Terisa Griffin has spent much of her career as one of soul music’s great “hidden in plain sight” talents: a singer with a big-stage voice, a songwriter’s sensitivity, and the kind of performing polish that can only come from years of doing the work.
Born August 25, 1969, in Monroe, Louisiana, Griffin grew up in a musical family as the second of four singing sisters. Her father, Reverend Griffin, and her grandmother were both strong vocalists, and Griffin’s own gifts were apparent early. After graduating from Wossman High School, she attended Northeastern Louisiana University on a music scholarship.
Griffin eventually relocated to Chicago, a city that became both her adopted home and creative base. There, she built a reputation in the advertising world singing commercial jingles and also found high-profile opportunities on stage and television. One early breakthrough came when she sang background for Diana Ross on The Oprah Winfrey Show, with Ross pulling her forward to perform “Love Conquers All.” Griffin later toured or performed with such major artists as Jerry Butler, Patti LaBelle, Isaac Hayes, Will Downing, and others.
A proudly independent artist, Griffin founded My Naked Soul Productions, giving herself room to write, produce and present her own music and theatrical work. She created a series of one-woman shows, including One Voice, One Woman, Fantasy: A Tribute to the Divas of Song and Stage, and Queens of R&B, honoring great female artists of the past.
Her recording career began with Songbird in 1998, followed by My Naked Soul, a fuller statement of her voice as both singer and songwriter. In 2011, she released the double project Soulzophrenic, separating her R&B and dance personalities into distinct musical statements. Her national profile grew in 2012 when she auditioned for Season 3 of NBC’s The Voice with Adele’s “Someone Like You,” drawing interest from Christina Aguilera and Blake Shelton before joining Shelton’s team.
Griffin’s 2015 album Revival of Soul brought her Billboard chart recognition, reaching #33 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, along with placements on other Billboard charts. Beyond music, she has also led Better Love Yourself, Inc., the nonprofit she founded in 2007.
Through it all, Terisa Griffin has remained what she first set out to be: a real singer, a real entertainer, and a working artist carrying forward the tradition of the great soul women she has long celebrated.
