January 06, 2005 @ 2:08 pm

VIBE Magazine: NEXT> Yonnie- Hard-Knock Life

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In the lounge of a plush Atlantahotel, R&B bombshell Yonnie is having an Oprah-style tell-all moment. But forget the tears, and don’t cue the violins. This tough woman doesn’t want your pity. “I’m not ashamed of anything I went through, because I’m happy with where I’m at now,” she decla

The second of five sisters, Yoncea O'Neal, 25, grew up in Detroit's rough Joy Road neighborhood. Though she was blessed with the talent to sing, hardships hindered Yonnie's creative progression. According to Yonnie, her mother was unable to handle the pressure of raising five children as a single parent. At age 13, Yonnie and her three younger sisters-the oldest was legally an adult-were temporarily put in foster care. "I had been molested throughout my life, and my mother was a little too weak to step in and stop it," says Yonnie. "So it was better that we ended up in a foster home." Spending most of her teen years on the streets, the self-professed "bad seed" admits she didn't hone her skills in a way most aspiring divas would. "My singing development wasn't done in talent shows and in groups like most people," says Yonnie. "But I loved to sing, and it's the one thing I stuck with in life." After the birth of her first of two sons, an 18-yearold Yonnie decided to pursue her dream more seriously. She wrote and recorded songs with local producers, gaining some key industry connections in the process. In 2002, she met Tyrone "Ty" Manica, a Detroit-based concert promoter and owner of Merc Records who would eventually broker a label deal in July 2004 to distribute Yonnie through Blackground/ Universal Records. With her airy vocals breezing across the raunchy crunk & Bhit "In da Club," featuring the Ying Yang Twins, Yonnie is sure to garner comparisons to R&B icon Aaliyah. But Vincent Herbert, a producer for Destiny's Child and Toni Braxton and head of A&R at Blackground, feels that Yonnie's feisty approach and vivid storytelling on her as-yet-untitled debut will set her apart from her peers. "At first glance, Yonnie will get comparisons, but her exceptional talents as a singer and songwriter will stand alone," says Herbert. Yonnie hopes her struggle-filled journey will be an inspiration for anyone listening. "Every time I was in a tough spot, I always found a song out of it," she says. "My music is my therapy." And the healing has begun. To Read More Stories Like This, Cop An Issue Of VIBE At Your Local Newsstand Now! Better Yet Click Here! To Receive a Full Year of VIBE for $11.95!

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