INOJ
| INOJ | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Ayanna Porter |
| Also known as | Joni-Ayanna Portee (songwriting credits) |
| Born |
November 27, 1976 Madison, Wisconsin, USA |
| Origin | New York City, New York, USA |
| Genres | Soul, hip hop, bass music, dance-pop |
| Occupation(s) | Singer-songwriter |
| Instruments | Vocals |
| Years active | 1997–present |
| Labels | Columbia Records |
| Associated acts | Spellbound |
Ayanna Porter (born November 27, 1976), better known by her stage name INOJ, is an American singer-songwriter. She was born and raised in Madison, Wisconsin. During college in Baltimore, Maryland, she was in a group called Spellbound.[1]
In 1997, she released her debut single, "Love You Down", a cover of Ready for the World's 1986 hit that reached #25 in the United States. Her debut album was also named Ready for the World. INOJ released a cover version of Cyndi Lauper's "Time After Time" under Columbia Records in 1998, which was a Top 10 hit in the United States (#6), Canada (#7), and New Zealand (#10). In 1998, she released her debut album, Ready for the World. She also released a cover version of "Ring My Bell" as a single, though it did not receive much exposure.
She has released new music since her last internet release of "Baby You" in 2008.
She is often mistakenly credited for the track "My Boo", performed by the Ghost Town DJ's which had vocals by singer Virgo (who also had several songs on the So So Def Bass All-Stars compilations).
INOJ has written for various artists including Billy Crawford and Janet Jackson. The song "Nine to Five" features INOJ on Billy Crawford's 2007 CD release, It's Time. The song "My Baby" on Janet Jackson's Damita Jo was co-written by INOJ (aka Joni), Kanye West, Sean Garrett and Janet Jackson. INOJ also sings background vocals on the song.[2]
Discography
Albums
- 1998: Ready for the World
- 2012: INOJ Mixtape Compilation
Singles
- 1997: "Love You Down" (20 weeks, peak #25 - US)[3]
- 1998: "Time After Time" (16 weeks, peak #6 - US)[4]
- 1999: "Ring My Bell"
- 2007: "Nine to Five"
- 2008: "Baby You"
- 2011: "On"
- 2012: "Love Thang"
- 2012: "It's Over"
References
- ↑ Billboard Biography Inoj
- ↑ "Janet - Damita Jo (CD, Album) at Discogs".
- ↑ Billboard Hot 100 Chart from June 20, 1998, the last week the single was on the 100.
- ↑ Billboard Hot 100 Chart from Dec 5, 1998, the last week the single was on the 100.