Danielle Fishel

This is an iHeart Podcast.

Guaranteed human.

It's a great true crime story filled with secret society intrigue and murder.

Karen, you just birthed a conspiracy and I'm here for it.

Welcome back to Teen Beat.

I am your host, Danielle Fishel, your guide for a weekly journey into awkward teenage years and embarrassing childhood stories that have somehow teamed up to create a powerhouse influence on who we are today.

Every week, I sit down with interesting people who've done interesting things in hopes of connecting in this commonality, knowing that the stories of our past have shaped our blueprints of today.

And since I shared my youth with millions of TV viewers living in public from 12 to 19 years old, it's time to turn the tables.

I see it like this.

I gave you my childhood.

It's time we hear yours.

And guys, if I had my druthers, this podcast would be about one thing and one thing only.

Something I'm already always talking about.

No, not Boy Meets World, not the finicky nature of the sneakers app, not even my local Topanga Mall.

It would be about late 90s, early 2000s R&B.

I could argue and convince just about anyone willing to listen that this was peak time for the genre, especially when it comes to strong, talented women who are still thriving in the industry.

Mary J. Blige, Aaliyah, Brandy, Missy, Destiny's Child, SWV, Alicia Keys, Ashanti, Monica, TLC, Xscape, En Vogue, Faith Evans, Idina Howard, Khalees.

The list goes on and on.

And my guest this week is a pivotal member of this sorority.

She's a triple threat who, as a child, began her career in dance as a child prodigy of sorts, focusing on ballet, jazz, and tap dance, a style in which she'd study under and later with Crispin Glover.