Born in Denver, Colorado, and raised in a number of Texas towns, Lina grew up in a music filled household: her mother was a Jazz singer and her father a guitarist. She began singing at age four and writing songs at eight. In her early youth, Lina listened to Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughn and Dinah Washington, so she learned all the standard jazz songs. And when she wasn't listening Jazz, she was singing Gospel in church alongside her mother. Although Lina pondered different career paths, from becoming a veterinarian to a painter to a teacher, after the high school years she began to work with a variety of producers and songwriters. Under the guidance of her cousin, Lina moved to Los Angeles, in full-time pursuit of her artistic dreams and there entered music business as a songwriter, penning for RCA artist Tyrese, who recorded her "Ain't nothing like a Jones" for his 1998 platinum debut album. This success should have been an occasion for celebration, it instead destroyed her relationship with her then-manager. But it was in California that Lina met Travis House, professionally known as T-House, who encouraged her to tap even further into her talent for writing songs.

Lina signed with Atlantic records in 1999, then toured Europe and USA as the opening act with three artists belonging to different genres of music: Joan Osbourne (Rock / Alternative Pop), Craig David (Pop / R&B) and Guru (Rap / Hip Hop). Her debut, entitled "Stranger on Earth", landed in 2001, co-produced with Jeeve and T-House. Lina wrote her entire album, excluding the title song, a Dinah Washington cover. The album turned out the US hit "It's Alright", the hip-hoperatic UK hit "Playa No Mo" and "I'm Not the Enemy", which was featured in the 20th Century Fox's film "High Crimes". Critics praised the disc's bold theme, a syncopation of music past and present: when its combination of classic and modern sounds, it caused critics to compare her to musical greats from Billie Holiday ro Erykah Badu. But along with those comparisons, the singer-songwriter showed a vocal style all her own, brilliantly satisfying musical fusion that makes a musical statement thriving on rich jazz-era orchestration complemented by R&B and Hip-hop. "Stranger on Earth" was named the #1 R&B Album of the Year by Tower Records' Pulse Magazine and by CDNow.com and among the Top10 R&B Albums of the Year by Billboard Magazine. Later, her songs appeared on other film soundtracks: "Once Again" on "Win a Date With Tad Hamilton" and "Life" on "My Baby's Daddy". Estabilished singer, songwriter and producer with sights on acting, Lina founded Starfel Publishing and licensed songs to HBO's "Disappearing Acts", ABC's "Philly" and Warner Bros' "The Adventures of Pluto Nash". In 2003 Lina signed with Hidden Beach Recordings and created her own independent record label, MoodStar Recordings, to produce future solo albums and support true artistry. The first release on MoodStar Recordings will be a compilation series titled "Save Your Soul". The album, with the majority of the songs written by Lina, covers a wide scope of genres, from hip-hop to alternative rock, with all the songs performed by unsigned artists. At the end of 2004 was scheduled the release of "I Am" and "Come to Mama", first singles from her sophomore album, "The Inner Beauty Movement", co-produced by the same team behind "Stranger on Earth". The album was released at the end of June. All the songs were written by Lina, including a collaboration with Young Dre on "Illuminating" and a duet with Anthony Hamilton titled "Around the World". The "Inner Beauty Movement" reflects her creative credo: to be passionate, organic and timeless. And who can be more inner-beautiful than a woman who is able to sing in seven different languages?

Claudio Balestrino [Just Soul]

1. Playa No Mo'
2. Step Up
3. Right Place, Wrong Time
4. Too Good
5. Don't Say Nothing
6. Crazy Love
7. Batches
8. I'm Not The Enemy
9. 3rd Finger Left Hand
10. You Don't Know
11. Bye Bye Baby
12. Waiting
13. Stranger On Earth

1. Playa No Mo'
2. Step Up
3. It Ain't Me (SOS)
4. Don't Say Nothing
5. I'm Not The Enemy
6. God Loves Me
7. It's Alright
8. Batches
9. Watch Your Mouth (Baby Blue)
10. Bye Bye Baby
11. Waiting
12. Stranger On Earth

1. My Fix
2. Walking (Interlude)
3. Hope Wish & Pray
4. Leaving You
5. Fly
6. Music (Interlude)
7. I Am
8. Run to Me
9. Around the World
10. It Could Be
11. Come to Mama
12. This Time
13. Never Forget (Interlude)
14. Smooth
15. Story Goes
16. Let It Go
17. Peace & Love
18. On My Own