Career
By the age of six, Ali had begun her acting career, as a regular child performer on Sesame Street starting in 1985, even appearing with Herbie Hancock in a musical number. She also appeared twice on Star Search.
She made her breakthrough when she was cast as Ashley Banks for the television sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air in 1990. She sang on various episodes of the show, including a heavily altered version of Aretha Franklinβs βRespectβ and the original song, βMake Up Your Mindβ produced by Robert Jerald of NβSpyre Music Productions. Will Smith asked her if she seriously considered pursuing a musical career. Despite her singing ability, she concentrated on her acting career on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air the next few years.
In the final season of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air in 1995β1996, Ali began preparing herself for her musical debut. The result was the album Kiss The Sky, which was certified gold in early 1999. The album spawned the hit song βDaydreaminββ, released July 21, 1998, produced by Rodney βDarkchildβ Jerkins, which peaked at #6 on the Billboard Hot 100 and on the UK Singles Chart.
The album spawned two further UK hits, βBoy You Knock Me Outβ, featuring Will Smith, which peaked at #3 and is her biggest hit to date; and βEverytimeβ, which was her third top 20 hit in the UK, peaking at #20. She made an appearance in Smithβs album Willennium for the track βWho Am Iβ with MC Lyte.
Along with her musical career, Ali kept acting in many films. She had the chance to work with recognized film directors such as Takeshi Kitano (Brother), Rodrigo Garcia (Mother and Child), among others.
In 2005, she completed work on the film Glory Road and starred in the music video for Nick Cannon and Anthony Hamiltonβs βCan I Live?β as Cannonβs mother.
In early 2008, she performed on the song βYes We Canβ, a will.i.am project supporting Barack Obamaβs presidential campaign. She also appeared in the subsequent music video which gained coverage on the βWhat the Buzzβ segment of ABCβs World News Now.
She is currently preparing to release her second album, which she describes as βan independent effortβ. The album is titled The Light. Much of the albumβs production was being handled by famed Tupac Shakurβs producer Johnny βJβ.
She also performed the title song, βSunny Valentineβ along with Terrence Quaites for the indie film, Rockinβ Meera directed by Param Gill in 2005.
She is also producing and starring in the BET web show, Buppies. She is currently on recurring status on the CBS soap opera The Young and the Restless as Roxanne.
Ali currently can be seen in the show, Love That Girl! on TV One. She stars as Tyana (which comes from the last five letters of her name). When asked if the character bears any similarities to her, Ali said in a recent CaribPress interview, βSheβs a bit neurotic and I hope I am not quite like that.β
βOne thing that I do love about her is that she is really multidimensional,β she went on to say in the same interview. βI think itβs nice to have a female character that is portrayed in (a) really holistic way.β
Ali also starred in Noraβs Hair Salon and Noraβs Hair Salon 2: A Cut Above.
In 2011, Ali received the Living Legacy Award from the Caribbean Heritage Organization in Los Angeles.
In 2012, Ali appeared as a guest on The Eric Andre Show
Personal life
Ali attended Harvard University where she received a bachelorβs degree in Afro-American history and government in 2002. She traveled the United States as a spokesperson for Barack Obamaβs 2008 presidential campaign and headed voter registration drives at college campuses. In 2012, she continued showing her support.
She dated actor Jonathan Brandis from 1995 to 1998.
Daydreaming
Tatyana Ali Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I can't even think of things to do
Wishin' all of my daydreams come true
Now, baby, what am I to do?
I think about yesterday
Somebody was talkin' to me
But I couldn't understand a word they said
But conversation couldn't make it through
The thoughts of love I had for you
Baby your face takes up my time
Because I can jus' see your face with mine
I try to change my thoughts; it's a waste of time
You keep my mind occupied
Refrain.
Tell me what am I to do?
When I can only think of you
Even when I have simple things to do
Like talkin' on the telephone
Or watchin' TV when somethin's on
If it ain't about you then what's the use?
Refrain.
What's up girl? You all grown up now....
Doin' ya singin' thing the charts sewed up now
Well you know I do my rap thing, I'm holdin' it down
And I knew that me and you was gon' connect some how
Your people called for this track, it ain't no trouble to me
I dreamt that you and me got married on the WB
You on channel 11; I carry the M-11
RJ the reverened; it's a match made in heaven
Whatever have you I let you know
I'm from soundview
Down til I found you
I'm tryin' to be around you
I'm still comin' up
Chasin' the fame and wealth
I could spoil you with time; you got everything else
I'm still New York to the heart
But got love for all
When I first saw this girl
Thought I wanted to fall
Mean the hummer so stunnin'
That my bod was tense
And I wishin everyday that I was fresh like Prince
Then I came across my man RJ parlayin' in a 6
With Tatyana Ali playin'
I heard Steely Dan "Black Cow" and went wild
You tell me how can I get down
That's when they threw me on the redeye to LA
I dirtied my cash and peeps back
And hit Shaq on the cellay
Courtside seats so close that we could touch
Tatyana and Lord and Peter Gunz
Refrain...
In the song "Daydreamin" by Tatyana Ali, the lyrics reflect the obsession that the singer has with thinking about her loved one all day long. She finds it hard to focus on any other task or conversation because all she can think about is her significant other, and it's driving her crazy. The lyrics reflect the struggle of being overcome by a strong emotion, one that can't be ignored no matter how hard you try. The song's repeated refrain emphasizes the singer's fixation on her love interest and her longing to be with him. The verses are filled with vivid imagery, such as the singer seeing her lover's face with hers and dreaming of getting married on the WB network.
Line by Line Meaning
All day long I think of you
I constantly think about you throughout the day
I can't even think of things to do
My thoughts are so consumed by you that I can't focus on anything else
Wishin' all of my daydreams come true
I hope that my fantasies about you will become a reality
Now, baby, what am I to do?
I'm not sure how to handle my strong feelings for you
I think about yesterday
I reflect on the past
Somebody was talkin' to me
Someone was having a conversation with me
But I couldn't understand a word they said
I was too distracted by my thoughts of you to comprehend what the person was saying
Not that I was tryin' to be rude
I wasn't intentionally being rude by not listening to the other person's words
But conversation couldn't make it through
My mind couldn't focus on the conversation and it was hard for me to engage
The thoughts of love I had for you
My mind was preoccupied with thoughts of love towards you
Baby your face takes up my time
I spend a lot of time thinking about your face
Because I can jus' see your face with mine
I imagine our faces together often
I try to change my thoughts; it's a waste of time
Attempts to think about something besides you are unsuccessful
You keep my mind occupied
Thoughts of you keep me mentally stimulated
Tell me what am I to do?
I'm unsure how to handle my intense thoughts of you
When I can only think of you
No matter how hard I try, my mind continually drifts to thoughts of you
Even when I have simple things to do
Everyday tasks are still overshadowed by thoughts of you
Like talkin' on the telephone
Even talking on the phone can't distract me from thoughts of you
Or watchin' TV when somethin's on
Even watching TV doesn't divert my thoughts from you
If it ain't about you then what's the use?
If something doesn't involve you, it doesn't feel important or meaningful to me
I'm still New York to the heart
I still have a strong connection to my hometown of New York
But got love for all
Despite my love for New York, I care for people beyond my city
When I first saw this girl
When I first saw you, Tatyana Ali
Thought I wanted to fall
I felt like I was falling in love with you at first sight
Courtside seats so close that we could touch
I had court-side seats to a basketball game that allowed me to be close to you
Tatyana and Lord and Peter Gunz
Tatyana Ali, Lord Tariq, and Peter Gunz were all together at the same event as me
Refrain
Repeats the chorus of the song
Lyrics Β© Universal Music Publishing Group, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., BMG Rights Management
Written by: WALTER CARL BECKER, DONALD JAY FAGEN, FRED III JERKINS, LASHAWN AMEEN DANIELS, RODNEY JERKINS, PETER PANKEY, SEAN T. HAMILTON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@kineshaflowers5693
I miss my teenage years. I remember I had this on a cassette tape
@curveycutie34
Me too
@breeloges5209
Me too!
@chritorres7104
Me too π
@ShyGuy83
25 years later and this jam is still hot.
@m.s.2916
She was just a breath of fresh air in the 90's
@Ebb4612
I lovvvveeeee this song !!!!. Bring back the 90s!!!..
@lettyrose2481
Damn miss this 90s vibe when music was fun and real.πππ this TLC, destiny's child, Brandy vibes! β€β€β€β€
@nenala7684
Such a timeless jam
@rach_robinson0988
I remember singing this for Middle School talent show. Miss the old days, they were seriously the best!