Teedra Moses

Few artists combine vulnerability and toughness with as much finesse as contemporary R&B singer and songwriter Teedra Moses. The Californian (by way of Louisiana) broke through in 2004 as co-writer of Christina Milian’s Top Ten pop hit “Dip It Low” and the same year released Complex Simplicity, her exceptional debut album. Although she has released only one more official album, 2015′s Cognac & Conversation, she has numerous mixtapes, EPs, and supplemental singles that extend to 2024, the year she updated the deeply emotive title song of her first LP with help from Durand Bernarr. Moses’ tall stack of collaborations includes an appearance on Kaytranada’s Grammy-winning album Bubba. Born and raised in New Orleans, Moses relocated to California with her mother after her parents’ divorce. Exposed to gospel early — her mother was once active on the Southern church revival circuit — Moses brought a little bit of that fervor to her own vocal style when she began writing and singing professionally, which followed a stint as a wardrobe stylist for the likes of Will Smith and Kelis. Moses released her debut single for TVT, “Be Your Girl,” in 2003, but she reached the mainstream the following year, when Christina Milian’s “Dip It Low” — a song she co-wrote — became a number five pop hit in the U.S. Through additional studio time beside Poli Paul, a producer who worked on that hit and on “Be Your Girl,” Moses followed with the harder “You’ll Never Find (A Better Woman),” featuring Jadakiss. She continued to mix a light gospel touch with mature and soul-rooted contemporary R&B on Complex Simplicity, which was issued in July 2004 on TVT. The album landed at number 20 on Billboard’s R&B/hip-hop chart and crossed into the Billboard 200 at number 168. One of the highlights from Complex Simplicity was “Take Me,” a collaboration with Raphael Saadiq. Moses returned the favor with an appearance on Saadiq’s Ray Ray, the first in a series of outside activities that trailed her album. Across the next few years, Moses appeared on a handful of cuts and placed songs on albums by Teairra Mari, Trina, Mary J. Blige, Macy Gray, and, once again, Milian. Moses released the occasional mixtape and single and was briefly signed to Rick Ross’ Maybach Music. After some additional independent releases, including “Secrets of Life” and the California Vibes EP, Moses made a full return on the Shanachie label with Cognac & Conversation, her second proper album. It was released in August 2015 and entered the R&B/hip-hop chart at number 20. Another assortment of collaborations and one-off singles followed over the course of the next ten years. Moses notably appeared on Kaytranada’s Grammy-winning 2019 album Bubba. (Kaytranada had built an underground following years earlier with his remix of “Be Your Girl,” which eventually saw commercial release.) Moses teamed with Salaam Remi and D-Nice for “Black Love” in 2020, released the slow jam “Make Me” in 2021, and three years later celebrated the 20th anniversary of “Complex Simplicity” with an update featuring fellow Kaytranada associate Durand Bernarr. ~ Andy Kellman