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In 2002, Sharissa stepped into the music arena with her debut CD on Motown, "No Half Steppin'." Indeed, the young
chartreuse from the heart of the Big Apple took a bite out of the charts with her hot single, "Any Other Night."
The video sizzled and sent the scintillating single onto radio play lists and television video shows with a message: Sharissa
ain't messin' around.
Three years later she is back on the scene with look that's lean, mean and an album keen on telling her story.
"This album is a diary of my life," she says of "Every Beat of My Heart," her new CD on Czar/Virgin,
which will be released January 2006. I didn't talk about anything that I haven't experienced. I've been through it all and
these songs have given me an aopportunity to reflect on my life and learn from my mistakes."
Virgin brought in some major players to collaborate with the new voice of street chic, including Wyclef Jean, Mario Winans,
R. Kelly and Tank, who was featured in her "Any Other Night" video.
Sharissa not only has a new leaner look, she also has an aptitude to reach teenage girls with a message of hope.
"When I was 13, my boyfriend at the time was killed," she says. "I don't want to be preachy, but if someone
can learn from my mistakes, I've done my job. I hope that my songs will help young girls from the hood believe that they have
options than the ones society offers them. It took me a long time to learn that living the fast life ... chasing money and
men ... rarely offers you a second chance. It's about self love and humanity.
Sharissa was raised in the Bronx borough of New York, where by the time she was seven, could be heard blazing out songs
on the street and
eventually in the church. That combination of streets and reality, the church and inspiration, eventually brought her to a
recording studio and into the hands of Motown.
Today, she boasts a sexier yet softer look. She co-wrote or wrote every track on "Every Best of My Heart," which
she insists is a testament to her surviving love and life. "I admit that I have always loved the tough guys, bit I've
realized that most of their characteristics and emotions are a façade because it's part of their survival. Now that I've matured,
I know better and my priorities are different."
Sharissa is touring to promote her debut album on Virgin, in addition to launching a clothing line. Let's see what else
she had to say during an EXCLUSIVE one on one with Starpoynt.
Star - What inspired the new, healthier Sharissa?
Sharissa - Just life. I wanted to get it together. I wanted to change my life and be healthier. I'm ready to live.
Star - How'd you do it... what kind of regimen did you take on and what do you do to retain the new you?
Sharissa - I picked up my water intake. Being a woman, the more water you input the more you get rid of. I also adapted
the low-carb lifestyle and I work out as often as I can, about four days a week.
Star - This time out on some tracks there is an old school vibe... who were your musical idols and inspirations?
Sharissa - I absolutely love Betty Wright, Millie Jackson, Candy
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| Photo by Michael Lavine/Virgin Records |
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