Tiara Wiles

When futuristic soul singer Tiara Wiles sings, you can hear the happy vibe of a person destined to make music. Her step father was a b-boy/producer; her grandmother a successful touring lounge singer, her mother’s a soulful, hardworking single mom and their stereo was always live: from NWA to Nirvana, Janet Jackson to Prince. Today, Tiara synthesizes that soul with here-and-now beats and a sexiness that is all her own. She conjures up New Jack Swing, Anita Baker, Citizen Cope and MIA, and delivers it all with her own sultry sound. “I make music that can make people happy, you can let things go when you hear it,” she says. She’s not 100% sweetheart, though. Tiara Wiles’ songs might make people happy, sure, but they also make people want to shake it. Back in Time is a standout track that’s bound to be a club banger. Her easy laugh and self-confidence show that she was raised feeling love—like music—flow through her home. She’s comfortable in her skin, but it hasn’t always been that easy. When Tiara was 10 she moved from inner city Pittsburgh to a predominantly white suburb. She went from not feeling black enough around her city friends to struggling with her culture in a school where she stood out. She also felt the sting of her father’s absence, renewed every time he didn’t help out her mother—and even today as she works to put herself through college. Tiara chose Howard University for college, where she knew she’d be around “black people doing positive things.” This year she’s finishing up her degree in Radio Production, and has made some big steps musically. In 2007 she was discovered by her current manager, Michael "Mic Sean" Spence, recorded Crazy, and the buzz has been building ever since. Tiara is currently working on an EP with Soul Rebel Management due out in April. In between recording and studying, she performs at clubs and showcases in DC and New York and waits for her big break. Though she’d never say so, she’s got the look to go celebrity: from her sultry pout to en vogue bob, the camera loves her as much as the mic does. She’s still getting used to the fact that there’s someone out there trying to help her achieve—but it’s not naiveté—T, unfortunately knows about people’s disappointing nature. From a father full of false promises to a lifetime of musically-inclined friends who just didn’t take the craft as seriously as she, Tiara has had to grind on her own for a long time. Now she is learning to trust, to open up to people, and to let them help develop her talents. “I’m a work in progress,” she says. In her mind she’s still developing and can’t wait to see what comes to be, both musically and personally. With her refreshing lyrics, growing buzz, and crazy performance skills, Tiara is bound to leave her mark on the music industry, keep an eye out as she takes it by storm. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.