Tamyra Gray Questions???

[Jaffas85]

So, Tamyra Gray was initially signed to RCA at the end of 2002 but was then moved over to J Records where it would be easier for Clive Davis to guide her and mould a good rnb album......?

Then a short time afterwards she was dropped altogether from BMG for being......difficult?

Was she dropped because of creative differences or because of constant acting commitments?

I thought Clive was eager to have her???

BTW, Did she record almost an entire album with J Records *with top producers* but it was scrapped when she was "difficult" and then she was dropped altogether...

Odd.

[benmcd2000]

Well, from what I know….Tamrya was signed to BMG and Clive was heavily involved in the song selection for her album. She had recorded songs with Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, The Underdogs and a few others. I believe the real problem was with Tamrya. She wanted the material she wrote to make up the majority of the album and Clive saw it differently. So before the label made any major commitment, they halted work on the project and told Tamrya to take a hike.

[Jaffas85]

Considering it was her debut album you think that she would have compromised some of her creativity as Clive Davis knew what he was doing and J Records is a big company and had she stayed with them she would have received excellent promotion and amassed enough clout so that on her second album for J Records she would have had more creative control and would have been able to contribute more of what she wanted.

It appears that she herself sabotaged her career because she was shortsighted......

[Bob]

i just hope her career isn't over... it was silly to do so much acting but then drop it for a career. she should have stuck with acting or not have gotten so far into it in the first place. the album is a huge disappointment.

[Jaffas85]

Bob said:

i just hope her career isn't over... it was silly to do so much acting but then drop it for a career. she should have stuck with acting or not have gotten so far into it in the first place. the album is a huge disappointment.

Maybe some Grammy nominations could resurect her album?

[Jaffas85]

How is it that the only place Alicia Keys could release her debut album, which she had written herself, was Clive's J Records yet when Tamyra wanted to write her own album she gets dumped?

How does that work?

[Jaffas85]

Perhaps Tamyra Gray could be really successful over in Britain as Simon Fuller and 19 Records seem to have more clout over there as they did a good job of promoting Emma Bunton's debut album on 19 Records over there.

[Ragin]

Jaffas85 said:

Maybe some Grammy nominations could resurect her album?

It would, but that's not gonna happen.

[George Tropicana]

She didn't want her album to be like Justin Guarini's. Good for her for sticking to her guns and not backing down. If she compromised, she would've had to live with regret that she didn't make an album she was proud of.

[Pink Champagne Ricochet]

Her album actually sold less than Justin Guarini first-week. That got him dropped from RCA, but 19 seem to be circling this vanity label around her (and former Spice Girls). 19 Managment has always seemed to have more respect for her than someone like Clay aiken, who actually made them money. They allowed her to perform on the AI3 finale and relegated Clay to host Fantasia's viewing party.

Tamyra bombed because 19 did absolutely no promotion for her outside of putting her on American Idol. Her video for "Raindrops Will Fall" is an abbreviated live performance from the show. They're cheap-asses.

IMO, Tamyra has lost the spark she had on AI1. And I don't see the comparison between Alicia Keys, because Alicia has proven herself capable of writing good songs. Tamyra has a great voice, but her lyrics are incredibly cliche. If she had had writing ability, i'm sure Clive would've indulged her.

I agree that the best idea would've been to do what they said for the first album, and then, after gaining some clout, put her compositions on the second.

[KikiMets]

splitchick59 said:

19 Managment has always seemed to have more respect for her than someone like Clay aiken, who actually made them money. They allowed her to perform on the AI3 finale and relegated Clay to host Fantasia's viewing party.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but hadn't Clay parted ways with 19 Management by the time of the finale?

I think Tamyra had a couple of talk-show performances the week her album dropped, but other than that, she's just been the AI mascot (performing on 3 episodes of AI3, "Star" being used as the background music for a montage of audition clips, and now performing as part of the AI3 tour).

[Pink Champagne Ricochet]

He left 19 because it was obvious that, despite his success, they'd always treat him as an unwanted redheaded stepchild because he didn't win their show, or happen to be Tamyra Gray. (Hey, topic!) Seriously, I don't get what they see in her that makes them keep bothering, when if almost any other finalist that flopped enough to be listed in Rolling Stone as one of the year's dissapointments so far would be abandoned. Although I guess they're not exactly pouring money into this project...

Putting Tamyra on the AI3 tour is a typical half-assed and wrong-headed move. She already got to go on a finalist tour. Give her some actual promotion and focus on this year's finalists. Given her album sales, I really can't imagine her presence selling too many tickets. What's more, Diana DeGarmo has a song cut when Tamyra performs at the shows. WTF?

Like I said before, it would've been best to bend for her first effort. Kelly Clarkson pretty much did (although as the winner, she got a few consessions), and now she's writing and producing most, if not all, of her sophomore effort.

[Jaffas85]

splitchick59 said:

He left 19 because it was obvious that, despite his success, they'd always treat him as an unwanted redheaded stepchild because he didn't win their show, or happen to be Tamyra Gray. (Hey, topic!) Seriously, I don't get what they see in her that makes them keep bothering, when if almost any other finalist that flopped enough to be listed in Rolling Stone as one of the year's dissapointments so far would be abandoned. Although I guess they're not exactly pouring money into this project...

Putting Tamyra on the AI3 tour is a typical half-assed and wrong-headed move. She already got to go on a finalist tour. Give her some actual promotion and focus on this year's finalists. Given her album sales, I really can't imagine her presence selling too many tickets. What's more, Diana DeGarmo has a song cut when Tamyra performs at the shows. WTF?

Like I said before, it would've been best to bend for her first effort. Kelly Clarkson pretty much did (although as the winner, she got a few consessions), and now she's writing and producing most, if not all, of her sophomore effort.

It was shortsighted of Tamyra not to compromise with her debut album for J Records for if she had she'd have strong radio airplay, good promotion and a high level of fame.

With the amount of clout she would have amassed from her debut for J Records, as you said, she would have had a lot more control over her sophmore release.


Hopefully Latoya London gets signed to J Records after the "Tour" and isn't so inflexible as working with folks like Diane Warren, Babyface and Scott Storch ain't such a bad compromise....

[43dudleyvillas]

KikiMets said:

Correct me if I'm wrong, but hadn't Clay parted ways with 19 Management by the time of the finale?

I think Tamyra had a couple of talk-show performances the week her album dropped, but other than that, she's just been the AI mascot (performing on 3 episodes of AI3, "Star" being used as the background music for a montage of audition clips, and now performing as part of the AI3 tour).

Quick tangent to answer your question re:  Clay:  Yes, he had already left 19 by the finale, but he had some remaining obligations to the show itself.  As a result, 19E was able to pull him out of a scheduled interview on Larry King Live and force him to appear on AI3 (to sing "Fantasy" on the final-4 results show - his LKL interview would have been at the same time as the 2nd half-hour of the results show) instead, and they were able to change their minds about having him perform on the finale. 

Tamyra performed on the Tonight Show on the Friday of her album's release.  I believe she was also on Regis & Kelly and The Early Show in her album's 2nd week of release.  So it's not that 19 only had her promoting her album to the AI3 audience.  Its tanking is a reflection of their not marketing her album to the right audience.  It's a shame, really, because the album isn't bad.  "Raindrops Will Fall" and "Star" are by far the weakest tracks on the album, so it mystifies me that they were the contenders for the first single. 

As for what happened with Tamyra and J, while I agree that Tamyra's fight for artistic independence had something to do with her being dropped, I have to also think that it was the result of Clive Davis deciding that she wasn't going to make back (via album sales) all the promotional money that would have to be spent on her.  I also think it's possible that Clive Davis knew that the AI3 crowd was full of possible R&B/soul contenders.  Perhaps Simon Fuller even indicated that AI3 was going to have a female R&B/soul singer as a winner.  That meant no more room for Tamyra on the J roster.

I'm not sure I have the timing right here, though.  When was Tamyra dropped?  I'm thinking it was last September/October, right?  AI3 auditions were already in full swing, so Fuller & co. would already have known what kind of talent was out there.

[KikiMets]

43dudleyvillas said:

I'm not sure I have the timing right here, though.  When was Tamyra dropped?  I'm thinking it was last September/October, right?  AI3 auditions were already in full swing, so Fuller & co. would already have known what kind of talent was out there.

The first news of Tamyra being dropped by J (and Justin Guarini being dropped from both RCA and 19) came out towards the end of October, about a week before the taping of the AI Christmas special.