Biography
Born to Vietnamese parents in Singapore, Tila Nguyen relocated with them to Houston, TX, at the age of one. Her youth there was marked by frequent conflicts and acts of defiance; during high school she reportedly earned the nickname Tila Tequila after suffering a negative reaction to the liquor. At eighteen she headed to Hollywood intent on building a career in entertainment. Modeling assignments for Playboy and additional outlets soon followed, along with a contestant spot on the 2003 VH1 series Surviving Nugent. Seeking broader outlets, she performed with several Los Angeles bands and placed the track “Straight Up” on MySpace Records’ inaugural 2005 compilation. Her most striking success, however, arose from her MySpace presence, where a blend of sexuality, frankness, and apparent approachability propelled her to the platform’s top rank, amassing more than 1.7 million friends by early 2007. That same combination of relentless self-promotion and striking appearance yielded further opportunities. In 2006 she secured a recording contract with Will.i.am Music Group, the A&M imprint led by the Black Eyed Peas’ frontman. Although she first agreed to the arrangement, she ultimately issued her debut single, the Lil Jon-produced “I Love U,” in late February 2007, explaining that she had chosen to forgo major-label support in order to remain faithful to her own vision and sustain her independent route to recognition. The following month her first EP, Sex, appeared on the independent Washington, D.C. label The Saturday Team.
Albums
