Adina Howard

Adina Howard Biography by Stephen Thomas Erlewine Do You Wanna Ride? Grand Rapids, Michigan native Adina Howard became a national sensation with the funky R&B of her platinum debut album, 1995's Do You Wanna Ride, and its number two pop hit single, "Freak Like Me" (covered seven years later by Sugababes, who took it to number one in the U.K.). The singer's follow-up, Welcome to Fantasy Island, was shelved just prior to its planned 1997 release by EastWest. Despite a popular collaboration with Jamie Foxx on "T-Shirt and Panties" off the Woo soundtrack, Howard didn't release an official second album until 2003, when the Rufftown label issued The Second Coming. Hampered by distribution and promotion issues, it didn't receive much attention and sold poorly. Howard then switched to the Arsenal label, which released Private Show in 2007. The set featured the singles "L.O.V.A." and "Tease," as well as appearances by Reign and Kabo. At this time, she shifted gears and dipped into acting and culinary arts. She attended Le Cordon Bleu, earning a degree, releasing a cookbook, and opening a restaurant on the side. While she continued to record into the 2010s, she wouldn't make an official return until 2017 with her fourth American release, Resurrection. The album -- which was re-released a year later -- featured appearances by King Gas, Adrian Crutchfield, and Tech N9ne, as well as "Nasty," which sampled her own hit "Freak Like Me."