Tessanne Chin is a Reggae fusion

Reggae fusion

Reggae fusion is a fusion genre of reggae that mixes reggae or dancehall with other genres, such as pop, rock, hip hop, R&B, house, jazz & drum and bass....

 recording artist, best known for her hit singles Hideaway and Messenger. Hideaway was featured on VP Records' Reggae Gold 2007. She has already opened for famous acts such as Patti Labelle

Patti LaBelle

Patricia Louise Holte-Edwards , better known under the stage name, Patti LaBelle, is a Grammy Award winning American singer, author and actress who has spent over 50 years in the music industry...

, Peabo Bryson

Peabo Bryson

Peabo Bryson is an American R&B and soul singer-songwriter, born in Greenville, South Carolina...

 and Gladys Knight

Gladys Knight

Gladys Maria Knight , known as the "Empress of Soul", is an American singer-songwriter, actress, businesswoman, humanitarian, and author...

, and toured for 3 years with Jimmy Cliff

Jimmy Cliff

Jimmy Cliff, OM is a Jamaican musician, singer and actor. He is the only currently living musician to hold the Order of Merit, the highest honour that can be granted by the Jamaican government for achievement in the arts and sciences...

.

Biography

Her father, Richard Chin, is of Chinese descent with Cherokee

Cherokee

The Cherokee are a Native American people historically settled in the Southeastern United States . Linguistically, they are part of the Iroquoian language family...

 ancestry and her mother, Christine Chin is of half Afro-Jamaican and Afro-European ancestry. Her older sister Tami Chynn

Tami Chynn

-Early years:Tami Chynn was born in Kingston, Jamaica. Her father, Richard Chin, is of Chinese descent with Cherokee ancestry and her mother, Christine Chin is Afro-Jamaican and British...

 is also a singer.

Tessanne was introduced to music at a very early age by her parents. Her mother was the trumpeter/ singer in her band called the "Carnations" and her father was the drummer. The family has a recording studio in their home in Jamaica. Tessanne started performing when she was 6 years old with Cathy Levy's "Little People and Teen Players club", one of Jamaica's top performing arts schools. Most of her vocal coaching came from her mother and also from noted vocal coach Lecie Wright.

Tessanne learned firsthand about cultural diversity when she moved to England at age 12. She coped with the move by devoting a lot of time to writing songs.

Tessanne recently married Michael Cuffe.

Mile High and Touring with Jimmy Cliff

Upon her return to Jamaica, Tessanne joined the Jamaican Rock Band, "Mile High" and performed for crowds at numerous local venues including Jazzfest, Rockfest, an RETV Unplugged. Their style, rock reggae, was unique. After going on tour for 3 years with Jimmy Cliff

Jimmy Cliff

Jimmy Cliff, OM is a Jamaican musician, singer and actor. He is the only currently living musician to hold the Order of Merit, the highest honour that can be granted by the Jamaican government for achievement in the arts and sciences...

 as a back-up singer, she decided to launch her solo career.

Solo career

After Tessanne left Mile High, she started writing songs for her debut CD. Rudy Valentino and Paul Kastick are her producers. Her debut single, Hideaway, received heavy rotation on Jamaican radio and select stations in New York. Both the single and its music video were very popular. Since then she has released two more singles, Messenger and Black Books, both available for sale on her website.

She has performed at several live shows, including The Air Jamaica Jazz and Blues Festival 2006, the Deck cafe, The Port Royal Music festival, ABC Slim Traxx and her very own show "Arabian Night".

Her mixed style is influenced by singers such as Skunk

Skunk

Skunks are mammals best known for their ability to secrete a liquid with a strong, foul odor. General appearance varies from species to species, from black-and-white to brown or cream colored. Skunks belong to the family Mephitidae and to the order Carnivora...

, Pat Benatar

Pat Benatar

Pat Benatar is an American singer and four-time Grammy winner. She had considerable commercial success particularly in the United States...

, Diana King

Diana King

Diana King is a reggae fusion singer-songwriter who specifically performed a mixture and fusion of R&B, reggae, pop and dancehall...

, Celine Dion

Celine Dion

Céline Marie Claudette Dion, , , is a Canadian singer. Born to a large family from Charlemagne, Quebec, Dion emerged as a teen star in the French-speaking world after her manager and future husband René Angélil mortgaged his home to finance her first record...

, Aretha Franklin

Aretha Franklin

Aretha Louise Franklin is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. Although known for her soul recordings and referred to as The Queen of Soul, Franklin is also adept at jazz, blues, R&B, gospel music, and rock. Rolling Stone magazine ranked her atop its list of The Greatest Singers of All...

, Barbra Streisand

Barbra Streisand

Barbra Joan Streisand is an American singer, actress, film producer and director. She has won two Academy Awards, eight Grammy Awards, four Emmy Awards, a Special Tony Award, an American Film Institute award, a Peabody Award, and is one of the few entertainers who have won an Oscar, Emmy, Grammy,...

, Bob Marley

Bob Marley

Robert Nesta "Bob" Marley, OM was a Jamaican singer-songwriter and musician. He was the rhythm guitarist and lead singer for the ska, rocksteady and reggae band Bob Marley & The Wailers...

 and Mahalia Jackson

Mahalia Jackson

Mahalia Jackson – January 27, 1972) was an African-American gospel singer. Possessing a powerful contralto voice, she was referred to as "The Queen of Gospel"...

.

Tessanne has collaborated with fellow Jamaican artist Shaggy

Shaggy (musician)

Orville Richard Burrell , better known by his stage name Shaggy, is a Jamaican-American reggae singer and rapper. He is perhaps best known for his 1995 single "Boombastic" and 2000 single "It Wasn't Me"...

 ("Never Let Go"), the Trinidadian Soca band Kes (band)

Kes (band)

KES is a Trinidadian soca band formed in 2005 by brothers, Kees , Hans and Jon Dieffenthaller and close friend Riad Boochoon . All of them are alumni of Presentation College, San Fernando in Trinidad & Tobago, as is well-known soca artiste Machel Montano...

 ("Loving You") and was featured in a track; by the Legendary Jamaican band Third World (band)

Third World (band)

Third World is a Jamaican reggae band formed in 1973. Their sound is influenced by soul, funk and disco.-History:Third World started when keyboard player Michael "Ibo" Cooper and guitarist Stephen "Cat" Coore, who had originally played in The Alley Cats then Inner Circle, subsequently left to form...

, titled ("By My Side").

Other noted tracks by Tessanne are remakes of other famous artists and bands such as Foreigner

Foreigner (band)

Foreigner is a British-American rock band, originally formed in 1976 by veteran English musicians Mick Jones and ex-King Crimson member Ian McDonald along with American vocalist Lou Gramm...

's "I Wanna Know What Love Is", The Who

The Who

The Who are an English rock band formed in 1964 by Roger Daltrey , Pete Townshend , John Entwistle and Keith Moon . They became known for energetic live performances which often included instrument destruction...

's "Love, Reign o'er Me

Love, Reign o'er Me

"Love, Reign o'er Me" is a song by the English rock band The Who. Written by guitarist and songwriter Pete Townshend, "Love, Reign o'er Me" was released on October 23, 1973 as the second single from the band's sixth studio album and second rock opera, Quadrophenia. It is the final song on the...

", and Phish

Phish

Phish is an American rock band noted for its musical improvisation, extended jams, and exploration of music across genres. Formed at the University of Vermont in 1983 , the band's four members – Trey Anastasio , Mike Gordon , Jon Fishman , and Page McConnell Phish is an American rock band...

's "Free". A remake of Bob Marley

Bob Marley

Robert Nesta "Bob" Marley, OM was a Jamaican singer-songwriter and musician. He was the rhythm guitarist and lead singer for the ska, rocksteady and reggae band Bob Marley & The Wailers...

's "Could You Be Loved" which Tessanne performed with her band "Mile High" also circulated through the internet early in 2006. Other works include a live performance of "You and Me" performed and written with her older sister Tami Chynn

Tami Chynn

-Early years:Tami Chynn was born in Kingston, Jamaica. Her father, Richard Chin, is of Chinese descent with Cherokee ancestry and her mother, Christine Chin is Afro-Jamaican and British...

.

On December 6, 2010, Tessanne released her debut album available for digital download entitled "In Between Words".

Singles

• 2006: Hideaway
• 2007: Blackbooks
• 2008: Messanger
• 2010: Loving You w/ Kes
• 2010: Are Yuh Gonna (Control)