At 5'3 with blue eyes, flamingo pink hair and an extreme personality to match Pink was born on September 8th 1979 under the normal name of Alecia Moore. An R&B artist from the notorious LaFace Record label (home to ToniBraxton and TLC) her influences include Mary J. Blige, Whitney Houston, Madonna, Eminem and her father. Although, as an adolescent her style jumped from one extreme to another e.g. skateboarder to rave child to hip-hopper. This probably explains her self-confidence and rebellious nature, she has seen a lot and done a lot and this is reflected in her music.
"I decided at 15 that I didn't want to be one of those artists that gets up and sings love songs they don't mean," Pink explains in regards to her debut album. "I decided that I was going to be me to the fullest extent, that my songs were going to reflect relationships I've had, things I've been through, and even the stuff I'm embarrassed about."
Music was a major part of her childhood, her father left an indelible print on her through his guitar lessons, educating her in the likes of Dylan and McLean. Other inspirations included Janis Joplin, Shirley Murdock and Donna Hathaway, so much so that by 14 Pink had laid down her first song. However, it was in the clubs (in particular Club Fever in Philidelphia) that she began to shine. It was at her regular Friday night five minute slot that a rep from MCA spotted and asked Pink to audition for Basic Instinct, although the group didn't come to much Pink wasn't disappointed as she confessed that she didn't 'see myself as belonging to any group.'
This was only a temporary setback as almost immediately she was signed to another female group known as Choice whose demo led to them being signed to LaFace. The group disbanded due to differing choices in music styles but Pink's place with LaFace solidified thanks to her rediscovery of her writing talent while with Choice in Atlanta. Hooking up with Daryl Simmons to write the bridge for 'Just to be Loving You' confirmed her abilities. This was the beginning of Pink's career in her eyes. However, the emergence of her powerful Soprano voice whilst recording 'Just to be Loving You' no doubt contributed to her notoritity within LaFace.
Pink's songs are written to compliment and display her vocal range and her love of the pop side of R&B. L.A. Reid signed Pink as a solo artist when she approached him with her songs. Each song was greeted with the same response, 'yeah, I like that one, yeah that's a single'. Reid's obvious admiration and appreciation of Pink's talents led to her collaborating with various well known writing partners such as She'kspeare, Babyface and 112.
'There U Go', the debut single which displays the wide range of her voice, (which is also visible in her favourite track of the album 'Split Personality') is impossible to resist, becoming a top ten hit in early 2000. In the accompanying video, Pink rebukes her PlayStation obsessed-boyfriend (what else is new) while wearing a disapproving expression and a series of sexy outfits, alternating with a fondness for driving motorcycles through his windows, (very cool if you can manage it). Obviously supplying the tough-chick role model which the female population is in desperate need of, having been subjected to the likes of Mariah Carey and Britney Spears for far too long. The rest of her debut album, 'Can't Take Me Home' isn't nearly so good, (too much high octave love songs which never quite achieve their pitch). However, it has found acclaim among the public, reaching the Top 40 of the US's album charts.
It will be interesting to see what style she adopts as her place among LaFace becomes more secure.....
Source: [http://nabou.com/pink's biography](http://nabou.com/pink's biography)
