Manhattan Newkirk was born September 17, 1973, in New York to a Broadway actress mother and father who was a singer on the East Coast. Her talent and desire for being a performer was not only in her genes, but helped her embrace the form of expression and passion that being an artist entails.

She claims that as a young girl she didn't want to be a singer, but her future career was foreshadowed by Manhattan singing along to her mother's Barbra Streisandand Elton John records and exercising her writing skills by trying her hand at poetry.

Once Manhattan moved back to Manhattan at the age of 14 (after having been raised by her mother following her parents' divorce), she attended the Professional Children's School. There, she claims to have been the only student who wasn't already working in the industry.

Although she wasn't necessarily working in the industry per se, she was making herself known by becoming a regular at 1018, a dance club in New York. She and her sister would attend and dance at the local clubs, which explains Manhattan's influence of house and "freestyle" music. It was at these clubs that Manhattan became attached to freestyle, as she would dance to the music and let herself get lost in the music.

Her love for house and similar forms of rhythmic music led to her appearances on Club MTV, which was American Bandstand à la MTV. She also danced in two Salt-N- Pepa videos, "Everybody Get Up" and "Twist and Shout".

Her frequent attendance at 1018 is what led to her big break. There, a producer noticed her dancing and asked her if she could also sing -- which, as can be heard on her hit debut album, she can. One of the first producers that Manhattan worked with was O.G. Pearce, who produced her song "One More Chance". Although Pearce's interpretation was successful and sounded the way Manhattan intended it to, she did not end up getting signed to Pearce's production company.

It all changed for Manhattan in 1998, when her manager encouraged her to enter The Cut, another MTV show, this time styled after Star Search. Performing a song that she wrote, Manhattan ended up as one of the 10 finalists out of 160 contestants; similar to the way singer CoCo Lee broke into the music industry.

Although Manhattan did not win, she impressed such artists such as Michael Jackson After meeting with the presidents of different record labels, she finally signed with Daylight Records, one of Epic Records' labels.

Not That Kind, Manhattan's debut album, was released on June 13, 2000, and has already spawned the hit single "I'm Outta Love". The album is in a category of its own blending pop, R&B, dance, rock, and highlights Manhattan's unique, soulful voice that is rarely found on a white woman. Ric Wake, who has worked with such hit makers such as Mariah Careyand Celine Dion collaborates on the album as well.

Manhattan has a tattoo of the Egyptian symbol of eternal life surrounded by the sun on the small of her back, and she seems to have a passion for butterflies.