Taja Sevelle (born Nancy Richardson on March 18, 1962 in Minneapolis, Minnesota) is an R&B/pop singer from the late ’80s.

By the time she was 17 years old, Taja had lived in the city, on a farm and in a remote forest near the Canadian border without running water, electricity or a car. She studied in her own science lab, plowed fields, tapped maple trees and even sang in several church choirs.

During her high school years, she studied voice at the University of Duluth and Ear Training at the Minneapolis Technical Institute, produced her own radio programs and worked as a DJ. She was also in six different bands and even put her own band together.

In 1987, Taja accepted into the Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachussetts; during that same week, she was offered a record deal from Prince and later signed a record deal with his label, Paisley Park Records.
During that same year, she released her self-titled debut album which peaked at #48 on the UK Albums chart and #52 on the album charts in the Netherlands; however, it did not make the charts in the United States.
The first single from the album, “Love is Contagious” peaked at #62 on the Billboard Hot 100, #7 on the UK Singles chart and #58 on Billboard’s Hot Black Singles chart, staying on the chart for 15 weeks. It was also moderately successful on the music charts in the Netherlands.
The follow-up single, “Wouldn’t You Love to Love Me” peaked at #59 on the UK Singles chart and #61 on Billboard’s Hot Black Singles chart, staying on the chart for 9 weeks.
The last two singles released from the album: “Popular” and “Take Me for a Ride” didn’t make the charts at all.
In 1991, Taja released her sophomore album, “Fountains Free” which failed to make any impact on the charts.
The only single from the album, “Trouble Having You Near” also failed to make the charts at all. In 1992, she formed her own record label, Matrix Music. After a bidding war with nine major record labels, Taja signed a record deal with the Sony 550 Music label.
In 1997, she released her third studio album, “Toys of Vanity” in 1997 which didn’t make a lot of impact on the charts nor did the singles, “I & I” and “A Lot Like You.”
In 2000 and 2003, Taja released the singles: “Never Givin’ Up” and “Sympathy For the Devil” on the Basement Boys record label.
In 2004, Taja released an EP called “Good Times” through her record label, Matrix Music. In January of 2005, she founded a non-profit organization called Urban Farming which provides produce for food banks; since then, there are over 65,500 gardens in 61 countries that are part of the Urban Farming Global Food Chain.
In 2017, Taja released the single, “Little Diva” which reached the top 30 on Billboard’s dance music charts. In 2019, she released a book called “From the Root: A Memoir and a Philosophy for Balance in Our World”. She has also written two unpublished novels: “Rain on a River” and “49 Days.”
These days (according to research), Taja is still devoted to Urban Farming, does public speaking and has her own radio show called “Love Is Contagious” on HealthyLife.net. In 2020, she released the single, “A Fine Place.”

To see Taja’s official website, go to:
https://tajasevelle.com/

To follow Taja on Instagram, go to:
https://www.instagram.com/tajasevelle/

To follow Taja on Twitter, go to:
https://twitter.com/tajasevelle

To follow Taja on Facebook, go to:
https://www.facebook.com/tajasevelle/

To see Taja’s YouTube page, go to:
https://www.youtube.com/user/tajasevelleofficial

To see the website for Urban Farming, go to:
https://www.urbanfarming.org/

To see a video for “Love Is Contagious,” go to:

To see a video for “Wouldn’t You Love to Love Me,” go to:

To see a video for “Popular,” go to:

To see a video for “Take Me For A Ride,” go to:

To see a video for “Trouble Having You Near,” go to:

To see a video for “I & I,” go to:

To see a video for “A Lot Like You,” go to:

To see a video for “Never Givin’ Up,” go to:

To see a video for “Sympathy For the Devil,” go to:

To see a video for “Good Times,” go to:

To see a video for “Little Diva,” go to:

To see a video for “A Fine Place,” go to: