Tamia was born to a Black mother and an Irish-Canadian father, whom she has never met. She began singing in church at the age of six. By the age of ten, she signed up for vocal lessons, then a young lyric soprano. She gained secular experience singing pop songs such as Whitney Houston's "You Give Good Love". Through puberty, her voice matured into a spinto mezzo-soprano, a rangy three octaves, capable of both dark contralto depths and angelic soprano highs. Tamia only aspired to be a vocal coach, when a chance trip brought her to Los Angeles where she caught the attention of Brenda Richie and Quincy Jones at a 1994 awards show.
