Taja Sevelle
Encyclopedia
Taja Sevelle is a music recording artist, songwriter, novelist and inventor from Minneapolis, Minnesota
who began her music career in 1987 when she was signed to the Paisley Park Records
label by Prince
. In the same week, she was accepted into the Berklee College of Music
in Boston.
Sevelle's first single was "Love Is Contagious
", which became her signature song. She recorded Fountains Free (1991) on Warner/Reprise/Paisley and Toys of Vanity (1997) on Sony, and has written songs with Burt Bacharach
, Thom Bell
, Prince, Nile Rodgers
and Mark White of the Spin Doctors
, among others. She has song catalogs with Warner Chappell Music Publishing and North Star Music as well as her own publishing company, OW Music. Including her own CDs, Taja has songwriting and singing credits on over 2.5 million records sold including Prince, Johnny Mathis and the original soundtrack of the motion picture “Lean On Me.”
By the time Taja Sevelle was 15, she had lived in the city, on a farm and in a remote forest near the Canadian border with no running water, electricity or access by car. She had studied in her own science lab complete with microscopes, single cell eukaryotic organisms, and data storage, she had plowed fields, tapped maple trees, learned the Morse code, managed a health food store before her fellow classmates had graduated from high school. She also became a Radio DJ and produced a many radio programs including her own radio show about food and nutrition. Her life took a twist when in the same week she was accepted into the Berklee College of Music, she was offered a record deal from Prince.
From Minneapolis to Hollywood, the first song Taja Sevelle had ever written, “Love is Contagious,” became a charted Billboard hit in America and Europe. Taja Sevelle recorded her third CD in Detroit for Sony 550. She began to see the amount of poverty due to job loss in the city of Detroit as well as the excess amount of unused land, and in 2005 she founded Urban Farming, an international 501c3 headquartered in Detroit, Michigan. The 501c3 Organization plants food on unused land and space and gives it to people suffering from hunger and food insecurity. The charity began with 3 gardens in Detroit and in that year gave away 1 ton of food. To date, Urban Farming has planted and facilitated the equivalent of over 50,000 community and residential gardens across the country and abroad, feeding over an estimated million people.
Taja Sevelle has also written a novel Rain On A River and is working on her next 2 novels, "The Garden Song" about her life and work with Urban Farming(TM), "The Joke", with screenplay adaptation "Cracking Up." Additionally, Sevelle invented a kitchen appliance and is partnered with Larry King
of CNN and his wife, Shawn King
on the invention. In the late 1990s, she founded the Matrix Music record label.
Taja Sevelle has studied at the University of Judaism, The University of Duluth, Minneapolis Technical Institute and Santa Monica College. She holds three United States Patents for her invention. Taja speaks all over the world and has been a featured speaker on the Yale Sustainable Agriculture Panel, Kellogg’s Panel at Marygrove College in Michigan, The Race, Place and The Environment after Katrina National Symposium in New Orleans, Food Desert Panel at the National Black Caucus in Washington, DC., The MACT convention of the Michigan Treasurers, and Michigan Governor Granholm’s Food Policy Symposium among many others. Taja Sevelle was appointed by Mayor Dave Bing to sit on the Detroit Food Policy Council. For her work with Urban Farming, Taja has received the Champion for Your Service Award from the Brayland Edwards Foundation, the Essence Magazine Green Award and The Garden Crusader Award from Gardener’s Supply among others. Urban Farming has also received numerous awards for the organization’s work in our communities.
Sevelle continues to record around the world and expand Urban Farming.
Taja Sevelle
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis , nicknamed "City of Lakes" and the "Mill City," is the county seat of Hennepin County, the largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota, and the 48th largest in the United States...
who began her music career in 1987 when she was signed to the Paisley Park Records
Paisley Park Records
Paisley Park Records was Prince's record label, associated with and funded in part by Warner Bros. Records. It was started in 1985, following the success of the film and album Purple Rain...
label by Prince
Prince (musician)
Prince Rogers Nelson , often known simply as Prince, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Prince has produced ten platinum albums and thirty Top 40 singles during his career. Prince founded his own recording studio and label; writing, self-producing and playing most, or all, of...
. In the same week, she was accepted into the Berklee College of Music
Berklee College of Music
Berklee College of Music, located in Boston, Massachusetts, is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known primarily as a school for jazz, rock and popular music, it also offers college-level courses in a wide range of contemporary and historic styles, including hip...
in Boston.
Sevelle's first single was "Love Is Contagious
Love Is Contagious
"Love Is Contagious" is the debut single by Taja Sevelle, released in 1987. The song was taken from her eponymous debut album, released on Paisley Park Records, the label founded by her mentor, Prince. To date, this self-penned song is Sevelle's only major chart hit. The song reached number 7 on...
", which became her signature song. She recorded Fountains Free (1991) on Warner/Reprise/Paisley and Toys of Vanity (1997) on Sony, and has written songs with Burt Bacharach
Burt Bacharach
Burt F. Bacharach is an American pianist, composer and music producer. He is known for his popular hit songs and compositions from the mid-1950s through the 1980s, with lyrics written by Hal David. Many of their hits were produced specifically for, and performed by, Dionne Warwick...
, Thom Bell
Thom Bell
Thomas Randolph "Thom" Bell is an American songwriter and producer, best known as one of the creators of the Philadelphia style of soul music in the 1970s. He moved to Philadelphia as a child.-Biography:...
, Prince, Nile Rodgers
Nile Rodgers
Nile Gregory Rodgers is an American musician, producer, composer, arranger, and guitarist.-Biography:...
and Mark White of the Spin Doctors
Spin Doctors
Spin Doctors is an American alternative rock band formed in New York City, best known for their early 1990s hits, "Two Princes," and "Little Miss Can't Be Wrong," which peaked the Billboard Hot 100 charts at #7 & #17 respectively....
, among others. She has song catalogs with Warner Chappell Music Publishing and North Star Music as well as her own publishing company, OW Music. Including her own CDs, Taja has songwriting and singing credits on over 2.5 million records sold including Prince, Johnny Mathis and the original soundtrack of the motion picture “Lean On Me.”
By the time Taja Sevelle was 15, she had lived in the city, on a farm and in a remote forest near the Canadian border with no running water, electricity or access by car. She had studied in her own science lab complete with microscopes, single cell eukaryotic organisms, and data storage, she had plowed fields, tapped maple trees, learned the Morse code, managed a health food store before her fellow classmates had graduated from high school. She also became a Radio DJ and produced a many radio programs including her own radio show about food and nutrition. Her life took a twist when in the same week she was accepted into the Berklee College of Music, she was offered a record deal from Prince.
From Minneapolis to Hollywood, the first song Taja Sevelle had ever written, “Love is Contagious,” became a charted Billboard hit in America and Europe. Taja Sevelle recorded her third CD in Detroit for Sony 550. She began to see the amount of poverty due to job loss in the city of Detroit as well as the excess amount of unused land, and in 2005 she founded Urban Farming, an international 501c3 headquartered in Detroit, Michigan. The 501c3 Organization plants food on unused land and space and gives it to people suffering from hunger and food insecurity. The charity began with 3 gardens in Detroit and in that year gave away 1 ton of food. To date, Urban Farming has planted and facilitated the equivalent of over 50,000 community and residential gardens across the country and abroad, feeding over an estimated million people.
Taja Sevelle has also written a novel Rain On A River and is working on her next 2 novels, "The Garden Song" about her life and work with Urban Farming(TM), "The Joke", with screenplay adaptation "Cracking Up." Additionally, Sevelle invented a kitchen appliance and is partnered with Larry King
Larry King
Lawrence Harvey "Larry" King is an American television and radio host whose work has been recognized with awards including two Peabodys and ten Cable ACE Awards....
of CNN and his wife, Shawn King
Shawn King (singer)
Shawn King is an American singer. She is the wife of television and radio personality Larry King. King has recorded one album, In My Own Backyard, for Lofton Creek Records.- Personal :...
on the invention. In the late 1990s, she founded the Matrix Music record label.
Taja Sevelle has studied at the University of Judaism, The University of Duluth, Minneapolis Technical Institute and Santa Monica College. She holds three United States Patents for her invention. Taja speaks all over the world and has been a featured speaker on the Yale Sustainable Agriculture Panel, Kellogg’s Panel at Marygrove College in Michigan, The Race, Place and The Environment after Katrina National Symposium in New Orleans, Food Desert Panel at the National Black Caucus in Washington, DC., The MACT convention of the Michigan Treasurers, and Michigan Governor Granholm’s Food Policy Symposium among many others. Taja Sevelle was appointed by Mayor Dave Bing to sit on the Detroit Food Policy Council. For her work with Urban Farming, Taja has received the Champion for Your Service Award from the Brayland Edwards Foundation, the Essence Magazine Green Award and The Garden Crusader Award from Gardener’s Supply among others. Urban Farming has also received numerous awards for the organization’s work in our communities.
Sevelle continues to record around the world and expand Urban Farming.
External links
Taja Sevelle