Nevernaire’s newest writer Jessica gives us some insight about what Adina Howard has been up to lately
Singer and songwriter Adina Howard shot to stardom in the 90s, letting her freak flag fly with songs like “Freak Like Me” and “T-Shirt & Panties.” Despite several ups and downs, Adina has remained resilient and never backed down from sharing her music and sultry past time.
Early Career
Adina signed to Mecca Don/EastWest records in 1995 and came out swinging. Her debut album, Do You Wanna Ride? came out the same year and set people’s ears a blaze! Her lyrics were raw, uncut, and something that people didn’t typically see from female artists of color. Her single, “Freak Like Me,” rose to #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and helped solidify her place in music history as one of the trailblazers of Black female sexual liberation. Despite ridicule and judgment that came her way, Adina stood firm in her music and her message and carried on. You can’t help but respect it.
Broadening Her Horizons
During this time, Adina went on to have more hits, including T-shirt and Panties and What’s Love Got to Do with It. She was becoming a household name. Things seemed to be going well for Adina, but this would be short-lived.
One positive thing that did come out of 1997 for Adina was that she starred in her first movie, an independent film called “High Freakquency,” starring alongside John Witherspoon. Although she was broadening her horizons and exploring new aspects of her talents, her personal life would do some damage to her music career,
Wanya problems
While working on her second album, Welcome To Fantasy Land, in 1997, Adina was seeing Wanya Morris, a member of Boyz II Men. At the time, Wanya was dating singer Brandy. Sylvia Rhone, an Atlantic Records Label Executive, caught wind of this love triangle and tried to talk to Adina about it, telling her that it would be best for her to just focus on her career instead of on Wanya. Instead of taking this advice, Adina ignored it and went on to be interviewed by Wendy Williams, who was then working as a radio DJ. In this interview, Adina went on to say insulting things about Brandy and Sylvia Rhone. As a result, Adina’s Welcome To Fantasy Land wound up being shelved indefinitely, despite receiving critical reviews.
Adina Howard – Perseverance
Despite her sophomore album being shelved, Adina carried out. By 2004, she was at Rufftown Records and released her third album, The Second Coming. However, due to poor promotion, the album didn’t do well, and she was sued by the label. This led her to leave and sign with Arsenal Records. Despite releasing her fourth album, Private Show, in 2007 with the label, it was held up by several delays by the label, causing her to eventually part ways with them.
Would 2007 signal the end of Adina Howard?
The Music
I couldn’t pass up talking a little bit about Adina’s signature song, Freak Like Me! This song is personally what introduced me to Adina Howard, and it offers that classic 90s feel. The dancing, the clothes, the vocals – it doesn’t get more 90s than this! Adina has a subtle but powerful voice, and combined with her lyrics, you’re instantly drawn into this tune that gets everyone nodding their heads.
Where is Adina Howard now?
Despite Adina’s ups and downs with labels, she stayed true to herself and even found a way to express herself in new ways. In 2012, she graduated from the Le Cordon Bleu with an Associates in Culinary Arts. She dove head-first into making sweet music in the kitchen while still making music in the studio.
In 2021, it was announced that her previously unreleased album, Welcome To Fantasy Land, would be released via Rhino Records.
Adina still continues to mesmerize fans with her silky, sultry voice and x-rated lyrics, as you can see in the clip below:
Adina continues to show her resilience and tenacity. Despite everything she’s had to endure in the music industry over the years, she shows no signs of giving up or slowing down!
Where To Find Her
Follow Adina Howard on TWITTER, SOUNDCLOUD, YOUTUBE, and INSTAGRAM.
HIP HOP GODDESS MARY J BLIGE IS ON TOUR THIS FALL! GET YOUR TICKETS HERE
Check out this interview featuring MC Lyte on Nevernaire Hip hop Blog
Subscribe to our newsletter!
