Growing up in Grand Rapids Michigan, Adina had a curiosity about the world around her that made her both ambitious and restless. Adina kept busy between albums contributing to a string of hit soundtrack albums. Among them was a duet, "Damned If I Do," on the soundtrack for A Thin Line Between Love And Hate, the catchy "For The Funk," on the platinum-plus Sunset Park, and a duet with Warren G. on the platinum Supercop soundtrack, a remake of "What's Love got To Do With It." With her 1995 debut, Do You Wanna Ride?, assertive soul singer Adina Howard managed to achieve commercial success as well as raising eyebrows with her volatile cocktail of sexually potent imagery and effusive R&B. The mainstream success of the attendant single, "Freak Like Me', helped pave the way for other upfront female R&B singers, including Foxy Brown and Lil' Kim. Peaking at number 7 in the Billboard R&B charts, the debut album's sales profile of over half a million copies was encouraging. The follow-up, 1997"s Welcome To Fantasy Island, opted for sensuality over sexuality.
She welcomed collaborations on her new album, inviting a host of friends and producers to add to the chemistry of the spirited, funk infested Diva cocktail, brewed specifically to Adina's eclectic tastes. The sexy "Crank Me Up," features labelmate Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliott, one of the most sought after producer/writer/performers in black music. adina co-wrote and co-produced the track, which in Adina's words, is about "taking oneself higher both mentally and physically," she says.
The fact that she's been able to garner both male and female fans indicates she's touching a nerve out there. One of the things she hopes to do some day is open up a homeless shelter. Always willing to experiment, Adina has never been limited by boundaries, especially self imposed ones.
