Ooh la la la, the story of Teena Marie’s musical journey will be hitting the big screen soon.
On an episode of The Clay Cane Show, Marie’s daughter, Alia Rose, stopped by to discuss her mother’s enduring legacy. “There’s a book coming out about her life and I’m working on a film as well.” Alia added, “I haven’t really talked about it too much. But, it’s finally happening and I’m so excited about it because I feel like her story just needs to be told.”
Alia hinted that the biopic will feature topics that will be relatable to a lot of viewers. While no actors are confirmed just yet, Alia stated that she will not be portraying her mother in the film. “The audition process is going to be very serious because I don’t play that.” She assured that there is a person out there who would make the perfect lead role as this is her second attempt at producing the film.
“I do think that there’s somebody out there one hundred percent. I know that there is somebody out there because I took my time with it and there was a couple of times that it could’ve happened six or seven years ago.” However, Alia did not proceed with producing it at the time. “I shelved it and now I am working with a writer that I really love.”
In a 2013 interview with Soul and Jazz and Funk, Alia referred to her mom’s story as an inspiration because she was an “underdog.” “It’s just the story of the underdog who really just fought to the end and just wanted to be heard. For me it’s inspiring because I know that much is possible and against all the odds. There was a fair amount of odds against her but she still made it and she still made her mark upon the world and I think that that’s inspiring in itself.”
Co-writing with her mom
Before her untimely death at the age of 54 on the day after Christmas 2010, Teena Marie, known as “Lady Tee,” the Ivory Queen of Soul, wrote, produced, arranged and sang on 13 albums that have sold 2.5 million copies in the soundscan era. Starting with her 1979, Rick James-produced debut, Wild and Peaceful, Teena Marie’s many soul and R&B hits include “Square Biz,” “Behind the Groove,” “I Need Your Lovin’,” “Fire and Desire,” “Lovergirl” and “Ooo La La La,” a song famously sampled by the Fugees.
Marie was working on her 14th and latest album, Beautiful, at the time of her passing, the follow-up to 2009’s Congo Square. Recorded at her Pasadena home studio and finished except for final mixes, Beautiful was seen through to its conclusion by Alia, who sings with her mom on two tracks, a cover of Curtis Mayfield’s “Give Me Your Love” and “Rare Breed,” which she co-wrote (Alia co-wrote two more songs on the album, “Sweet Tooth” and the title song).