If you’ve been to one of Lil Wayne’s ‘I Am Music II’ shows then you’ve probably asked yourself, “Who was that badass, tatted-up Cruella de Vil looking chick who tore the stage up before I could even finish my first beer?!?
That was Porcelain Black.
The 25-year-old Detroit native was born Alaina Beaton and developed a rebellious spirit early on. From her official bio on 2101records.com:
Following her parent’s separation when she was 6, Black’s mother remarried into a cookie cutter lifestyle. “My mom really wanted me to fit into that,” she recalls. “It made me feel corrupt.” At 15 Black discovered her father had cancer and was kicked out of two high schools in three months. “I never fit in,” she says. “My dad was dying of cancer and people were treating me like shit. I was a loner.” At age 16 her father died, but not before leaving a lasting musical mark on his daughter. “My first concert was ACDC with my dad,” she remembers. “We’d listen to Led Zeppelin, David Bowie, and Jimi Hendrix.”
Her dad influenced her in other ways as well, including the fact that he was a hairdresser and used to take Alaina backstage at photo shoots and fashion events. (Just in case you were wondering where her flair for fashion and whack hairstyles came from!)
^ Alaina Beaton from her time in Porcelain and the Tramps (Photo: MySpace)
But Alaina doesn’t just have the look, she has the whole package. In addition to her powerful voice she is also a trained dancer, studying jazz, tap, hip-hop, and ballet. “I was training to go on Broadway or come out to L.A. and be a backup dancer,” Black says. “But I was wasting my time,” she attests. “I knew I wanted to do music.”
And that’s what she did. First performing under the name Porcelain and the Tramps, Black developed a rather sizable following via her MySpace page. That was where Courtney Love discovered her and asked Porcelain to sing backup. Here’s a sample Porcelain and the Tramps from 2007:
While visiting RedOne’s studio in November 2009 Black’s vibe and epic vocals made an instant impact. “I wanted to sign her on the spot,” RedOne recalls. “She reminded me of Joan Jett. She’s got it all: the attitude, the talent, the look. She can scream and do things with her voice that nobody can do. She is uncompromising in pursuing her own creative vision. She’s taking everything that’s old and making it futuristic and bringing rock and roll back in her own way.”
Porcelain Black is now with 2101 Records and she has just finished up her first album with RedOne at the production helm. She compares the results to the musical offspring of Marilyn Manson and Britney Spears, saying “It’s industrial, dark, danceable pop. Bad ass and positive.”
The first single features Lil Wayne himself and is titled “This Is What Rock N Roll Looks Like:”
“The baddest b!tch in the game, you feel me?” said Lil Wayne, who is featured in the video and on the single. “I said it, you dig? And I’m aight, too.”
^ Porcelain Black performs on Lil Wayne’s ‘I Am Music II’ tour at the BankAtlantic Center in Sunrise Florida on April 5, 2011 (Photo: Rich Alan /WENN.com)
You can catch Porcelain Black along with Lil Wayne, Nicki Minaj, Travis Barker and Rick Ross on the ‘I Am Music 2’ tour coming to a city near you! Here are the tour dates:
* March 16, 2011 – Providence, Rhode Island – Dunkin’ Donuts Center
* March 18, 2011 – Buffalo, New York – HSBC Arena
* March 19, 2011 – Columbus, Ohio – Nationwide Arena
* March 20, 2011 – Baltimore, Maryland – First Mariner Arena
* March 23, 2011 – Hampton, Virginia – Hampton Coliseum
* March 24, 2011 – Cleveland, Ohio – Quicken Loans Arena
* March 26, 2011 – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania – Wells Fargo Center
* March 27, 2011 – Long Island, New York – Nassau Coliseum
* March 28, 2011 – Long Island, New York – Nassau Coliseum
* March 30, 2011 – University Park, Pennsylvania – Bryce Jordan Center
* April 1, 2011 – Chicago, Illinois – United Center
* April 2, 2011 – Auburn Hills, Michigan – The Palace of Auburn Hills
* April 3, 2011 – Washington, D.C. – Verizon Center
* April 5, 2011 – Sunrise, Florida – BankAtlantic Center
^ Porcelain Black performs in concert in Sunrise Florida (in another outfit) on April 5, 2011 (Photo: Rich Alan /WENN.com)
* April 6, 2011 – Orlando, Florida – Amway Center
* April 8, 2011 – Greensboro, North Carolina – Greensboro Coliseum
* April 9, 2011 – Atlanta, Georgia – Philips Arena
* April 10, 2011 – St. Louis, Missouri – Scottrade Center
* April 12, 2011 – Bloomington, Indiana – Indiana University Assembly Hall
* April 14, 2011 – New Orleans, Louisiana – New Orleans Arena
* April 15, 2011 – Dallas, Texas – American Airlines Arena
* April 16, 2011 – Houston, Texas – Toyota Center
* April 19, 2011 – Phoenix, Arizona – US Airways Arena
* April 21, 2011 – Los Angeles, California – STAPLES Center
* April 23, 2011 – Anaheim, California – Honda Center
* April 24, 2011 – Oakland, California – Oracle Arena
* April 27, 2011 – Vancouver, Canada – Rogers Arena
* April 28, 2011 -| Edmonton, Canada – Rexall Place
* April 29, 2011 – Calgary, Canada – Scotiabank Saddledome
* May 1, 2011 – East Rutherford, New Jersey – New Meadowlands Stadium
^ Porcelain Black performs in concert in Sunrise Florida (in another outfit) on April 5, 2011 (Photo: Rich Alan /WENN.com)
Top Photo: 2101 Records
