Kreesha Turner's Debut Album

'Canadian Beyonce' Releases Passion

She's dubbed the Canadian Rihanna/ Beyonce, but Kreesha Turner is making a name all for herself. Her smash hit song Bounce with Me has been featured on TV shows like The Hills, Entourage, Desperate Housewives, and Gossip Girl. Her album, Passion, was released August 5, 2008, and she's touring Canada next month with the Backstreet Boys.

I started singing when I was 16 after a trip to Jamaica. My mom is Jamaican, and we were butting-heads so I was on a plane to Jamaica to live with my aunt. Neither of my parents is musical, but growing up I was exposed to a wide variety. Music is able to change my mood in a heartbeat.

Kreesha Turner's Bounce with Me

Some people know when a song’s a hit, but I don’t think I have that ear. I’m always so worried how people will respond to my music, so it was reassuring. That song in particular won in a competition in 2005, but in November 2007 it was finally released. I consider it the song that got me signed because after I won the competition I found my management and my label.

All the songs on the album resonate with me. Black Magic is probably one of my favourite songs to do live because I’ve always been really drawn to jazz…The lyrics in Passion are about determination, drive and perseverance, and so they resonate with me as well. I was writing and performing my own songs in the underground scene and getting on every stage that I could. I named the album after that song because if I didn’t have that drive, this album wouldn’t exist.

Kreesha Turner on Entertainment Tonight Canada

When I was on Entertainment Tonight Canada I said I was fine “running with the Beyoncés,” and what I was referring to was the lifestyle -- being very involved in the fashion world, having endorsements, from Cover Girl to L'Oreal, performing on world class stages, and being on the cover of magazines.

I don’t think about fame too much. When I was living in Jamaica, I was not allowed to go anywhere but home, school and church, for my personal security because I was fair-skinned, and in Jamaica, a lot of people associate fair skin with wealth. If I couldn’t go out without being recognized, I don’t think it would be so different.

Each artist has his or her muse. I have my family, I’ve had the same five friends for as long as I can remember…I’ve never been one to keep acquaintances. I find because I have such a strong base, I don’t drift off into the clouds.