ALGEBRA BLESSETT

Born and bred in Atlanta, R&B artist Algebra’s hometown roots run deep. A fifth generation Atlantan, Algebra attended Fulton County Schools for her primary and secondary education then with a music scholarship enrolled in HBCU Morris Brown College as a business major with a minor in music. The singer/songwriter discovered and developed her vocal talent in Atlanta, honing her craft working with local superproducers like Dallas Austin and Bryan-Michael Cox.  Atlanta both raised and made Algebra and she continues to call the city home and maintain a strong connection to the ATL community.

Given the unique name, "Algebra," by her mother and father, Algebra Felicia Blessett grew up in a religious household deeply rooted in gospel music where mother was a minister, gospel singer and bassist. While music was in her DNA and she loved singing in the church choir, Algebra resisted the urge to pursue singing professionally. Although she had originally wanted to attend the prestigious North Atlanta School of the Performing Arts to become a professional dancer, she was accepted after auditioning with a song.

"I treated singing as my continuum, before recognizing it was apart of my purpose," she recalls.  "The edification of being around music, seeing my mom play bass and watching my great-grandmother train singers whilst working shoulder to shoulder with Mayors of Atlanta and the clergy for neighborhood community advancement sparked a lot of stuff that I didn't know was being sparked at the time, and then something happened in my adolescence that pulled me into music and service."

Ultimately Algebra embraced her musical destiny and she quickly gained a reputation on her hometown's booming R&B scene becoming an in-demand backup singer and lending her voice and pen to such recording projects as “Without Him” on Debra Killings debut album, India.Arie's Grammy-winning 2002 platinum smash Voyage to India, while touring with R&B artists Monica and Bilal.  Blessett’s notoriety spread, she continued to expand her creative horizons by teaching herself to play guitar and write songs, initially by adapting her first-person journal entries into lyrics.

"I had only been playing guitar for about a month when I started writing songs," she recalls.  "Eventually, I learned how songs can tell a story, and I learned that the way I tell a story is different from the way some of my favorite songwriters tell a story.  It scared me a little bit at first, because some of the creatives I was working with laughed when I'd play them what I was writing.  But that just forced me to push myself harder, and to do it for myself and not care what others thought."

In 2004, Algebra’s talent caught the attention of Grammy Award-winning producer Bryan-Michael Cox, who collaborated with her on a demo that would capture the ear of music mogul Kedar Masenberg. After signing her first record deal and earning significant attention with her first single "U Do It For Me," Algebra released her first full-length album Purpose, which she recorded with producers B.Cox, Kwamé Holland, Eric Roberson and Carvin & Ivan.  The debut disc spent 14 weeks on Billboard's R&B/Hip-Hop album chart, establishing Algebra as a vital musical force.  The album showcased her powerful voice and songwriting skills.  She won best Soul Track for “What Happened.”  Purpose received critical acclaim and garnered her a dedicated fan base.

The period between Purpose and Recovery was a productive one for Algebra, who kept busy with a variety of notable projects.  She sang on fellow Atlanta artist Anthony David's albums, with the two singers joining forces on the hit duet (and popular wedding song) "4Evermore," which reached No. 1 on Billboard's R&B Adult Contemporary chart in 2011.  “4Evermore” won the Song of the Year Soul Track award. Algebra also co-wrote multiple songs and was featured on Esperanza Spalding's hit "Black Gold" from Spalding's Grammy-winning Radio Music Society, co-wrote and was featured on Vivian Green's album The Green Room, co-wrote and sang with Anthony Hamilton on hip-hop violinist Miri Ben-Ari's "She Was Just A Friend." She was the only opener for the Brian McKnight/Joe Tour, Keyshia Cole Tour, Kemistry Tour, and The Legendary Roots/ Common Tour while recording duets with Kelly Price, Lyfe Jennings, and Pastor Troy’s released albums.

Meanwhile, Algebra continued to perform her own live club gigs, and quietly released the eclectic mixtape EP Dessert Before Dinner, which included personalized reworkings of songs by '80s rock band Extreme and seminal hip-hop duo Eric B. and Rakim, and which generated substantial underground buzz.  She also recorded a version of the Nina Simone classic "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood" that won considerable grass-roots attention.  Blessett also found time to pursue her longstanding interests in acting and dance, winning attention for her performance in the Atlanta-based stage musical Rebirth and embracing the art of theatre with the NBAF reading of In The Pocket hosted by The Alliance Theatre.

Algebra enjoyed a short sabbatical from music, taking time to explore her passions outside of singing like aerial arts and fashion design.  Tapping into other creative talents led Algebra to launch cosmetics line LoveLips kissed by AlgebraB™.  In a market flooded with so many amazing beauty products, Algebra felt she had a unique beauty product to offer the market.  Each lipstick color is individually titled with the names of the women and girls within her family. As an ode to the many personalities, age groups, skin complexions and lip tones of the Blessett family, LoveLips kissed by AlgebraB caters to the conservative calm as well as the wildfire in us all. LoveLips is currently carried in Neiman Marcus stores and on their website as a part of the company’s inclusion initiative.

Active in the Atlanta music community, Algebra is a member of The Recording Academy Chapter, Atlanta Chapter of ASCAP, and continues to connect musicians and performers internationally with Atlanta. Service is also very important to Algebra and for many years she worked with the Sickle Cell Foundation of Atlanta.  She has worked closely with Songs For Kids Foundation performing and writing 500 songs for kids. The future holds many possibilities for this talented artist but one thing is certain for Algebra, she will forever love Atlanta.