BILLBOARD, Jan 5th issue
BEST BETS '08
Faces to Watch: Who's Hot And Rising For The Year Ahead
Any new album worth your attention arrives during the packed fourth-quarter holiday season, right? Not quite. The earlier months of the year are an ideal time for rising acts to grab their share of attention and, they hope, sales. That's true for upcoming releases and new promotional boosts for sets already on hand.
Here are 10 hot faces to watch from genres including pop, rock, country, R&B, hip-hop, Christian, jazz and dance that have caught the attention of Billboard's discerning writers and editors.
TINATIN
While most children were mastering the art of finger painting, 6-year-old Tinatin had wrapped her arms around a full spectrum of the arts: painting, writing, learning to speak six languages – and singing.
The native of the Republic of Georgia (then part of the Soviet Union) came to it naturally; her father was an architect and painter, her mother a classical pianist.
The family moved to Russia, where she studied classical voice. Then, as a young adult, she journeyed to London, where she aligned with producer Christopher Neil (Celine Dion, Mike & the Mechanics, Rod Stewart), who encouraged her to write songs and helped line up live gigs.
Today, at 23, the raven-haired, blue-eyed Tinatin (now a New Yorker) has released a CD independently on PureMix Records and gained interest from two major labels.
Her rallying first single, "We the Peoples," is based on the 1945 founding of the United Nations charter, another natural alliance stemming from her gig as a U.N. correspondent for the Russian media.
Tinatin continues to work with Neil, along with producers Eliot Kennedy, Arnie Roman, FAB, Ayhan Sahin and Marc Russell & Dave Scheuer, with the goal of mainstream attention in 2008.
"I'm in my true element when I sing," Tinatin says. "I have already exceeded my wildest dreams. Now I'm looking for the ultimate adventure."
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