Tila Tequila
737688
226144033
2008-07-17T00:44:22Z
Lady Galaxy
1423121
/* Music career */
{{pp-semi-vandalism|small=yes}}
{{Infobox musical artist
|Name =Tila Tequila
|Img =
|Img_capt =Tila Tequila
|Background =solo_singer
|Birth_name =Thien Thanh Thi Nguyen<ref name="entLaw">"[http://web.archive.org/web/20070611015333/http://www.entlawdigest.com/story.cfm?storyID=11304 New Filing – Tila Tequila]" Entertainment Law Digest, May 2007, Volume 12, Issue: 5 (As archived by the [[Wayback Machine]])</ref>
|Alias =Tila Tequila
|Born ={{birth date and age|1981|10|24}}<br> [[Singapore]]
|Died =
|Origin =[[Houston, Texas|Houston]], [[Texas]]
|Instruments =[[Singing|Vocals]]
|Genre =[[Pop music|Pop]], [[hip pop]]
|Occupation =[[Singer-songwriter]], [[glamour photography|glamour model]]
|Years_active =2001–Present
|Label =
|Associated_acts =Jealousy, previously of Beyond Betty Jean
|URL =[http://www.tilashotspot.com TilasHotSpot.com]
}}
'''Tila Nguyen''' (legal name: '''Thien Thanh Thi Nguyen'''<ref name="entLaw" />, born [[October 24]], [[1981]]), better known by her [[stage name]] '''Tila Tequila''', is an [[United States|American]] [[glamour model|model]], [[entertainer]], and [[singer]] residing in [[West Hollywood, California|West Hollywood]], [[California]]. She is known for her appearances in ''[[Stuff (magazine)|Stuff]]'', ''[[Maxim (magazine)|Maxim]]'', ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'', ''[[Penthouse (magazine)|Penthouse]]'', her role as host of the [[Fuse TV]] show ''[[Pants-Off Dance-Off]]'' and her position as the most popular artist on [[MySpace]] (according to page views) as of April 2006.<ref name="Slate">Weiner, Jonah ([[April 11]], [[2006]]) [http://www.slate.com/id/2139691/ "Tila Tequila for President"]. [[Slate (magazine)|Slate.com]]. Retrieved [[July 29]], [[2006]].</ref> She was raised in [[Houston, Texas|Houston]], [[Texas]]. Her [[MTV]] show ''[[A Shot at Love with Tila Tequila]]'' premiered on [[October 9]], [[2007]].
==Early life==
Nguyen was born in [[Singapore]], where her family had [[boat people|emigrated]] from [[Vietnam]] after the [[Vietnam War]].<ref name="latest">{{cite web |last=Bozell |first=L. Brent III |authorlink=L. Brent Bozell III |title =Tila Tequila, MTV's Latest Poison |publisher=[[Media Research Center]] |date=2007-11-30 |url=http://www.mediaresearch.org/BozellColumns/entertainmentcolumn/2007/col20071130.asp |accessdate=2008-01-05}}</ref><ref name="amg">Brown, Marisa. [http://wc03.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:3nftxqrdldde~T1 Tila Tequila biography] at [[Allmusic]]</ref> When Nguyen was a year old,<ref name="amg"/> she and her family moved to [[Alief, Houston, Texas|Alief]], a suburb of Houston, where they lived, until they were admitted to a [[gated community]] run by a strict [[Buddhist]] [[List of Buddhist temples|temple]].<ref name="mtv">[http://www.mtv.com/ontv/dyn/tila_tequila/cast_member/cast_member.jhtml?personalityId=8991 Tila Tequila biography] at [[MTV|MTV.com]]</ref> The family left the community when Nguyen was eight.<ref name="TilasHotSpotBio">Nguyen, Tila.
[http://web.archive.org/web/20060217111132/http://www.tilashotspot.com/popups/biography.html "The truth about Tila"]. TilasHotspot.com. Official autobiography. Retrieved using the [[Wayback Machine]] [[February 10]], [[2007]].</ref>
While in middle school, Nguyen became a [[tomboy]] and was eventually sent to a [[boarding school]] for six months for her combative behavior before transferring to another school.<ref name="TilasHotSpotBio"/> While in high school, she used her sister's identification card to enter nightclubs, where she began [[recreational drug use]]<ref name="TilasHotSpotBio" /> and joined a gang. In an interview with ''Import Tuner'', Nguyen said she had been searching for a sense of identity: "I was really confused then, [because] at first I thought I was black, then I thought I was Hispanic and joined a [[Cholo#Mexico and north|cholo gang]]".<ref name="ImportTuner">[http://www.importtuner.com/models/archives/0211_cover_model_tila_nguyen/ "Up Close & Personal: Tila Nguyen"]. (2006). ''Import Tuner''. Retrieved [[October 12]], [[2006]].</ref> Later, friends outside the gang briefly helped turn her life around. However her past caught up with her, and she fled to [[Queens, New York]] at the age of 16.<ref name="mtv"/>
==Career==
===Modeling and acting===
Nguyen's career began at the age of 18 when she was discovered at the [[Sharpstown Mall]] by a ''[[Playboy]]'' scout and was offered a chance to model nude for the magazine. She did a test shoot,<ref name="IGN: SRS Babe of the Week">[http://cars.ign.com/articles/389/389506p1.html IGN Interview]. Interview of Tequila by IGN. Retrieved [[August 24]], [[2007]].</ref> then eventually moved to Southern California and was featured as ''Playboy''’s [[Cyber Girl]] of the week on [[April 22]], [[2002]], and soon thereafter she became the first Asian Cyber Girl of the Month.<ref name="TilasHotSpotQuickBio">Nguyen, Tila. [http://web.archive.org/web/20060507192933/http://www.tilashotspot.com/popups/short_biography.html "Quick Bio"]. TilasHotspot.com. Biography covering Nguyen's modeling years. Retrieved using the [[Wayback Machine]] on [[February 10]], [[2007]].</ref> A few more pictorials for the magazine followed.<ref name="latest"/>
Nguyen gained further popularity through the import racing scene. She has been featured on the cover of ''Import Tuner'' magazine, at car shows such as Hot Import Nights, and in the video game ''[[Street Racing Syndicate]]''.<ref name="GameProSRS">[http://www.gamepro.com/microsoft/xbox/games/previews/36729.shtml "Hands-On: SRS: Street Racing Syndicate"] ([[July 13]], [[2004]]). ''[[GamePro]]''. Retrieved [[December 1]], [[2005]].</ref> In 2003, she was a contestant on [[VH1]]'s ''Surviving Nugent'', a [[reality television|reality TV]] show where participants performed compromising tasks and stunts for rock star [[Ted Nugent]].<ref name="VH1NugentInterview">[http://www.vh1.com/shows/dyn/surviving_nugent/series_interviews_int.jhtml?start=1 VH1's ''Surviving Nugent'' interview with Tila]. Retrieved [[November 29]], [[2005]].</ref> She was also the most frequent host on the first season of [[Fuse TV|Fuse TV's]] dance show, ''[[Pants-Off Dance-Off]]'', on which a group of contestants [[striptease|strip]] to [[music video]]s.<ref name="latest"/> Tila has also previously worked with VH1 as a commentator on WebJunks's 40 Greatest Internet Superstars.
Nguyen was featured on the cover of the April 2006 issue of ''[[Stuff (magazine)|Stuff]]'' magazine; in the interview, she claimed that her nickname "Tila Tequila" came about when she experimented with alcohol in middle school and had a severe allergic reaction.<ref name="Stuff0406">Gilbert, Laura (April 2006). "Enter the Dragon". ''Stuff''.</ref> She was later included in ''Stuff''’s 100 Sexiest Women Online. She appeared on the August 2006 [[Maxim (magazine)|''Maxim'' UK]] cover, was named #88 in their Hot 100 List,<ref> ''Maxim''. August 2006. </ref><ref name="MaximHot2006">[http://www.maximonline.com/slideshows/index.aspx?slideId=1993&imgCollectId=94&src=GM7070:MD Maxim 2006 Hot 100]. Maximonline.com. Retrieved [[August 9]], [[2006]].</ref> and also appeared in the December 2007 issue.<ref name="MaximDec2007">[http://www.maxim.com/HerSpace/articles/9816.aspx?src=GM7070:MD Maxim 2007, Her Space]. Maximonline.com. Retrieved [[November 20]], [[2007]].</ref>
Tequila made an appearance as one of the 12 strangers in the first game on the [[April 6]], [[2007]] episode of [[NBC]]'s game show ''[[Identity (game show)|Identity]]''. Her identity was that she has "over one million [[MySpace]] friends," a number which, as of that date, stood at 1,771,920.<ref name="MySpace">[http://www.myspace.com/tilatequila Tila Tequila's profile]. MySpace.com. Retrieved [[June 8]], [[2007]].</ref> On [[March 4]], [[2007]] Nguyen made a [[cameo appearance]] on the show "[[The War at Home (TV series)|War At Home.]]"<ref name="War At Home">[http://tv.ign.com/articles/773/773038p1.html ''Tila Tequila Comes Home: New pictures and a clip of the popular MySpace, Playboy and Stuff Model's guest appearance on The War at Home.''] by IGN Staff. Retrieved [[November 2]], [[2007]].</ref> She also appeared as a [[Hooters#Hooters Girls|Hooters Girl]] in the 2007 film ''[[I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry]]''.
===A Shot at Love===
{{main|A Shot at Love with Tila Tequila}}
On [[March 26]], [[2007]], Tequila announced in her MySpace blog that she would be filming a [[reality show]] for [[VH1]]. Filming started in May 2007, but the show was moved to VH1's sister network [[MTV]] that summer. On [[October 9]], [[2007]], ''A Shot at Love with Tila Tequila'' aired on MTV. The program is a [[bisexual]]-themed reality dating show where 16 straight men and 16 lesbian women compete for Tila's affections, the twist being that the contestants were not aware of Tequila's bisexuality<ref name="mtvbio">{{citation |url=http://www.mtv.com/ontv/dyn/tila_tequila/cast_member/cast_member.jhtml?personalityId=8991 |title=Tila Tequila |periodical=[[MTV]].com |accessdate=2007-10-24}}</ref> until the end of the first episode. The ten-episode series is produced by 495 Productions and MTV.<ref name="TilaTequilaShow">Jon, Lafayette ([[September 6]], [[2007]]) [http://www.tvweek.com/news/2007/09/mtv_greenlights_tila_tequila_d.php "MTV Greenlights Tila Tequila Dating Show, Debuts October 9"] TVWeek article on Tila Tequila's MTV Show. Retrieved [[September 6]], [[2007]].</ref>
The show was at the heart of a heated online debate between Tequila and conservative Christians after an article appeared on ''[[The Christian Post]]'' on [[September 13]], [[2007]].<ref>Black, Nathan. [http://www.christianpost.com/article/20070913/29285.htm MTV to Air Bisexual Dating Reality Series] ''Christian Post'': [[September 13]], [[2007]]</ref> After seeing the article, Tequila wrote an impassioned response in her blog on [[September 28]], [[2007]], criticizing churches for "bashing" the gay community while thanking God for saving her life.<ref>Black, Nathan. [http://www.christianpost.com/article/20071002/29546.htm MySpace 'Queen' Tila Tequila: I Made Amends with God] ''Christian Post'': [[October 2]] [[2007]]</ref><ref name="latest"/>
The show premiered for a second season in April 2008 and became a popular gossip subject in Asian media, such as [[AsianWeek]].<ref>Shin, Elise ([[July 3]], [[2008]]). [http://www.asianweek.com/2008/07/03/tila-happily-never-after-iii/ "Tila: Happily-Never-After III"]. [[AsianWeek]]. Retrieved [[July 9]], [[2008]].</ref>
===Tila's Hot Spot and other business ventures===
In 2001 Nguyen started up her website entitled "Tila's Hot Spot".<ref name="TilasHotSpotHistory">Nguyen, Tila. [http://web.archive.org/web/*/http://tilashotspot.com "Wayback Machine historical cache of The Official Tila Nguyen Website"]. Retrieved from the [[Wayback Machine]] on [[July 14]], [[2007]].</ref> Originally it was a website featuring her information, quotes, blog, and pictorials<ref name="TilasHotSpotHistory">Nguyen, Tila. [http://web.archive.org/web/20040610182239/www.tilashotspot.com/tila.html "Wayback Machine historical cache of The Original design of Tila Nguyen's Website"]. Retrieved from the [[Wayback Machine]] on [[September 6]], [[2007]].</ref> including content that required adult verification and a monthly payment fee to view.<ref name="TilasHotSpotSignUp">Nguyen, Tila. [http://web.archive.org/web/20030401121844/www.tilashotspot.com/join.html "The Official Tila Nguyen Website"]. TilasHotspot.com. Membership information to join her site. Retrieved using the [[Wayback Machine]] on [[August 7]], [[2007]].</ref> Later the site format was revamped by TAJ Designs Inc.<ref name="TilasHotSpotAboutUs">AboutUs. [http://www.aboutus.org/TilaShotSpot.com "AboutUs information about the design of Tila Nguyen's Website"]. Retrieved on [[September 6]], [[2007]].</ref> to feature all-ages content and information to promote her current career, business ventures, personal information, and a premium membership section including videos, non-nude picture galleries, blogs, and chat sessions.<ref name="TilasHotSpotMembership">Nguyen, Tila. [http://www.tilashotspot.com/services/join.php "Current Membership information about the Official Tila Nguyen Website"]. Retrieved on [[September 6]], [[2007]].</ref><ref name="TilasHotSpotSignup">Nguyen, Tila. [http://www.tilashotspot.com/services/signup.php "Current Sign-Up information about the Official Tila Nguyen Website"]. on [[September 6]], [[2007]].</ref>
During 2005 Nguyen launched Tilafashion.com,<ref name="TilasFashionhistory">Nguyen, Tila. [http://web.archive.org/web/*hh_/tilafashion.com "Wayback Machine historical cache of The Tila Fashion Website"]. Retrieved from the [[Wayback Machine]] on [[September 6]], [[2007]].</ref> a site featuring her custom line of clothing for men and women originally using the slogan "So hot you'll just want to take it all off!"<ref name="TilasFashionhistory">Nguyen, Tila. [http://web.archive.org/web/20051211103632/tilafashion.com/main.htm "The Tila Fashion Website showing original slogan"]. Retrieved from the [[Wayback Machine]] on [[September 6]], [[2007]].</ref> In 2006 Tila created a website entitled "Tila Zone,"<ref name="TilasZoneHistory">Nguyen, Tila. [http://web.archive.org/web/*/http://www.tilazone.com "Wayback Machine historical cache of The TilaZone Website"]. Retrieved from the [[Wayback Machine]] on [[September 6]], [[2007]].</ref> which features content to use on [[Myspace]] and other [[social networking]] websites including [[layouts]], [[Web widget|widgets]], and [[clipart]].<ref name="TilasZone">Nguyen, Tila. [http://www.tilazone.com "The Official TilaZone Website"]. Retrieved on [[September 6]], [[2007]].</ref>
===Music career===
Nguyen used modeling as a stepping stone for other ventures. At age 20, she acted on her interest in rock music and started looking for bands willing to have her join. She eventually assembled a band called '''Beyond Betty Jean''', for which she was singer and songwriter. Following the breakup of Beyond Betty Jean, Nguyen started working in recording studios to sharpen her vocal skills and wrote music.<ref name="TilasHotSpotQuickBio"/> Tila Tequila became the lead singer of a band called '''Jealousy''', which has released songs over the Internet. Jealousy has appeared on [[MySpace Records]]' inaugural compilation album, released through MySpace Records and [[Interscope Records|Interscope]].
A major turn in Tequila's music career occurred during the [[April 24]], [[2006]] taping of [[MTV]]'s ''[[Total Request Live]]''. In an interview with the ''TRL'' VJs, [[will.i.am]] announced that Tequila was signed to the Will.I.Am music group, a record label under [[A&M Records]]. Despite her major-label signing, Tequila independently released her first single "[[I Love U (Tila Tequila song)|I Love U]]" through [[iTunes]] on [[February 27]], [[2007]], justifying the independent release through her desire to become famous by herself.<ref name="amg"/> She shot a music video for the song, which is available for free after the song is downloaded. A preview for the video debuted on [[February 14]], [[2007]] on her MySpace page. The video has also been released via mobile phones. On [[March 6]], [[2007]], Tila's video was the #1 most downloaded on iTunes.
In March 2007, Washington-based record label The Saturday Team released an EP called ''[[Sex (Tila Tequila EP)|Sex]]'', by Tila Tequila.<ref name="amg"/> On [[July 27]], [[2007]], Italian website MusicBlob reported that The Saturday Team and distributor Icon Music Entertainment Services sued Nguyen over breaching her contract related to the album.<ref name="MusicBlob">MusicBlob ([[July 27]], [[2007]]). [http://www.musicblob.it/what-happened-to-tila-tequila-a-musicblob-exclusive.html "What happened to Tila Tequila?"]. MusicBlob. Retrieved [[July 27]], [[2007]].</ref> However, Tila, through a MySpace bulletin,<ref name="MusicBlob" />, claimed the EP was not authorized for released by her, and was removed from most retailers. As of July 2008, nothing has come of the lawsuit and it is believed to have been dropped.
On [[October 9]], [[2007]]<ref>http://music.aol.com/popeater/2007/10/10/tila-tequila-gets-a-little-help-from-her-stripper-friends/ Tila Tequila Gets a Little Help From Her 'Stripper Friends' - PopEater Music Blog<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>, the same day her reality show ''[[A Shot at Love with Tila Tequila]]'' premiered, Tila released her second official single, [[Stripper Friends]]. In mid-November Tila shot the video for song [[Paralyze]], which had yet to be released. The video was shot at an upscale [[Los Angeles]] condo. Scenes were shot featuring Tila with a long dark brown wig on (at the time, she had a short blond bob) as well as without the wig. However, the scenes were originally cut from the video.
She shot the music video for [[Stripper Friends]] in early December 2007 at a [[Los Angeles]] strip club. The video premiered via [[Yahoo! Music]] on [[February 26]], [[2007]] and was released to [[iTunes]] on [[March 4]], [[2008]]. The single has yet to make impact on the charts. On [[April 2]], [[2008]] the music video for [[Paralyze]] was released also via [[Yahoo! Music]] and the single was released to [[iTunes]] on [[April 8]], [[2008]]. Wellheart Music Journal was one of the first major music publications to review the new single [[Paralyze]]. The review was glowing, calling the track soulful and adding "With the proper promotion and the video just having premiered, it shouldn't be surprising if this is her breakthrough smash."<ref>[http://www.wellheartmusicjournal.com/singlereviews.htm Wellheart Music Journal | Yesterday's, Today's, and Tomorrow's Music<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
<br>
In July 2008 the song "Hideaway" was leaked through Tila's MySpace and received good response from fans. The song was taken down later that same day, although Tila did announce<ref>[http://www.tilashotspot.buzznet.com/web/tila/ce/news/2630361/ Tila's HotSpot News - New Album Coming Soon!]</ref> that she would be releasing her first full-length debut album in the winter. She also stated that because of the fan response, the new song "Hideaway" would appear on the album. On [[July 11]], [[2008]], the full 3 minute studio version of Tila's song "Knock U Out" was leaked onto the internet. The original snippet of the song had leaked in early 2007. It is unclear if this song will appear on the album.
==Discography==
===EPs===
* 2007: ''[[Sex (Tila Tequila EP)|Sex]]''
===Singles===<!-- NO CHARTING DATA, please. See note below. -->
* 2007: "[[I Love U (Tila Tequila song)|I Love U]]"
* 2007: "[[Stripper Friends]]"
* 2008: "[[Paralyze (song)|Paralyze]]"
==Filmography==
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!Year
!Film
!Role
|-
| 2007
|''[[I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry]]''
|[[Hooters#Hooters Girls|Hooters Girl]]
|-
|2009
|''[[Horrorween: 3-D]]''
|Herself
|}
==Awards==
===2007===
* [[The Soup]] Awards - "Entertainer of the Year 2007" ('''Won''')
===2008===
* Spike Annual Guy's Awards - "So Hot They're Famous" ('''Won''')
* Bravo's A-List Awards - "A-List Drama Queen" ('''Won''')
==Notes==
{{reflist|2}}
==External links==
<!-- Official or informative links only. Do not insert links to photo galleries, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:External_links for more information. Violations
may be blocked from editing Wikipedia. -->
<!-- Official websites come first and then MySpace pages, etc. -->
* [http://www.tilashotspot.com/ Official website]
* {{myspace|tilatequila}}
* {{imdb name|id=1712094|name=Tila Tequila}}
{{blpwatch|from=05/2008|reason=Insertion of unsourced claims.}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tequila, Tila}}
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:1981 births]]
[[Category:American bloggers]]
[[Category:American female adult models]]
[[Category:LGBT models]]
[[Category:American female singers]]
[[Category:American Internet personalities]]
[[Category:American pop singers]]
[[Category:American socialites]]
[[Category:Bisexual musicians]]
[[Category:Internet personalities]]
[[Category:LGBT musicians from the United States]]
[[Category:Participants in American reality television series]]
[[Category:People from Houston, Texas]]
[[Category:People from Los Angeles, California]]
[[Category:Vietnamese Americans]]
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