James Hicks | On 16, Jan 2011

One of the primary purposes of the Personality Profile segment within INFOtainment News is to highlight individuals that are moving the needle in a positive and progressive fashion – people that are, in our opinion, relevant and worth getting to know a little bit more of what makes them tick.

This weekend I had the distinct pleasure and opportunity to chat with a young lady who is literally on the cusp of blowing the doors off the popular music scene. She’s got the looks, she’s got the brain, and above all, for the business she’s in – she’s got the voice.

That being said, this month’s INFOtainment News Personality Profile is: Erika Fatale

Growing up around the windy city of Chicago, 24 year old Erika has a great foundation and mental stability about her, that is shown clearly when hearing her both speak and sing. Erika’s the only one of her family that has ventured into the entertainment industry; her parents are in the legal profession and her older sister is a speech pathologist. But through an upbringing in the church, singing in local talent shows and performing at various Illinois social events, Erika found her passion on stage and behind the microphone.

The Fork in the Road

After the local Chicago-area exposure, Erika wanted to spread her entertainer wings a bit – so she entered a music contest sponsored by legendary producer, Mr. David Foster. Erika submitted an audition tape to the contest, in hopes of getting the ear of Foster. Not only did she get his ear, but she got one of the coolest complements from the music legend. In an introduction prior to her singing on stage with him, Foster said, “…she [Erika] just wowed us and sings her ass off…”

Here’s that performance:

After that performance, and receiving the high accolades and the exposure, Erika was ready to move her career to the next level. She changed her name from Rodger to Fatale and moved to Los Angeles with visions set on being the next big vocalist in pop music.

The name change is quite fitting for her style of show and performance. Erika definitely transforms from non-assuming NorthWestern University English graduate into the confident swagger of a sultry soul-infused pop vocalist capable of commanding a crowd and tackling a wide range of musical deliveries (add to the impressive resume classical opera training as well…)

Inspired by the likes of Whitney Houston, Celine Dion, Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin, Regine Velasquez and Donny Hathaway, you simply can’t go wrong ! See if you can hear a little remnants of Aretha in this track from Erika, entitled Whipped.

Download:

The Good and the Bad

In my recent interview with Erika, two questions that I asked were, what were her least and most favorite aspects of the music business. She responded that her least favorite thing was the mentality of the business itself. The fact that’s it’s so cut throat and rejection tends to regin supreme. If you don’t have a thick skin and able to take rejection – this ain’t the business to be in.

As far as her most favorite aspect it’s simply that fact that each day she gets to live her dream and do what she knew she was destined to do, and that’s to sing and perform.

What’s Next

According to Erika and her manager, James Auger from ENR Music, the short and mid-term efforts consist of doing what’s necessary to pay those dues – for an independent artist she’s doing what she has to do, hitting the club scene, working hard in the studio, reaching out to media outlets for coverage (such as INFOtainment News), and looking for additional producers to collaborate with for fresh new song ideas and styles. There’s also a possible deal in the works that could put Erika’s face and music in the headlines with a major international cosmetics organization as the face of a new beauty product line, further solidifying the Erika Fatale brand.

Where To Find Erika

The best places to keep up with all that is happening in Erika Fatale’s world is through her online web presences at: Facebook | MySpace | Twitter | YouTube