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Tenelle

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Tenelle
Birth nameTenelle Christine Luafalemana[1]
Born (1988-07-21) July 21, 1988 (age 36)[2]
OriginCarson, California
GenresReggae, R&B, Pop
OccupationSinger-songwriter

Tenelle Christine Luafalemana (born July 21, 1988) is an American Samoan singer-songwriter from Carson, California. She represented American Samoa in the American Song Contest where she placed 6th in the Grand Final.

Early life

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Tenelle grew up in Carson, California where she was originally a softball player. At the age of 12, she started taking singing lessons with vocal coach Tim Carter, best known for his work with artists such as Beyoncé and Willow Smith. After graduating from Gardena High School in 2006, Tenelle joined three of her uncles in a band called Chord Brown.[3]

Career

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Tenelle started her solo career as a popular regional performer on the West Coast of the United States and in Oceania. She became internationally recognized after the release of her single "Flava" by Grammy nominated artist Meghan Trainor in 2013.[4] The song quickly rose on the iTunes singles chart, even reaching the number 1 spot.[1] Tenelle's 2014 single "Get Some" was the most requested song on Honolulu's contemporary hits station, KCCN-FM.[4] Her debut album For the Lovers was released on 10 March 2017 and peaked at number 1 on the Billboard Reggae Albums chart.[5]

Tenelle has performed and collaborated with fellow Pacific Islander artists such as George 'Fiji' Veikoso, Drew Deezy, Adeaze, Anuhea, and Kimie. She has toured in the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, American Samoa, and Samoa.[1][6][7]

Discography

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Albums

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Title Album details Peak chart positions
Reggae
[8]
For the Lovers[9]
  • Release date: 10 March 2017
  • Label: Island Empire Records
1

Singles

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  • "Flava" (2013)
  • "Tell Me" (2013)
  • "Get Some" (2014)
  • "Number One" (2015)
  • "All I Want Is You" (2016)
  • "Girl Like Me" (2016)
  • "Ride or Die" (2016)

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Artist Spotlight: Tenelle". The Island Sound. 30 August 2016. Retrieved 26 July 2018.
  2. ^ "Birth of Tenelle Luafalemana". californiabirthindex.org. California Birth Index. Retrieved 20 November 2020.
  3. ^ Paris, Melina (12 August 2012). "Tenelle Living Like She's Bulletproof: A Journey to Pop Stardom". Random Lengths News. Retrieved 24 July 2018.
  4. ^ a b Paris, Melina (16 December 2014). "Tenelle Returns with New Look, New Single and New Vision". Random Lengths News. Retrieved 26 July 2018.
  5. ^ "Tenelle finds love on Billboard". Jamaica Observer. 21 March 2017. Retrieved 22 August 2018.
  6. ^ Pa'ala-Fraser, Honestine (24 October 2014). "All About Tenelle: Exclusive Interview". The What It Do. Retrieved 26 July 2018.
  7. ^ Ah-Hi, Elizabeth (13 January 2018). "Culture Crew coming to Samoa". Samoa Observer. Retrieved 11 August 2018.
  8. ^ "Reggae Albums". Billboard.
  9. ^ "Tenelle: For the Lovers". AllMusic.
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