Career
Shamari Fears started performing publicly during her middle and high school years and formed a country-urban girl group named Buutz. She was so sure that she would succeed that she spread rumours of landing a record deal. After the group disbanded, she formed another and named it Intrigue.
Fears met Natina Reed, who had recently moved to Atlanta as well, in high school. As Fears worked with Intrigue and landed a recording deal with Elektra Records, Reed formed Blaque. Fears was later introduced to Brandi Williams at a talent show. When she joined Reed in Blaque, Williams did the same as well. Reed met Lucy “Left Eye” Lopes, a member of the girl group TLC, through her brother Ronald Lopes. Impressed by the girls, Lopes offered them a contract with her own production company, Left Eye Productions.
The group made their first appearance in 1997, in the music video for Lil' Kim's ‘Not Tonight (Remix)’. On June 1, 1999, their self-titled debut album was released through Trackmasters and Columbia labels. Opening at number 23 on Billboard's Top R&B/Hip-Hop albums chart, and at number 53 on the official Billboard 200, the album would go on to receive RIAA’s platinum certificate. ‘808’, the lead single of the album, was well received by fans and critics alike and was certified gold.
In mid-1999, Blaque toured with boy band ‘N Sync’ as one of their opening acts. A year later, Fears, alongside other members of the group, was cast as a cheerleader in the cult classic teen comedy ‘Bring It On’.
Their second album, ‘Blaque Out’, was scheduled to release in 2001 but was shelved after Columbia Records nullified their contract. However, it was eventually released on January 29, 2002. Containing 15 tracks, the album was not as big of a success as Blaque’s debut album, but it did earn rave reviews from their fans.
On April 25, 2002, Lopes was killed in a traffic accident in La Ceiba, Honduras. Following this, Blaque signed a recording deal with Elektra Records and started working on what was to be their third album.
‘Torch’, their intended third album, was ultimately shelved despite featuring Missy Elliott, songwriter Linda Perry, and producer Rodney Jerkins. In 2008, there were talks of releasing the completed album exclusively on iTunes but that didn’t amount to anything.
By 2005, Fears had shifted her focus to building a solo career for herself and signed with Darkchild Records. Despite this, Blaque regrouped to work on their fourth album, titled ‘Private Show’. The album was completed in 2009, but it too was never released. Furthermore, their TV show ‘Blaque in the House’ had not been picked up. They put out the singles, ‘Cut You Off’, ‘All Nighter’, ‘Blue Jeans’, and ‘High Definition’ on YouTube and decided to go their separate ways,
Three years later, on July 28, 2012, Fears reunited with Reed and Williams at the Left Eye Music Festival in Decatur, Georgia and performed their most popular single ‘’808’. After the event, they were contacted by artist manager Inga "Nandi" Willis, who offered them a contract for their next album and a reality television show.
Unfortunately, Reed was killed in a traffic accident on 26 October 2012. Having grown up together, Fears was deeply affected by Reed’s death. She and Williams decided to disband soon after. However, their song, ‘Cut You Off’, was later leaked online.
Personal Life
Shamari Fears was born as Shamari Jaqua Wright-Fears on February 22, 1980, in Detroit, Michigan. She began singing at the age of three. After her family moved to Atlanta in the mid-1980s, Georgia, Fears grew up deeply influenced by the rich musical tradition of the city as well as by Mariah Carey.
Fears married Ronald Boyd "Ronnie" DeVoe Jr., a member of the R&B/pop group New Edition and the R&B/hip hop group Bell Biv DeVoe, on March 10, 2006. She gave birth to their twin sons, Ronald and Roman, in late 2017.
