and became Tamia's first Top 40 hit on the R&B charts, peaking at #12. Another single, "Slow Jams" which was co-written by American singer-songwriter Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds, features Barry White, and Babyface himself. The single also appeared on Q's Jook Joint, and appeared at #68 on the Billboard Hot 100 and at #19 on the R&B charts, becoming her second Top 40 R&B hit.  In the second quarter of 1996, Tamia collaborated with American singers Gladys Knight, Brandy, and Chaka Khan for the single, "Missing You", which was featured in the 1996 blockbuster film, Set It Off, and released in August of that year, the single peaked at #10 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, and at #25 on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming her first Top 40 single and third Top 40 R&B hit overall. By late 1996, Tamia had received three Grammy Award nominations.  Tamia's debut self-titled album, Tamia, was released in Canada on April 14, 1998, three weeks later it was released in the United Kingdom on May 11, and in North America the following day. To date, the album sold more than 420,000 copies in the United States and was certified gold.  In June 1997, Tamia made her film debut as Sheri Silver in the action-thriller Speed 2: Cruise Control. Playing the cruise liner's musical entertainer, she performed the Diane Warren-penned single "Make Tonight Beautiful", which was released as part of the film's soundtrack. She has also appeared in other TV sitcoms, including Rock Me Baby and an episode of Kenan and Kel.

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