As the first solo female release from the Bad Boy camp since Faith Evans, Cheri has been anxiously waiting in the wings for many years—all her to life be exact. "I grew up in a very spiritual and religious household, so I've always known music," she explains. "I can't even think of my first experience where I said, 'Oh I want to sing.' It's just always been there. It's who I am." Today, as a wise-beyond-her-years twenty-something, Cheri has gracefully navigated the tangled web of record deals and other sundry pit stops while steering through Cleveland's working class to New York's bright lights. Her self-titled Bad Boy debut offers up a refreshing mix of sweet melodies and wide-ranging tempos, bound to solidify her as a music mainstay. As Cheri proclaims in one of her jazzy, sexy interludes, she's "Finally Made It". Singing at the age of eight in her grandmother's church choir, Cheri always possessed the burning desire to become a singer and was fully confident that one day she would achieve her dreams. When people would inquire about her plans after high school, 'College or work?' she'd reply with much conviction, "I’m a singer. I'm going to be a star!" There was never a moment she thought about anything else. "It was just meant for me to be a singer," Cheri says referring to her signing to Bad Boy Records. She was in New York chasing her dream for no more than 2 weeks before randomly running in Sean "Diddy" Combs at a party. While at the party Cheri seized her opportunity and began an impromptu performance singing solid vocals over the song the DJ was playing. The hip hop impresario instantly became enamored by Cheri's vocal capabilities and in only a matter of weeks, without even thinking twice, Diddy had her paperwork drawn up for the record deal.