SPARKLE BIO
(courtesy of Tracy Miller and Associates)

spar·kle (spär k l) v. -kled, -kling. 1.To give off sparks. 2. To give off or reflect flashes of light; glitter. 3. To be brilliant or witty. 
spar·kle (spär k l) n., 1. R&B diva of Chicago’s West Side 

At first glance you think of Diana Ross’s exotic looks, alluring, almond-shaped eyes, and pouty lips. The voice, though, is purely Sparkle. Somehow it shimmers—it’s weightless, yet intense. Sparkle’s church-girl soprano speaks of Sunday mornings, while her throaty alto conjures up smoky late-night bluesy studio jam sessions.

Sparkle was introduced to listeners two years ago by music heavyweight R Kelly on their duet “Be Careful,” which remained at Number One on Billboard’s R&B mainstream airplay chart for five weeks.

Flash forward to 2000: Sparkle is back with a new album, a new producer, and a new home. Her Told You So album, produced by Steve “Stone” Huff of Stone Productions, is Motown Records' newest gem. “I couldn’t have asked for a better place to be [than Motown]. I’m surrounded by good people who believe in me,” explains Sparkle. “I’m on my second album and it is blazin’. I am where I am by the grace of God."

Huff, who has worked with some of everybody who is anybody in the music business, was instrumental in Sparkle’s maturation as an artist. Steve encouraged the songstress to put her feelings down on paper, which lead to her co-writing five songs on Told You So. (She also co-wrote on newcomer Avant’s remix, “Separated.”) 

The first single, “It’s A Fact,” is one of the songs she penned for her latest effort. It’s a preciously orchestrated mid-tempo that chronicles a woman wronged who fights back. The song’s emotions “were drawn from friends and some of my experiences, but these are really universal themes. We’ve all been there, on one level or another,” Sparkle says.

The track “Lovin’ A Man” features the nostalgic riff from “Precious Love,” by her legendary labelmates Marvin Gaye and Tami Terrell, while “Into My Life” celebrates the headiness of being head over heels for that special someone.  

Growing up on the West Side inspired her to breathe life into the hard-hitting anthem “The Ghetto,” written by Stone. It’s a heart-wrenching ode to the troubled streets of Chicago. “I grew up seeing ni—as hustling on street corners. And I still roll through there on a regular basis. I was blessed to have a solid upbringing, but all that is still a part of who I am. I’m from the ghetto, and I don’t have a problem with that,” says Sparkle.  

But she also learned to appreciate the “Good Life.” On the aptly titled track she acknowledges that worldly goods aren’t everything, but they're not bad, either. “I feel like I’m in a good moment in my life,” says Sparkle. “I’m involved in my entire project, I see things through, but I’m not nearly satisfied yet. I have so much more to accomplish—musically and personally.”

With Told You So, Sparkle emerges as a total artist. The completion of this album is more than just a dream come true. For her it’s one mission accomplished. “I am back with a vengeance, and now I can say…Told You So.”