INTRODUCING...
Cheri Dennis
By DONYA BLAZE
Published: March 24, 2008
Bad Boy/Atlantic
"Cheri Dennis needs a stylist BAD!" screamed a recent headline on GreasyGuide.com. While the anonymous blogger picked apart everything from the R&B singer's hair cut to her sexy image, it'll take more than some Internet mud-slinging to shake the twenty-eight year-old up.
 "I don't really let the negative things affect me, because I've always been a little left of center," Dennis says from her mother's home in Tampa. "Believe it or not, I look at the one and two-stars [ratings] where people are like, 'this shit totally sucks' or 'I heard this already (yawn)' or 'oh my God, why did she wear that yellow fingernail polish?' I kinda get a kick out of it. It helps me stay grounded and keep perspective on what it is that I do. I embrace everything that comes with being an artist and being in the spotlight."
Unfortunately, the Cleveland native's 2001 signing to Bad Boy Entertainment didn't garner her much time in the public eye until recently. She scored a track on Diddy's The Saga Continues and sang the theme song to MTV's "Making The Band 3" featuring label mates Danity Kane, but saw her own debut languish in label purgatory.
"Oh my God! I'd be lying to you if I told you that I haven't had my moments when I wanted to choke a million people, you know what I mean?" she says. "Because the music industry is hard, dealing with record labels is hard, and dealing with people having opinions of who you are as a person as opposed to just liking your music is hard. But I thank God that I'm in a good place right now."
Kamala Solomon, Product Manager for Bad Boy/Atlantic says, "For someone who's been signed for so long, I kind of expected more disillusionment. But she's been really great to work with -- just focused and super passionate about music."
Dennis' manager and fellow singer, Jimmy Cozier agrees. "As an artist, I was super emotional. Like, whatever was on my mind, I spoke it. If I felt like saying "F off!" "kiss this!"
I was telling you, and that hurt me in a lot of ways. I didn't want Cheri to take that stance. This is a business, and no matter what you feel about something, you gotta be a professional."
After two years of recording and an exclusive advance release on iTunes, Dennis' debut In and Out of Love finally hit stores in February. Tracks like rumored second single "Remind You," the sensual girls-need-it-too anthem "Showdown," and the spacey "Alright" have fans hoping the album will keep her off the bench permanently.
"If I would've come out when I got signed, I definitely wouldn't have been mature enough for everything that comes with this -- the money, the accolades, the work, the tireless ongoing hours of no sleep..." she says. "But, I am ready now as an artist and as a person. I think God knew what he was doing."
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