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Twenty-year-old Tyra Bolling wants the world to know that she is many things: an ambitious emerging singer with a powerful alto voice, a determined young woman who has been performing since the age of ten, a country girl with an appreciation for the south. She is not, however the model, like the other Tyra. “I knew coming into this that people were going get me confused with Tyra Banks” says the pretty teen from Petersburg, Virginia. “I respect what she’s accomplished and I'm a huge fan but I want people to embrace me as an entertainer.”

With the runaway success of her first single “Country Boy,” from her debut album Introducing Tyra “The Entertainer” B., Tyra has already amassed a legion of admiring fans. The guitar-laced tribute to down south gentleman raced up radio charts nationwide and the evocative video was a fixture on video outlets like BET. Folks falling for her strong, sultry sound won’t be surprised to learn that Tyra is a seasoned vocalist who began her professional career in elementary school. “When my parents and sister encouraged me to pursue singing I knew that I had talent,” she recalls. “They’ve always been straightforward with me and so when they said they liked my voice and my songs, I believed it.”

The self-professed tomboy and basketball player didn’t initially harbor dreams of singing superstardom, although she began writing songs in the fourth grade. At the age of nine, she formed a group called Kraz'e (pronounced "crazy") with her older sister and one other friend in her Petersburg hometown. When the girls played before an audience, young Tyra fell in love with the spotlight. “I stepped on stage and everything changed,” she remembers. “I was energized by the reaction of the crowd, the lights, the entire experience.” Tyra sang lead and wrote all of their material and the act soon became a small-town hit, showcasing in local venues and opening for acts like Immature and the O’Jays.

After six years of singing together, the group disbanded when the older members left for college. Tyra decided to pursue a solo career and linked up with a local Richmond radio DJ Lonnie B who began spinning her records. He soon introduced her to Danja Mowf the producer behind her “Country Boy.” Together, she and Danja Mowf crafted the breakout smash. The single caught the attention of the record label GG & L Music , who signed the teen to a deal in late last year.

Tyra’s debut highlights the raw emotional honesty and pure power of her voice, evoking the spirit of a young Mary J. Blige. Songs like “U Got The Goods,” a mid-tempo cut with a haunting melody and the sensitive ballad “Still in Love,” a plea to reunite with a former lover are flowing with adolescent earnestness sure to resonate with music lovers of all ages and races. While the crunked “Country Boy” remix featuring Chingy and Trillville and the naughty “Get No Ooh Wee” are surefire car-stereo blasting, dance-floor rocking jams.

Because she’s written much of the material on her album, Introducing Tyra “The Entertainer” B. , gives fans an intimate window into her world and grown-up outlook. “Most of my songs come from personal experience,” she says “I’ve always been wiser than my years.” Though laced with mature themes, her music is always mindful of her youngest, most impressionable fans. “I always keep my lyrics clean,” she says. “Because my music caters to a broad audience.” Moniker aside, once the world meets Tyra’s unique brand of R&B, they’ll be no mistaking her for anyone else.