Biography
Sharissa nurtured a deep-rooted ambition to establish herself in music while signed to Motown. From the age of seven onward, this drive led her to perform at home in Brooklyn, the city of her birth, and later in the Bronx, where she spent her formative years. Her father, struck by her zeal, began calling her "Little Stevie Wonder." Neighbors in New York’s Edenwald Projects regularly heard her voice ring out. By the time she reached junior high and high school, she was offering impromptu performances to classmates in the school cafeteria. Still in her early teens, she became a member of the group Triple Dose.
Whitney Houston and Stephanie Mills counted among her primary influences, while additional listening introduced her to Grandmaster Flash, the Emotions, Patti LaBelle, Deniece Williams, Gladys Knight, and the Sugarhill Gang. She also recorded numerous televised music specials for later study, among them Motown Comes to the Apollo and Motown 30, programs that spotlighted artists on her eventual label. Early professional work found her supplying backing vocals for Wyclef, Beanie Sigel, Father MC, and Carl Thomas.
Her debut album, No Half Steppin’, appeared on Henchmen/Motown and carried her co-writing credit, with production contributions from Gerald Isaacs, Tank, Trackmasters, and Mark Batson. “Any Other Night” served as the project’s lead single. The set further contains “All These Years,” a song penned by Lil’ Mo and produced by Groove Theory’s Bryce Wilson.
Whitney Houston and Stephanie Mills counted among her primary influences, while additional listening introduced her to Grandmaster Flash, the Emotions, Patti LaBelle, Deniece Williams, Gladys Knight, and the Sugarhill Gang. She also recorded numerous televised music specials for later study, among them Motown Comes to the Apollo and Motown 30, programs that spotlighted artists on her eventual label. Early professional work found her supplying backing vocals for Wyclef, Beanie Sigel, Father MC, and Carl Thomas.
Her debut album, No Half Steppin’, appeared on Henchmen/Motown and carried her co-writing credit, with production contributions from Gerald Isaacs, Tank, Trackmasters, and Mark Batson. “Any Other Night” served as the project’s lead single. The set further contains “All These Years,” a song penned by Lil’ Mo and produced by Groove Theory’s Bryce Wilson.
Singles
