Brooke Valentine Has Her Day
Growing up in Houston, Brooke Valentine sang her heart out with the church choir every Sunday and harbored dreams of becoming a big star. She didn't have to wait long. By 14, she was in a girl-group trio, BKS (Best Kept Secret), and now at the ripe old age of 19, she's a solo star with her new album, Chain Letter, which is getting high marks from critics and hitting the top of the charts.
But don't think it was all roses and kisses for this Valentine. Being discovered as a teenager by chance in a mall by Subliminal Entertainment CEO Deja had its traumas.
First of all, working full-time at such a young age took a toll on her family life. The eldest of three children, Valentine was raised by her single mother and an extended family of "aunties and uncles." Unhappy with her daughter's long hours in the studio, Valentine's mother kicked her out of the house. "My mom thought I was throwing myself too far into it," Valentine says. "She thought I was too young to be that serious about something. Every day I went from school to the studio, and she wanted me to be home with her sometimes. It was understandable. But it [forced me] to leave home before I expected to."
Around the same time, BKS went belly up. So Valentine ‑- who was not yet 16 ‑- decided to follow her mentor Deja to Los Angeles to launch a solo career.
Valentine's sacrifice paid off with a release three years later on Subliminal and Virgin Records. The album is doing well thanks in part to collaborations with big name musicians like Lil Jon, Outkast's Big Boi, Jermaine Dupri and the late Ol' Dirty Bastard. "I'm a new artist and I have these guys on my album," enthuses Valentine. "It's just crazy."
Valentine wrote all of the songs on Chain Letter either wholly or in part. She says, "It was very important to say what I wanted to say and let everybody know that I have a brain and a point of view."
The most buzzworthy track is "Girlfight," her collaboration with Lil Jon and Outkast's Big Boi, in which she comes to blows with some female rivals. "Back in Texas, that totally happened ‑- spatting and rolling out," laughs Valentine. "'Girlfight' was inspired by my natural experiences being female and having beefs with other females. It's not the best thing in the world, but it happens. It doesn't mean I walk around looking for fights all the time though. That's silly."
Also silly are rumors that fellow R&B singer Ciara is the inspiration for the tune. For the record, Valentine and Ciara did not attend high school together, nor have they ever had a fight ‑- physical or verbal. The truth is the two crossed paths briefly in Atlanta when Valentine was still in BKS, but they did nothing more than exchange pleasantries. "It was, 'Nice to meet ya,' or 'How's it going?' ‑- that was it," remembers Valentine. "We never said more than 30 words to each other. But I wish her a lot of luck and more success."
If reviews are any indication, success is in the cards for Valentine as well. Many people are calling her the next Beyoncé. "That's a compliment," smiles Valentine. "I knew there would be comparisons because we're both from Houston. I think Beyoncé is very talented. That woman works hard, and I admire her. I am always happy to see a woman being strong and doing her thing."
But, unlike Beyoncé, don't expect to read about Valentine having a high-profile romance with another celebrity. "Some performers are different people when they are onstage. So I can't just see someone on TV and say, 'Oh, I'd marry him.' I don't know him or what he's about. I'd have to sit down with him and find out what I'm working with before I go there. I'm pretty picky," she says. "And not picky as far as, 'You gotta have bling-bling and a nice car.' I gotta feel like this one may be the one."
When Valentine has time off, she chats on her cell phone (she always has the newest, hippest model), shops with her girlfriends (she's not into name brands), cooks (enchiladas are her specialty) or jumps on her bed to stay in shape. "I don't get to go to the gym at all," she laments. "I'm so busy working that if I get time to reapply my lip gloss, it's amazing. So I stay active by jumping on my bed in my hotel room. That's my way of getting my blood flowing. And after three turkey burgers, why not?"
Valentine frequently returns to Houston to visit family and friends and to eat tasty Texas barbeque. As for the rift with her mother, the wounds have healed. "I can gladly say we got over that hurdle," she says. "My mom is very supportive."
For a girl who's getting rich off of a tune called "Girlfight," this Valentine seems to be much more of a lover than a fighter.
