 New York is definitely one hell of a town. That is why Talia Robinson moved away from her strict, traditional African-American Baptist family in Georgia the day after her eighteenth birthday and moved to New York City in hopes of becoming a famous singer. Everybody knew she was talented, but wanted to shield her from the negative side of fame that not many know about. After settling into a two between apartment with three other girls who also moved to New York in hopes of hitting it big, Talia began performing small gigs such as wedding receptions for acquaintances, bars, and jazz clubs.
It was about two-years after having mediocre success, luck seemed to change when Talia met twenty-five year old Easy E, also known as Emiliano Hamilton. Emiliano Hamilton was making a name for himself in New York in the music industry by managing up-coming artists and helping them reach their dreams of becoming famous and dreamt of owning his own record label. Coming from an English and Peruvian background, Edward was always surrounded by music; whether it was the classic sounds of the opera or the steady beats and rhythms of Latin music. One night, Emiliano ventured into the Golden Crest jazz night club and watched Talia perform. From that moment on, he knew she could make something of her.
After finishing her set, Emiliano approached Talia and spent nearly two hours talking with her and pitching out his ideas, feeling a naïve Talia’s head with stars and dreams. She quickly agreed, thinking this was her big break. For two years, the duo worked closely together to promote Talia. Starting out slowly by performing at jazz clubs within the city as well as out of state. Emiliano took Talia to industry parties, introducing her to the right people where she began getting more recognition for her work.
One night, after a long day of work, Talia and Emiliano went out for drinks to celebrate Talia’s upcoming tour as an opening act. After having a few drinks, Emiliano escorted her home, but never left until the next morning. Emiliano and Talia discussed the situation and agreed it’d be best if they keep business separated from pleasure. Emiliano allowed Talia the opportunity to choose what she wanted, and she chose business, still seeing her name in the bright lights of Times Square. Over a month later, Talia found out she was pregnant with Emiliano’s baby. Emiliano suggested that Talia took the time off from performing so she could watch her health, but she insisted that she felt fine. Throughout the pregnancy, Talia was on stage blowing the audience away.
On June 21, 1983 in New York’s General Hospital, Mylan Reiki Hamilton was born. Both parents were overwhelmed with joy and wanted nothing but the best for their daughter. Though, neither Emiliano nor Talia had gotten into a relationship, Emiliano had suggested that it’d be best for their daughter’s sake, but Talia still had her reservations about getting involved with a man who she looked to as her boss, and turned the offers down. Mylan was always surrounded by music. Staying backstage with her father while Talia sang her heart out, or playing in her play pin while her father played the piano and Talia sang knew songs she had written.
Just before Mylan’s second birthday, Talia was presented with the opportunity to sign with a record contract and record her own album. The issue was that she had to fly out to Europe to begin the recording process. Talia brought it up with Emiliano, and he told her he couldn’t drop everything he was doing since his own label was on the brink of breaking ground. Also, he didn’t think the move would be good for Mylan either and told Talia to reconsider until Mylan was older. Talia agreed to think on the idea, but never said how long she’d wait. Thoughts kept going back to Talia’s mind; the idea of her own record playing in every radio station, having her own concerts, and being the starlette she always dreamed of. Before the sun came up on Mylan’s second birthday, a frantic Talia took Mylan to Emiliano’s apartment with a couple of suitcases, telling him that she had to leave due to a family emergency. Emiliano suggested he go with her, but she quickly denied him, stating she’d be back in a couple of days. Unfortunately, that was the last time in several years that Emiliano and Mylan saw Talia.
Being left with full responsibilities of being a parent, Emiliano thought it’d be best that he put his plans for owning his own record label on the backburner and focus on managing entertainers so he could spend more time with his daughter and being the best father he could. Over the years, Mylan saw her mother maybe once or twice a year, received a few phone calls, letters, and packages. That didn’t upset Mylan much because she felt that her father was the only parent she needed because of how he sacrificed so much to make sure she was happy. Mylan wasn’t angry with her mother, but she wished she had more of a female influence on her life.
Now at the age of twenty-three, Mylan has graduated from Barnard College with a Bachelors degree in Music. Being raised around music all of her life, Mylan wanted to utilize some of her talents and make a career out of it. She found herself doing performances at jazz clubs and bars around the city, making herself quite the regular. During the day, she teaches piano and singing lessons at local community centers. Mylan had been approached in the past as to whether she wanted to be a professional singer, but she declined. Deep down, she had a fear that once she got a taste of fame, she’d let it overwhelm her to the point where she deserted her family.
She wanted to make sure she was happy, no matter what. She didn’t need the glitz or glamour to enjoy what she did. She was content with how things were going with her life and never wished for anything different.
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