Blu Cantrell

Blu Cantrell
Blu Cantrell at the 79th Annual Academy Awards Children Uniting Nations/Billboard afterparty at The Music Box @ Fonda on February 25, 2007 in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California
Background information
Birth name	Tiffany Cobb
Born	(1976-03-16) March 16, 1976 (age 40) Providence, Rhode Island, U.S.
Genres	R&B, soul
Occupation(s)	Singer, songwriter, musician, producer
Years active	2001–present
Labels	Arista
Associated acts	Cam McNeill

Blu Cantrell (born Tiffany Cobb; March 16, 1976) is an American R&B and soul singer-songwriter.

Cantrell rose to fame in 2001, with the release of her debut single, "Hit 'Em Up Style (Oops!)", which peaked at number two on the US Billboard Hot 100 and topped the US Mainstream Top 40 chart, along with charting across several countries and being included in her debut album, So Blu. The song earned Cantrell two Grammy Awards nominations. Later in 2003, Cantrell released her second album, Bittersweet, which was nominated for a Grammy Award and spawned the single "Breathe" (featuring Sean Paul); written & produced by Ivan Matias. "Breathe" was a major success worldwide in 2003, topping the European Hot 100 Singles and the UK Singles Chart for four consecutive weeks and also reaching the top ten of several other charts across the world.

Tiffany Cobb was born in Providence, Rhode Island. Her father was of Narragansett, Cape Verdean and Afro American ancestry. Her mother, Susi Franco, a former "Mrs. Rhode Island", was an actress, and jazz vocalist. She also has French, Scottish, English, and German ancestry. Cantrell's parents split when she was a child, and she and her five siblings—Adam, Tino, Nick, Kelli, and Summer—were raised by her mother.

After several demos, recordings, and singing backup for artists such as Puff Daddy, Cantrell was discovered by Red Zone Entertainment heads Tricky, Tab and Laney Stewart in early 2001. She also did collaborations with Babyface, Usher, Dionne Warwick, will.i.am, Fat Joe, Lil' Kim, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, and jazz legend Herbie Hancock. The producers promptly placed her with Antonio "L.A." Reid who offered the singer a contract with his label Arista Records after hearing one song she wrote and sang in front of him and his staff. After a bidding war with five different labels, Arista's bid was the highest. It was said of Cantrell, "Since she was a little girl she always dreamed of being on Arista Records." Afterwards, Cantrell went straight into recording sessions with Dallas Austin and Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. In 2001, her debut album, So Blu, was released. The record saw major success when it peaked at number eight on the Billboard 200 chart, eventually going gold in the United States. The album's hit single "Hit 'Em Up Style (Oops!)", which peaked at number two on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, became the number one most added record to radio in the country, breaking Elvis Presley's record for most played on all genres of radio. The song earned Cantrell Grammy Award nominations for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance and for Best R&B Song, as well as an American Music Award nomination for Favorite Soul/R&B New Artist, both in 2002.