Siya
Birth nameMichele Andrea Sherman[1]
Born (1987-03-23) March 23, 1987
Barstow, California, United States
OriginBedford-Stuyvesant Brooklyn, NY
Genres
Occupation(s)
Instrument(s)Vocals
Years active2011–present
LabelsEmpire,[2] R&B Money[3][4]
Websitesiyamusic.com

Michele Andrea Sherman (born March 23, 1987), better known by her stage name Siya, is an American rapper. In 2012, she signed with Tank's R&B Money label imprint.[5] She starred in the Oxygen reality TV series Sisterhood of Hip Hop.[6][7] Siya has collaborated with artists such as Chris Brown, Sage the Gemini and Kirko Bangz. Siya has performed alongside artists such as Wyclef Jean at the world famous B.B. Kings, as well as opened up for Fat Joe and Fabolous during a concert at Nassau Coliseum in Long Island, New York. Currently starring in the BET Plus show Angel.

Early life

Siya was born in Barstow, California to an African American father and a Puerto Rican mother, and has three sisters.[8] Due to her mother's drug abuse and her incarcerated father, Siya was sent to live with her grandmother who raised her in the Eleanor Roosevelt housing projects in Bedford–Stuyvesant, Brooklyn.[9][10] Siya began rapping at the age of seven and entered into the music industry at the age of 12. Siya's childhood influence was the rap group called Bone Thugs-n-Harmony.[11] She states : "What I loved about them was how melodic their music was and that they tried different shit."[12]

Musical career

Music became an outlet for Siya to comprehend and deal with the things she was exposed to and was feeling. After moving to Atlanta to pursue her music career in her mid 20s she built a rep and fan base for herself and caught the attention of well known artists and major labels. Siya faced a lot of obstacles throughout her early time in the industry due to her being one of the first openly gay female rappers. While some people in the industry were afraid of how an openly gay female rapper would fit into the genre, Siya remained determined and refused to compromise who she was and stayed true to her own voice and style.[13][14][15]

R&B legend Tank soon found her and directly messaged Siya on Twitter and from there she was signed to Tank's label R&B Money LLC. Siya released her singles : "I'm Gone", "Smoke Drink", and mixtape Elevator Dreams in 2011.

Siya released her singles "One Hunnid" and "Real MVP" in 2014.[16][17] She released a mixtape titled Better Late Than Never, and What Never Happened in 2015. She went on to release her debut studio album SIYAvsSIYA, on December 9, 2016.[18] The album included collaborations with artists such as Ashley Rose, Jake&Papa, Lyric Wright and Kreesha Turner with the debut single being "New York."

On February 6, 2017, Siya released a song titled "Front Door", in promotion for her six song extended play (EP), Commitment.[19] The EP was released on February 10, 2017, under Tank's label imprint, R&B Money LLC.[20][21] The EP features the single "Don't You (Say Yes)" featuring Tank.[22] In 2017 she released "Houston Girls" ft Kirko Bangz & "Hot Girl" with her EP 383- For Roosevelt. In 2018 she released "No Race" and "Circle Watching" as a preview for her next EP Mad Energy expected to drop fall 2018.

Discography

Albums

  • SIYAvsSIYA (2016)
  • 383 – for Roosevelt (2017)
  • Mad Energy (2018)

Mixtapes

  • Elevator Music (2011)
  • Better Late Than Never (2015)
  • What Never Happened (2015)
  • Commitment (2017)

Filmography

2023 Angel(tv series) Diamond Notes
2016 Deuces Diggs
2018 The First Purge Blaise
2018 Street Dreams – Los Angeles Hopper
2020 No Escape Sam
2021 True to the Game 3: The Final Chapter of Gena & Quadir's Story Fly

References

  1. ↑ "BELIEVE ME". ASCAP. American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers. Retrieved April 29, 2023.
  2. ↑ "Siya Signed To Empire Records - SENOBADDICTION.COM". senobaddiction.com.
  3. ↑ "Tank Launches New Label 'R&B Money' - Singersroom.com". singersroom.com. December 6, 2015.
  4. ↑ "Siya Teams Up With Tank for Sexy New Single 'Don't U (Say Yes)' [PREMIERE]". The Boombox. February 9, 2017.
  5. ↑ "Tank Launches Record Label – EURweb". October 20, 2012.
  6. ↑ McDonald, Helen (June 9, 2014). "Lesbian Rapper Siya Comes to Your TV on Reality Show about Women Rappers". Autostraddle.
  7. ↑ "About Siya". Sonicbids.
  8. ↑ "Instagram post by SIYA • Feb 4, 2015 at 6:14pm UTC". Instagram.
  9. ↑ Hilliard, Chloe A. (April 3, 2007). "Girls to Men". Village Voice.
  10. ↑ Bautista, Camille (February 17, 2015). "Bed-Stuy Rapper Seeks to Empower Women in Hip-Hop Reality Series". DNAinfo. Archived from the original on May 18, 2015.
  11. ↑ "Siya: "In the Gay World, I'm Considered a 'Stud'"". Oxygen Official Site. August 5, 2014. Retrieved April 25, 2019.
  12. ↑ "Siya: "In the Gay World, I'm Considered a 'Stud'"". Oxygen Official Site. August 5, 2014. Retrieved April 25, 2019.
  13. ↑ "Lesbian Rapper Siya Comes to Your TV on Reality Show about Women Rappers". Autostraddle. June 9, 2014. Retrieved October 24, 2019.
  14. ↑ "SIYA is the Mainstream Lesbian Rapper You've Been Looking For". KitschMix. October 23, 2014. Retrieved October 24, 2019.
  15. ↑ Schwartzberg, Lauren (October 9, 2014). "Lesbian Hip-Hop Hits Prime Time". Vice. Retrieved October 24, 2019.
  16. ↑ "One Hunnid – Single by Siya on Apple Music". iTunes. August 12, 2014.
  17. ↑ "Real MVP – Single by Siya on Apple Music". iTunes. October 1, 2014.
  18. ↑ "SIYAvsSIYA by Siya on Apple Music". iTunes. December 9, 2016.
  19. ↑ "Siya Celebrates Valentine's Day Early With "Front Door"". hiphopdx.com. February 6, 2017.
  20. ↑ "Siya Drops 'Commitment' EP – XXL". XXL Mag. February 15, 2017.
  21. ↑ "Commitment EP". Google Play Music. Retrieved February 15, 2017.
  22. ↑ "Don't You (Say Yes) [feat. Tank] – Siya".
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