Born and raised in Pittsburgh, PA, Shanice Lorraine Wilson starred in a KFC commercial with Ella Fitzgerald at 9. Later, she was discovered by A&M Records at the age of eleven, and released her debut album, Discovery, in 1987, which wasn't a huge pop hit, but did score R&B chart action, and the singer a 1987 Soul Train Award nomination for Best New Artist. She signed a record deal at Motown Records in 1991. Her 1991 album Inner Child contained the popular hit single "I Love Your Smile".