May 18, 2006 @ 3:53 pm

Cheri Dennis

by: Clover Hope

Three days of sunshine have all but dissipated the remains of New York City’s worst snowstorm on record. And here in Diddy’s famed Daddy’s House recording studio, Cheri Dennis’s cheerful demeanor seems to brighten the already luminous day. Even while dismissing her label’s notoriously vanishing roster, she’s all smiles. “I know all the things that come with the business,” says the burgeoning R&B singer. “I can’t let that dictate how I move.”

Dennis, 24, has to stay sharp right now. As Bad Boy’s first solo female release since Faith Evans, she’s part of the mission to restore the label’s glory days. Evans, 112, and the LOX are just a few who, citing neglect and indifference, fled for greener pastures. But Dennis isn’t worried about being ignored. “People will only overlook you if you let them,” she says with a slight yet endearing lisp. “You can complain and fall into the background, or you can make them pay attention.”

Dennis has been demanding the limelight since she was 8 years old, wailing in her grandma’s church choir. You’ve probably heard her feisty vocals on the Making the Band 3 theme, “Ooh La La,” or the Bad Boy compilations The Saga Continues.. and We Invented the Remix. After a four-year stint in the group Spoiled, she got her break on Mase’s “All I Ever Wanted,” from 1999’s Double Up. Two years later, she officially joined Bad Boy after an impromptu audition for Diddy at a friend’s party.

But while her signing was relatively effortless, Dennis often felt the weight of Diddy’s imperious ways—like when he stuck her in a brainstorming session with unfamiliar songwriters. “He expected me to jump in and crank out lyrics,” she says. “But now the pressure inspires me.”

And with her lighthearted, untitled debut, Dennis hopes to do some inspiring of her own. Her breezy first single, “I Love You,” featuring Jim Jones, puts an unusually happy spin on heartache. Even though the song doesn’t take a strong “F-you” stance, Dennis is sure it will resonate with young ladies who’ve been jaded by love. “Maybe someone will need my positive perspective,” she says. “I’m not about being down and out. Even when I’m talking about pain and betrayal, I still find a silver lining.” Doesn’t it feel good to know someone out there does?

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Article tags: Cheri Dennis, Bad Boy's New Artist Cheri Dennis, Cheri Dennis' Single, I Love You