Tiara Thomas
Thomas in 2015
Thomas in 2015
Background information
Birth nameTiara Nicole Thomas
Born (1989-09-12) September 12, 1989
Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S.
Alma materBall State University (BS)
Genres
Occupation(s)
  • Singer
  • songwriter
Years active2009–present
Labels
Websitetiarathomasmusic.com

Tiara Nicole Thomas (born September 12, 1989) is an American R&B singer. In 2013, she was featured on the Wale single "Bad", which has been certified 3× platinum.[1][2] That same year, Thomas landed a label deal with Interscope Records, a label under the Interscope Geffen A&M group. In 2021, she won the Grammy Award for Song of the Year for co-writing "I Can't Breathe".[3] That same year, she received a Golden Globe nomination and won an Academy Award for Best Original Song, for co-writing the song "Fight for You", from Judas and the Black Messiah.[4][5]

Early life

Thomas was born in Indianapolis, Indiana. Her parents encouraged her to pursue music. Thomas performed in school and church. She attended Lawrence North High School.[6] A hardcore fan of hip hop and pop music, Thomas developed her sound early and set out to carve her own lane in music by fusing her love for pop and alternative music, ballads, and rap with instrumentation.[7] In June 2012, Thomas graduated from Ball State University.

Career

2009–2012: Early career

Thomas in 2010

Thomas met founders of The Board Administration, Wale and Le'Greg O. Harrison, in a club in Atlanta, Georgia, during a Wale concert in 2009.[1] After exchanging information and submitting music, she received a response and positive feedback after three months. Shortly thereafter, she traveled to New York City where she opened for Wale and shared the stage with Diggy Simmons, J. Cole, and Fabolous at the Highline Ballroom.[8][9] Thomas signed to The Board Administration in 2011.[10][11][12]

She is well known for viral promotions via Twitter and YouTube and recognized for new online musical content, live performance streams, and cover performances of popular music. On August 3, 2010, the world was introduced to Thomas on "The Cloud" with Wale through his mixtape More About Nothing. Her name trended worldwide on May 30, 2011, on Twitter, the day "The Cloud" video released.[13][14][15]

Thomas was selected as a 2011–2012 Campaign Spokesperson for the American Eagle Outfitters Back to School We The People Campaign.[16] Her likeness is canvassed in New York City's Times Square at the American Eagle Outfitters flagship Store Location and across the continental U.S. in all 900+ stores worldwide. Her original songs for the campaign, "Denim" and "Wassup", are featured on the American Eagle Outfitters website and were circulated to the masses through their social media campaign.[17]

2013–present: "Bad", Dear Sallie Mae, and debut album

Thomas worked on her debut LP Sallie Mae, and was featured on Wale's single "Bad".[18] The latter peaked at number 21 on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming her first Hot 100 and top 40 entry. In June 2013, it was announced she had left Wale's record label The Board Administration to sign with Rico Love's Division 1 record label in a joint deal with Interscope Geffen A&M.[19]

Thomas released a five-song EP titled Dear Sallie Mae on October 8, 2013.[20]

Discography

  • Dear Sallie Mae (EP) (2013)
  • The Bad Influence (2014)[21]
  • Up in Smoke (EP) (2015)[22]
  • Don't Mention My Name (EP) (2017)
  • FWMM (EP) (2018)

As lead artist

List of singles, showing year released
Title Year
"One Night" 2014
List of singles, with selected chart positions, showing year released and album name
Title Year Peak chart positions Certifications Album
US
[23]		 US
R&B
[24]		 US
Rap
[25]
"Bad"
(Wale featuring Tiara Thomas or Rihanna)		 2013 2153 The Gifted
"Another Day"
(Fat Joe featuring Rick Ross, French Montana and Tiara Thomas)		 2014 ——— Non-album singles
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

References

  1. 1 2 Godfrey, Sarah (June 6, 2011). "Tiara Thomas on collaborating with Wale and breaking out of Muncie, Indiana". Tbd.com. Retrieved July 12, 2014.
  2. ↑ "Wale featuring Tiara Thomas – The Cloud". YouTube. May 25, 2011. Retrieved July 12, 2014.
  3. ↑ Pasquini, Maria; Goldstein, Joelle. "H.E.R. Wins 2021 Song of the Year Grammy, Urges to 'Keep Same Energy' from George Floyd Protests". PEOPLE.com. Retrieved March 15, 2021.
  4. ↑ "Leslie Odom Jr., Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross & More Oscar Music Nominee Newsmakers". Billboard. Retrieved March 15, 2021.
  5. ↑ "Golden Globes 2021: Complete list of winners and nominees". www.cbsnews.com. March 3, 2021. Retrieved March 15, 2021.
  6. ↑ David, Lindquist (March 17, 2015). "Look and listen for these 10 Hoosier acts at SXSW". The Indianapolis Star. Retrieved March 17, 2021.
  7. ↑ "S.O.M. INTERVIEW: Tiara Thomas- "Nothing Like The Rest"". Archived from the original on January 22, 2012. Retrieved January 21, 2020.
  8. ↑ "Ball Bearings Magazine". Ballbearingsonline.com. Archived from the original on January 17, 2013. Retrieved January 21, 2020.
  9. ↑ "Concert Recap: Wale at Highline Ballroom". Archive.is. Archived from the original on July 19, 2012. Retrieved January 21, 2020.
  10. ↑ Godfrey, Sarah (October 13, 2010). "The Board Administration with Fat Trel, Black Cobain, Wale, and UCB: TBD setlist". Tbd.com. Retrieved July 12, 2014.
  11. ↑ "JOIN ME THIS WEEK – (10/11) The Talented 3.0 presents Tiara Thomas and Andy Suzuki and The Method". The Pink Line Project. October 10, 2011. Archived from the original on July 14, 2014. Retrieved July 12, 2014.
  12. ↑ Shoger, Scott (September 7, 2011). "Tiara Thomas: All around the world | Profiles | NUVO News | Indianapolis, IN". Nuvo.net. Retrieved July 12, 2014.
  13. ↑
  14. ↑ "Tiara Thomas". Us.twend.it. Archived from the original on July 28, 2012. Retrieved January 21, 2020.
  15. ↑ "The Source – Video: Wale ft. Tiara Thomas". Archive.is. Archived from the original on February 4, 2013. Retrieved January 21, 2020.
  16. ↑ Godfrey, Sarah (June 14, 2011). "Tiara Thomas: Singer/rapper/guitarist and pitchwoman". Tbd.com. Retrieved July 12, 2014.
  17. ↑ "American Eagle Outfitters :: Wassup". Ae.com. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved July 12, 2014.
  18. ↑ "iTunes Store". Itunes.apple.com. Retrieved July 12, 2014.
  19. ↑ Baker, Soren (June 3, 2013). "Wale Collaborator Tiara Thomas Signs To Division 1/Interscope Geffen A&M | Get The Latest Hip Hop News, Rap News & Hip Hop Album Sales". HipHop DX. Retrieved July 12, 2014.
  20. ↑ "Dear Sallie Mae [Explicit]: Tiara Thomas: MP3 Downloads". Amazon.com. October 8, 2013. Retrieved July 12, 2014.
  21. ↑ "Rico Love and Tiara Thomas share thoughts on her new album, 'The Bad Influence'". Rollingout.com. July 14, 2014. Retrieved November 5, 2015.
  22. ↑ "Tiara Thomas Drops New EP Titled 'Up In Smoke'". Vibe.com. August 13, 2015. Retrieved November 5, 2015.
  23. ↑ "Wale Album & Song Chart History". Billboard Hot 100 for Wale. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved April 4, 2011.
  24. ↑ "Wale Album & Song Chart History". Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs for Wale. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved April 4, 2011.
  25. ↑ "Wale Album & Song Chart History". Billboard Rap Songs for Wale. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved April 4, 2011.
  26. ↑ "American certifications – Wale – Bad". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved May 31, 2013.
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