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In an age when everything from fashion to furniture reeks of
prefabrication, it is rare to find a genuine realness even in soul music. As
the one genre of music that should send shivers through ones body while
still managing to touch your heart, much of today's R&B feels as though more
thought has gone into the choreography than the songs. And then, there is
Shareefa.



The first soul woman signed to Disturbing the Peace/Def Jam, this Newark,
New Jersey native introduces her special realness on the debut disc Point of
No Return. Recruiting studio vets Chucky Thompson, Salaim Remi (How Good
Love Feels), Rodney Jerkins and newcomers the Justice League (Butterfly),
the mature voiced twenty-three year old Shareefa has created something
special.



" From the first time I stepped into the studio, it was my goal to try and
make classic material, " says the singer. Indeed, with one listen to
Shareefa's vocal styling and production, it is obvious that Point of No
Return stands-up next to such stellar debuts that include What ' s the 411
(Mary J. Blige) and Faith (Faith Evans).



Raised between Brick City (Newark) and East Orange, young Shareefa was a
fan of legendary singers from the time she was a child. "I can remember
taping the tributes to Smokey Robinson and Gladys Knight that were on the
Soul Train Awards," Shareefa says. "I would be rewinding them all the
time, practicing those routines until I knew them by heart. In the same way
Patti LaBelle could make the hair stand-up on my arms with her voice, I
wanted to be able to do the same thing."



Coming on strong with her first single "Need A Boss," it's obvious
Shareefa has something to say. Produced by Rodney Jerkins, who has
constructed past hits for Beyonce and Brandy, this track is the bass heavy
jam that is destained for summer song greatness. Riding the rhythm with the
confidence of a veteran songstress, "Need A Boss" also boldly displays
Shareefa's talents as a budding songwriter.



"There are times when I can just feel the beat talking to me and I need to
talk back," Shareefa laughs. "From the first moment Rodney played me the
track, I felt an instant connection." Label-mate and DTP CEO and co-owner
Ludacris also makes an appearance on "Need A Boss." More than pleased
with his contribution, Shareefa says, "Luda told me he was going to come
hard, but when I heard how good it was, I knew I was blessed."



Though Shareefa has cute childhood memories of dressing-up like 90s femmes
TLC and Xscape, as well doing household chores with Micki Howard and Donny
Hathaway as her soundtrack, her teen years were a little bit more rocky.
Moving with her mother and two siblings to Charlotte, North Carolina when
she was fifteen, Shareefa remembers, "I just started acting out and being
disobedient."



"I needed to have a reality check. I woke up when I was seventeen."



Shareefa was then introduced to new jack swing innovator Teddy Riley. "At
the time, Teddy was putting together a girl group, but he decided to work
with me as a soloist instead." Teddy also taught his protégé much about
the craft of songwriting. "All the love, frustration, betrayal or any
other emotions that I feel sooner or later finds its way into my songs."



Later, when she and Teddy decided to go their separate ways, Shareefa was
blessed to get her demo heard by DTP co-CEO Jeff Dixon. "Jeff liked what he
heard, but he still had me audition for him," she says, smiling. "Right on
the sidewalk on 114th Street in Harlem, and I sang on the spot." Later
that same day, after meeting Ludacris over at MTV studios, Shareefa was
welcomed into the family.



While all the collaborators on Point of No Return bring something special
to the project, there is definitely a connection between Shareefa and
producer Chucky Thompson. "There is something about Chucky that is just
eternal," she explains. "From Mary J's My Life to The Notorious B.I.G., he
makes the kind of music that has longevity, the kind of soulful sounds that
people will be playing twenty years from now."



Chucky produced four ballads for Point of No Return including the amazing
"Trippin." "He has a studio in Baltimore where we recorded," Shareefa
states. "The day I wrote "Trippin" it was raining outside, which just put
me in the perfect space to write something sexy and laidback."



Seductive as she is talented, Shareefa has no problem putting her message
across on Point of No Return, be it about love, hate or indifference. "I'm
just straight forward," informs Shareefa. "I'm not trying to put across
any false images, I'm just being me."