Stacie Orrico is
no ordinary sixteen-year old. Ordinary sixteen-year
olds don't rack up gold sales figures with her
debut release and no mass media buzz. Stacie did.
Her first album, Genuine, bowed at #1 on the
Billboard Heatseekers chart, and has gone on to
sell over 500,000 units.
Ordinary
sixteen-year olds don't possess the brand of
dynamic stage presence that can make an impression
on Destiny's Child. Stacie did, and the
Grammy-winning trio handpicked her to share the
bill for dates on their tour.
And, most
strikingly, ordinary sixteen-year olds don't
possess both the vocal firepower and songwriting
acumen found on the Virgin Records debut from this
fresh new talent. Stacie does. And you can hear it
in every note, every beat, and every word, of
Stacie Orrico, beginning with her breakout lead
single "Stuck."
Although her
singing bursts with youthful exuberance, Stacie is
more conscious and articulate than most of her
peers and this time out, she was determined
to challenge herself to be even more honest as a
songwriter, while also pushing her hook-laden pop
in new musical directions. The edgier R&B
grooves of Stacie Orrico, which features
contributions from hitmakers Dallas Austin (Pink,
TLC), the Underdogs (Tyrese) and Virgin CEO Matt
Serletic (Santana, matchbox twenty, Aerosmith)
reflects just how much she's grown up in the two
years since Genuine.
"I definitely
wanted the music to be more aggressive," she
emphasizes. "All of my influences are very soulful
musicians my favorite artist is Lauryn Hill,
and I've always loved Whitney Houston and Ella
Fitzgerald - and I wanted to explore that direction
more." As a singer, Stacie is as poised and
persuasive as her jazz and R&B idols, as is
evidenced by her confident reading of the Diane
Warren-penned ballad "I Promise."
Stacie Orrico
continues to showcase the frank yet responsible
lyrical approach that Stacie's established fans
expect from her. "I'm a teenager, living a similar
life that most teenage girls are," says Stacie. "So
whether it's from a positive perspective, or a
questioning one, I want to sing about the things
I'm dealing with, and worry or wonder about:
Growing up, and guys, and family." Stacie isn't
afraid to write lyrics that tackle tougher topics,
too; though a pop song, "Hesitation" finds her
ruminating over the notion of life after death.
Her infectious
first single, "Stuck," is an immediately arresting
example of her ability to address sentiments that
resonant with a diverse array of listeners. "So
many people, especially young girls, get into
relationships where they're not being treated very
well," says Stacie. "But they end up staying in
them, because they find security in having a
boyfriend, and maybe haven't seen what a good
relationship is like. So you end up feeling
emotionally torn, or stuck, which is where that
whole I hate you, but I love you/I can't stop
thinking of you part comes in."
Although music
was part of family life in the Orrico household,
and Stacie sang at church and in school, she never
intended to pursue a career in entertainment. "I
had always loved to sing," she admits. "But I was
not raised in a showbiz home, and my parents are
the farthest thing from stage parents."
In 1998, at the
age of twelve, Stacie was discovered singing in a
talent contest she'd entered on a lark; an A&R
exec judging the event snapped her up as soon as
she won first prize. Two years later, her debut,
Genuine, entered the Billboard Heatseekers chart at
#1. Her performances in support of the
rapidly-selling release caught the attention of
Destiny's Child, who asked her to be their opening
act for a string of U.S. dates in 2001.
"They taught me a
lot," says Stacie of the time she spent warming up
for Beyonce, Robin, and Kelly. "I had the privilege
of touring with them at one of the highest points
in their career. And there they were, on top of the
world, yet I would watch them still take time to
talk to the fans, and listen to people, and never
act jaded."
With the release
of the lively, polished Stacie Orrico, this vital
new voice introduces her vibrant musicianship and
sophisticated performance chops to the world at
large. It was fate that Stacie became a
professional entertainer, and fate that brought her
to Virgin records, but now she has a mission, one
that is simple, direct, and a far more ambitious
than the dreams of ordinary sixteen-year olds. "I
want to impact people's lives with my music,"
Stacie insists. "People of all ages, from all walks
of life. If I can accomplish that, just by sharing
some of my experiences, then my goal will be
attained."
