 | | One of the most promising R&B artists to emerge during the early 2010s, singer and songwriter Elle Varner grew up in a musical family -- one that spent much of its time together in recording studios. |
 | | Before she could utilize her talents for her own solo endeavors, R&B singer, vocal arranger, and songwriter Keri Hilson wrote a slew of songs, many of them chart-toppers, for several popular artists in the mid-2000s as part of the five-person production/songwriting team known as the Clutch. |
 | | Pop-R&B vocalist and pianist Phyllisia (last name: Ross) was driven to be an entertainer (as well as a pediatrician) by the death of her father, who passed away when she was ten years old. |
 | | Actor and pop-R&B vocalist Jacob Latimore got his first taste of fame at a very young age, when his first single, the 2006 release "Best Friend," was played on Radio Disney. |
 | | New Orleans, Louisiana native Dawn Richard, the daughter of Chocolate Milk percussionist and vocalist Frank Richard, released her first solo material under the name Dawn Angeliqué. |
 | | Pleasure P is a contemporary R&B singer who experienced success as a member of the group Pretty Ricky before embarking on a solo career in 2007. |
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 | | Born and bred on Chicago's South Side, R&B singer Jeremih taught himself how to play several instruments and didn't consider himself a vocalist until a warmly received performance at a talent show. |
 | | R&B singer/songwriter and producer Terius Youngdell Nash, better known as the-Dream, was born in Rockingham, North Carolina, but moved to Atlanta, Georgia, with his mother at the age of three. |
 | | RichGirl are a four-member group assembled with the assistance of Rich Harrison, the producer/songwriter behind Beyoncé's "Crazy in Love" and Amerie's "1 Thing. |
 | | An exceptionally shrewd producer, songwriter, performer, businessman, and self-promoter -- he hired someone to film nearly all of his activities, which were diligently edited and uploaded to YouTube -- Ryan Leslie began making music as a teenager, scored a perfect 1600 on his SATs before he was old enough to drive, and graduated from Harvard at the age of 19. |
 | | Ester Dean's singing aspirations were so strong that she cold-called recording studios around her Oklahoma home and ingratiated herself enough to provide vocals on demos. |
 | | Pop-oriented R&B singer Amerie, the daughter of a Korean mother and an African-American father who was a career military member, grew up on bases from Alaska to Germany. |
 | | Dubbed "the First Lady of Crunk & B" by the producer who should know, Lil Jon, singer Ciara burst onto the scene with the never-gonna-get-it single "Goodies," the breathy "answer song" to Petey Pablo's "Freek-a-Leek. |
 | | The possessor of a laid-back voice that alternates easily between sly and yearning, R&B singer and songwriter Bradd Young was raised in St. |
 | | Equally rooted in gospel, soul, and hip-hop, 112 were the first and most successful urban vocal group to emerge from Sean "Puffy" Combs' Bad Boy Records roster. |
 | | Upfront, pop-oriented R&B group Electrik Red are based in Los Angeles but involve four vocalists of varying backgrounds: Kyndra "Binkie" Reevey, from Harlem; Lesley Lewis, of West Indian descent, from Brooklyn; British-Canadian and Jamaican Naomi Allen, from Toronto; and fellow Torontonian Sarah Rosete, whose roots are Swedish, Filipino, and Russian. |
 | | One of the most recognizable characters in modern-day R&B, Beyoncé first rose to fame as the siren-voiced centerpiece of Destiny's Child before embarking on a multi-platinum solo career in 2001. |
 | | Although Trey Songz loved hip-hop while growing up, the only R&B he could get into was R. Kelly. When his friends heard his perfect tenor voice, however, they pushed him to drop rap and start crooning. |
 | | Although he is probably best known for his 18 years in the NBA (one of only eight players to have such longevity), Terry Cummings has been involved in other aspects of entertainment for nearly just as long. |
 | | French contemporary R&B singer, songwriter, and producer Matt Houston (Matthieu Gore) was born in Sainte-Anne, Guadeloupe, but moved to Paris, France, prior to establishing his music career. |
 | | Alternative R&B singer Jesse Boykins III boasts a five-octave vocal range and a wide range of inspirations that stretches from classic soul to the contemporary likes of Björk and Bilal. |
 | | At the age of eight, as a choir member at his father’s church, Detroit’s John Brown began to develop his talent as a singer. |
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 | | Born Bobby Wilson in Mississippi but raised in Atlanta, smooth R&B crooner Bobby V -- known as Bobby Valentino until a lawsuit from a British performer of the same name -- had a hard time convincing his skeptical parents that the music business was the place for him. |
 | | A producer, songwriter, and singer from Southfield, Michigan, Bei Maejor (Brandon Green) broke into the music industry in 2005. |
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 | | R&B vocalist Lloyd topped BET's play list singing a steamy duet with Ashanti, but he got his first spins on the anything-but-steamy Radio Disney. |
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 | | Neo-soul multi-instrumentalist Lewis Taylor began his professional career as guitarist for the re-formed Edgar Broughton Band before stalking the limelight on his own under the pseudonym Sheriff Jack, and later under his given name. |
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 | | Soha is a French contemporary R&B singer who released her debut album in 2007. Born of Algerian heritage, she hails from Marseille and cites influences ranging from American jazz, blues, and soul to Jamaican reggae and Latin music. |
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 | | Rihanna established her dance-pop credentials in summer 2005 with her debut smash hit, "Pon de Replay," and continued to demonstrate hit potential in subsequent years (e. |
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 | | Rough-but-smooth male vocal quartet Jagged Edge formed in Atlanta, Georgia, consisting of identical twin brothers Brandon "Case Dinero" Casey and Brian "Brasco" Casey, who had moved from their native Hartford, Connecticut; Kyle Norman (aka "Quick"), whom they'd met through church activities; and Richard Wingo (aka "Wingo Dollar"), a late addition to the group suggested by Xscape's Kandi Burruss, who took their demo to superproducer Jermaine Dupri. |
 | | R&B vocalist Devin Johnson, a Columbus, GA native, developed his skills at a very young age in church, where he sang and picked up a number of instruments, including bass guitar, drums, and piano. |
 | | Detroit singer, songwriter, and MC Monica Blaire initially labored behind the scenes, contributing toward other artists' projects before developing into a unique alternative soulstress. |
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 | | Skilled vocalist and CEO Doll Phace got her nickname as a teenager, when she was on her high school’s track tream. |
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 | | Dondria is a contemporary R&B singer who was discovered on YouTube by So So Def founder Jermaine Dupri. |
