Musical families are not unheard of in the entertainment industry. From the Jacksons to The Veronicas' Origliasso twins, making music can often be a family affair. Kristinia DeBarge has that kind of pedigree, thanks to her father James, the youngest of 1980's Motown sibling act DeBarge. Although she has a long way to go commercially, few doubt that her natural talent will get her there.

Kristinia Debarge Has Music In The Blood

"I want to show people that they're not alone."

Musical families are not unheard of in the entertainment industry. From the Jacksons to The Veronicas' Origliasso twins, making music can often be a family affair. Kristinia DeBarge has that kind of pedigree, thanks to her father James, the youngest of 1980's Motown sibling act DeBarge. Although she has a long way to go commercially, few doubt that her natural talent will get her there.

Kristinia DeBarge, Early Starter

As with many in a musically gifted line, DeBarge had an early start with singing. She says she began at three years old, but her epiphany wasn't to come until she was twelve. Her father had brought her along to the recording studio, and the two ended up working into the wee hours of the morning on a duet. She was serious about singing.

Summer of 2003 gave her a first chance at an entry with American Juniors, a spinoff of the popular American Idol program. Although she managed to make it to the 20-head semifinal round, her rendition of Reflections from Disney's Mulan failed to get her into the final cut. This wasn't about to put her down.

The next year, she met Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds, who would usher her into the big leagues of commercial music. Edmonds worked with her for five whole years before he signed her on to the Sodapop division of Def Jam Records, which he had just helped start. Just a couple of days shy of her 19^th birthday, Kristinia DeBarge was a signed artist.

Kristinia DeBarge in the Spotlight

After just two months in the recording studio, she was ready with all the material for her debut album. She got things rolling with the release of Goodbye, her April 2009 debut single that did moderately well on the charts. Another single, Sabotage, followed in July. Exposed, her full-length album debut, came out a week later.

By January 2010, Exposed was reported to have sold over 120,000 copies, thanks in part to DeBarge's promotion as an opener on Britney Spears' tour for her album Circus in late 2009. By the end of the year, she reported to fans that she had gone back to the recording studio to start working on a second album for a 2010 release. She also reports that the new release will have a more dance-friendly sound than her previous work.

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