Torica Cornelius

What are your most recent projects and what do you think people are responding to the most?
I recently inked a publishing deal with Warner Chappell/Bryan Michael Cox and have placed songs on Monica's new J Records project. The song for Monica is a song that everyone can relate to because the content is based on living your life and not caring about what other people think. I also have a song on hold for JLO and it'll definitely be a big club joint that guys and girls will relate to.

What are you planning to work on next?
I'm working on music for Rihanna, Rich Harrison's girl group Rich Girl, Day 26, and other projects. I will be heading to Miami to work at the end of this month and I'll be working during and after the Grammys in LA.

Where are you from originally and where do you live now?
I'm from Columbia, SC but I have lived in Atlanta for 8 years now.

What was your first project as a musician that you really felt was important?
Being featured on Field Mob's 2003 single, "Sick of Being Lonely," was my first professional recording and was the launch pad for me to be recognized and introduced to many of the people I work with today. While recording at Noontime in the early part of my career, Jazze Pha, Bryan Michael Cox, and Polow da Don (a rapper in group Jim Crow at the time) were all working in the same building. As a new singer/songwriter, that was heaven on earth.

Who do you look to as a mentor in your career, and what have they helped you to learn?
B Cox is someone I look up to because he knows so much about music, not just how to make it, but the history of it. He's so passionate and really loves it, but he has also sustained as a working producer and businessman. He has taught me how to be more creative, more willing to take chances, and to understand how to benefit from a business standpoint.