Tenelle

Hailing from California, Tenelle—born Tenelle Christine Luafalemana—crafts melodic reggae-pop laced with R&B. Carson served as her hometown, where she was raised in a Samoan family and devoted her early years to sports until singing captured her attention. Vocal instruction began around age 12 under Tim Carter, whose clients have included Beyoncé and Willow Smith, while she accumulated stage time at family gatherings, funerals, and church services. Post-graduation she joined three uncles in the group Chord Brown, performing regularly across San Diego, Long Beach, and Los Angeles; during those years she also began composing original material influenced by Lauryn Hill, Gwen Stefani, Betty Wright, and additional artists.

By 2008 she had shifted emphasis to a solo path, dividing her schedule between Long Beach shows and trips to Hawaii for backup vocal work with several busy ensembles. Her first singles, “Bulletproof” and “Flava,” arrived in 2013, the latter climbing to the summit of the digital charts. Subsequent high-profile concerts found her opening for Fiji, Common Kings, Sammy J, Spawnbreezie, Drew Deezy, and others. She teamed with Spawnbreezie on the 2015 release “Going Nowhere,” then issued “Ride or Die” with Fiji and “Say That You Love Me” featuring Sammy J in 2016. Her debut album, For the Lovers, followed in 2017 and included appearances by Chazrox and Fiji.