Támar
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Támar | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Ashley Támar Davis |
| Born | March 31, 1980 |
| Origin | Houston, Texas, U.S. |
| Genres | R&B, funk, pop |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, songwriter, producer, model, Actress |
| Years active | 1990–1993 (group) 1998–present (solo) |
| Labels | Universal Records |
| Associated acts | Girl's Tyme, Prince, Kelly Rowland, Beyoncé Knowles, LeToya Luckett, Destiny's Child, Alisan Porter, Nick Hagelin, Bryan Bautista, Ryan Quinn, Kata Hay, Maya Smith, Shalyah Fearing |
| Website | Official Myspace Tamardavis.com |
Ashley Támar Davis, known professionally as Támar Davis, is an American singer who came to prominence through her association with Prince. She sang the co-lead vocals on his Grammy-nominated song "Beautiful, Loved and Blessed" from his 2006 album, 3121 and on backup vocals throughout the album.[1] Támar started her musical career in the group Girl's Tyme, appearing with them on Star Search, but left before the group was renamed Destiny's Child. In 2016, she auditioned for season 10 of the American talent competition The Voice. She was a member of Kanye West's Sunday Service Choir.[2] She is also the music supervisor for That Damn Michael Che.
Early years and cooperation with Prince[edit]
Támar began her career by joining the girl group “Girls Tyme”. From 1990 to 1993, she performed alongside Beyonce Knowles, Kelly Rowland, Latavia Roberson and a few other girls. The group appeared on Star Search in 1993, however they did not win, which led to a line-up change, resulting in Támar no longer being in the group, after being replaced by LeToya Luckett. The group went on to become the successful act known as Destiny’s Child, and Támar pursued a solo career. In 2019, a compilation album titled “Destiny's Child: The Untold Story Presents Girls Tyme” was released, featuring some of Támar's lead and background vocals.
Around 1994, Prince heard a demo by Támar and told her that one day when she was older, he wanted to hear her again. A few years later, Prince called her into his Paisley Park studio. Nothing transpired from that visit, nor did she get to meet with Prince, so Támar went about graduating from Houston's High School for the Performing and Visual Arts, and studying the music business at the University of Southern California, all while focusing on her musical career. Támar, who speaks French, German and Swahili, became part of an all-female jazz/funk band called Angaza (which means "to give light" in Swahili). The band released an album called Light. At the time, she went by the name Ashley T'Amar Davis.
In 2004, she auditioned for Star Search once again as a solo artist, but did not prevail through the competitions. She also auditioned for the fourth season of American Idol, but did not make the cut. While living in Los Angeles, she snared an invite to one of Prince's house parties and introduced herself to him. He remembered meeting the singer and asked her to audition for him on the spot, which she did. He then asked her to sing in a video he was working on. Subsequently, Támar joined the ranks of female artists Prince has mentored, including Vanity, Sheila E., Sheena Easton, Apollonia Kotero, Carmen Electra and Martika. She signed with Universal Records the same day Prince did in December 2005. At Prince's suggestion, she began using her middle name, Támar, professionally.
In 2006, Támar toured with Prince, helping to promote his album 3121. She appeared with him on Saturday Night Live, Good Morning America, the Brit Awards, as well as his video, "Fury", where she appears alongside fellow female singer/dancers the Twinz, two former Australian Idol contestants.
In March 2006, Támar was supported by Prince, with an ensemble of session musicians, and performed a number of small club concerts in Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., Atlanta and Miami to promote her upcoming album. The concerts included cuts from her Milk & Honey album, as well as cover versions of songs by artists like Mary J. Blige and Aretha Franklin. Prince fans were also treated to him performing rare tunes, including "Anotherloverholenyohead", "Partyman" and "Calhoun Square" (from Crystal Ball), during her costume changes. Also of interest was the full complement doing a cover of Michael Jackson's "Don't Stop 'til You Get Enough" with Prince playing the synthesizer solo from the original recording on the guitar. The concerts were approximately 90 minutes in length. Footage from some of these concerts has been uploaded to YouTube.
My Name is Támar[edit]
Set to be Támar's debut album, Milk & Honey was originally titled Beautiful, Loved and Blessed, but was later renamed after one of the other tracks. The album appeared to feature significant input by Prince: many of the song titles employed his style of abbreviations. Milk & Honey was originally intended to be released together with Prince's 3121 album, but the release date was later set to May 5, 2006, and then delayed for unknown reasons. Although the record label never disclosed an official communication on the subject, it is known that the project was eventually leaked onto the internet by Támar via her website. Several other rumored release dates came and went and the album was eventually canceled except for a Japanese release, even though a few promotional singles had already been issued. The release in Japan was later canceled altogether. John Elmore III and Terrell Sass then produced a new debut, "Juz Do It" while Támar was touring with Tyler Perry's "The Marriage Counselor". This album was eventually cancelled as well. My Name Is Támar was released on March 24, 2011, and was also primarily produced and mixed by John Elmore III and Terrell Sass.
Acting career[edit]
Támar has appeared in multiple Tyler Perry plays, such as: The Marriage Counselor, Laugh to Keep from Crying, Madea's Big Happy Family, Madea Gets a Job and also A Madea Christmas. She also toured with Motown: The Musical as an understudy for Diana Ross.
The Voice[edit]
Támar auditioned for season 10 of the American series The Voice. On an episode broadcast on NBC on March 8, 2016, she sang "Chain of Fools" with two of the four judges Christina Aguilera and Blake Shelton turning their chairs. She opted to continue competing as part of Team Christina.
| Stage | Song | Original Artist | Date | Order | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blind Audition | "Chain of Fools" | Aretha Franklin | March 8, 2016 | 4.1 | Christina Aguilera and Blake Shelton turned Joined Team Christina |
| Battle Rounds | "Lady Marmalade" (vs. Shalyah Fearing) | Labelle | March 15, 2016 | 7.1 | Saved by Coach |
| Knockout Rounds | "Lay Me Down" (vs. Maya Smith) | Sam Smith | March 29, 2016 | 11.3 | |
| Live Playoffs (Top 24) | "Rise Up" | Andra Day | April 11, 2016 | 14.8 | winner |
Personal life[edit]
Támar lives in Los Angeles.
Discography[edit]
- Milk & Honey (2006) (limited US & Japan release only)
- My Name Is Tamar (2011)
- I Am the Storm (2016)
- My Name Is Ashley (2021)
References[edit]
- ↑ Gail Mitchell (23 February 2007). "Former Prince Protege Tamar Reactivating Career". Billboard. Retrieved 30 June 2017.
- ↑ "Protégé of Prince who sang with Beyoncé and Kanye makes a new name for herself". Houston Chronicle. August 16, 2021. Retrieved January 22, 2022.
External links[edit]
- Official website
- Biography of Támar Davis
- About Támar Davis
- Tamar's Road to Stardom
- Támar on Star Search
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