Rising R&B star calls Haymarket home
By Barbara Simon
Shadina, an R&B singer who lives in Haymarket, literally has singing in her blood. Her mother is a professional singer who sang with Dionne Warwick, Luther Vandross and Whitney Houston. Her uncle is Otis Williams, the only surviving member of the Temptations.
A Baltimore native, she attended high school at the Baltimore School for the Arms. From there, she studied classical voice at the Juilliard School.
Passionate about R&B music, she left school to focus on that. Her R&B idols include Tina Turner, Janet Jackson, Alicia Keys, Whitney Houston and Beyonce.
With her mother managing her career, she began performing. Her first CD, “Born 4 This” has been very popular in the southern United States. She has sung the national anthem at Madison Square Garden and performed at the House of Blues in Atlantic City. She has also traveled all over the world, and is popular throughout Europe, Japan, Canada, South Africa and Jordan.
Her single, “Losing my Mind,” was number one last summer in the Netherlands.
When she's not on the road, Shadina lives in the Westmarket neighborhood with her son, Khaleel, a rising first-grader at Buckland Mills Elementary School.
Khaleel travels with her whenever he can and although he does not want to be on stage, she said he loves watching her perform and is one of her biggest supporters.
“When his kindergarten teacher told the class about career day at Buckland Mills, he immediately told her all about me and asked if I could be one of the speakers,” she said. “It was fun watching how excited the kids got when I showed them how I make a CD.”
In addition to performing, Shadina also works with the organization “Take Back the Block” in Baltimore, encouraging kids to stay away from gangs.
“I really enjoy working with kids more than adults because kids seem to appreciate what you do more than adults,” she explained.
Shadina is also hosting a TV dance/skateboard show called “Street Grind,” a modern-day “Soul Train” on the Dish Network, select Comcast channels and Direct TV. She said she's particularly excited about her interview on the show with the child actor Jaden Smith, who recently starred in remake of “The Karate Kid.” The show airs this fall.
When asked how she feels about her status as a rising star, she said, “Making the big time would be great, but I’m happy doing what I do. People should go after their dreams. You can achieve it if you make it happen and go for it.”
For more information, check out Shadina on Twitter at www.twitter.dom/shadina; on MySpace at www.myspace.com/shadina1; or by searching for “Shadina” on Facebook.