Tonight @ 9pm 'Don't miss EZ.ACCESS ,Guest vocalist/songwriter "Tiffany Monique " Best known to the general public for being one-third of Beyoncé’s background singers. Tiffany Moníque is ready to step out of the shadows with her debut EP "Nemesis". Join The Ladies Of EZ.Access

Tiffany Monique's first video, NEMESIS, is streaming on YouTube! Check it out, leave a comment and subscribe to TiffanyMoniqueTV! View the Video

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by Michael Gonzales, A SoulSummer Exclusive

http://www.soulsummer.com/tiffany-monique

As one-third of Beyoncé’s back-up trio the Mamas, singer Tiffany Monique has been around the world like Lisa Stansfield: China, Africa, Russia and beyond. So the Brooklyn eatery Cheryl’s Global Soul Café seems to be the perfect locale to meet Tiffany and producer Kevin “Kwiz” Ryan, who are eager discuss not only their globe-trotting adventures, but also their recently released project, Nemesis.

“The first single and title track was influenced by meeting so many naysayers who told me I would never make it in this business,” says Tiffany, a Tennessee native who was raised in Newark, New Jersey. Writing her own lyrics and melodies, she also sings her own backgrounds on the five-song EP.

“Over the years, a few record executives told me that although I had the talent, I didn’t have the look,” she says with quiet determination. “Nemesis expresses my determination to prevail.” Producer/musician Kwiz, who oversees the production company Digital Khaoss and recorded the Nemesis project at Rhythm Lab Studios in the Bronx, has also toured with Beyoncé. Working as a programmer, he was used to seeing Tiffany do her background thing. But it wasn’t until after hearing her stand-in for Lady B. in 2008, wailing “Dangerously in Love” during a sound check, that he realized the extent of Tiffany’s talent.

“Music is my passion,” says Kwiz, a studio rat who produced ’90s fem soulsters the Earth Girls. Although signed to Capitol Records, the group never released an album. “Prior to meeting Tiffany, I had lost my taste for producing.” Fired up by what he saw and heard, Kwiz was ready to go back to the lab and make Nemesis a reality.

Tiffany has been singing since she was a girl going to Catholic school. On Sunday mornings, her grandmother took her to Baptist church, where she sang with the choir. Later, when she wasn’t digging the sounds of Stevie Wonder and Aretha Franklin on the radio, she listened to her Aunt Beverly recounting stories of being on the road with Chaka Khan. “I come from a very musical family,” Tiffany explains. “My mom had a desire to play and sing classical, but she became a teacher instead. She lost her [singing] voice from screaming at school kids.”

Awarded a music scholarship to Morgan State University in Baltimore, she was a member of the distinguished choir the Morgan Singers. It was during this period that Tiffany begun performing with a local girl group On Point that worked with Dru Hill member Nokio. “We had a record deal for about five minutes, but it fell through,” she says. Returning home four years later with a degree in journalism, Tiffany soon made her way to the open mic nights at the Village Underground in Greenwich Village. Known as the spot that helped launch the careers of Blu Cantrell and Chrisette Michele, it was there that Tiffany met singer Melonie Daniels.

In 2003, Daniels hooked up Tiffany with a gig singing background for Mariah Carey. “There wasn’t much interaction with Mariah,” she recalls as the waiter brings a plate of fish and vegetables. “The show was a Christmas special for BET; it was a short stint, but it was fun.”

Afterwards, she was hired to sing background by an array of artists including Christina Aguilera, Kenny Loggins, Faith Evans and Carl Thomas. In 2007, the  NPR radio show “All Things Considered” interviewed her on the subject “What Makes a Great Backup Singer?”

“Playfully, Beyoncé started calling us the Mama’s and Poppa’s when she realized her background singers and dancers were parents,” says Tiffany, a single mother with a five-year-old son. (Her family helps her with the child while Tiffany is on the road.) “One of the first pieces of advice Beyoncé gave us was don’t read the reviews, because sometimes writers can be mean. The Mama’s are all full-figured women and the first review we read in Japan called us fat and tubby.” Other writers in various countries also chose to dwell on their body images rather than vocal talent. “We thought we had tough skins, but some of the reviews were just mean. The most flattering critics were in Europe, but elsewhere it seemed they were trying to tear us apart.”

However, after listening to the bubbly Motown inspired grooves of “Only Love” and unrequited passion of “Anytime,” it is obvious that Tiffany Monique is more than ready to step into the spotlight. “The first song I wrote for Nemesis was ‘When,’” she recalls. “I was so nervous, because with any new opportunity, one wants to impress.”

Without a doubt, Tiffany Monique achieved her goal.

by Bridget Bland on Jun 15th 2010 4:44PM

Some of black music’s most famous artists got their start as background players before launching successful solo careers of their own. Mary J. Blige, Luther Vandross, Marvin Gaye and Mel’isa Morgan are just a few of the countless others who supported others before forging their own paths. A new soulful voice, Tiffany Monique, is gearing up to do step to the foreground with her debut solo effort, which is released this week.. For years, the Tennessee native lent her distinctive sound to back-up a litany of pop and R&B stars, from Mariah Carey and Stevie Wonder to Christina Aguilera and Kenny Loggins. But her spectacular work with the one and only Beyonce Knowles seems to the springboard for so much more. As a student at Morgan State University in 2003, Tiffany Monique Riddick sang backup vocals on Carey’s BET Christmas special at the request of the ‘Make it Happen’ singer’s vocal coach and background singer Melonie Daniels. That performance led to years of background work before she left the music business to focus on her family. “I was married at the time and found out I was pregnant, and I felt that I needed to settle down,” the aspiring diva told BV Newswire. But just as she came to grips with how miserable she was working at a full-time pharmaceutical job, she got the opportunity of a lifetime. “I got a call from [creative director for Beyoncé] Kim Burse, and she said, ‘Tiffany, would you be able to leave tomorrow and be gone for six months?’” After hearing it was for Beyoncé, Monique agreed to go in for what she thought was an audition; it turned out to be the first rehearsal, and she had already been selected. Though she was hesitant to leave her newborn son, with family support and the encouragement of Beyoncé’s other two background vocalists, both of whom were mothers, she quit her job via e-mail and took part in what she calls “the best experience I’ve had as a background vocalist.” She began backing the former Destiny’s Child frontwoman as part of a trio of dubbed “the Mamas.” “I heard about how hard [Beyonce] works and how dedicated she was,” Monique shared, “but there is nothing like seeing her firsthand when she is in rehearsal; not thinking about eating or sleeping or anything, but work.” She said unlike other star acts who are known to treat their backup artists horribly, Beyonce “isn’t afraid of talent and doesn’t try to mask that the background singers can sing or that the band can play all genres of music.” The ‘Single Ladies’ chart-topper, added Monique, “gives you a platform to showcase your talent in front of the same audience coming to see her, so you’re better equipped to step out.” Beyonce is clearly a fan of Monique’s as well. “Tiffany’s voice has effortless strength, sass, seduction and heart with a tone that puts you at ease,” the 16-time Grammy winner offered. “I am very lucky to have worked with her for many years, and I am proud that she now has such a wonderful piece of work to share with the world.” ‘Nemesis,’ Monique’s debut, was co-produced by Kevin “Kwiz” Ryan, whom Monique met on the road as one of Beyonce’s tour producers. “I can honestly say prior to working with Beyonce, I was up in the air on pursuing a solo career because I had a family. Then after the first tour, I said, ‘I could just do this. I’m good,’” she said. “The great part about being on tour with Beyonce is you’re exposed to all of her fans, and they are supportive and open to everyone who is a part of her band. One thing that I fully understand as a background vocalist is that my role is to be supportive; this is not the time for me to shine.” But she is quick to declare, “If that’s the avenue I’m supposed to take everything will work itself out.” And work out it has. ‘Nemesis’ was released digitally on iTunes, Amazon and other Internet music sites on June 15. She is also getting a band together with plans for a promotional tour in the very near future.