Billboard Artist Of The Day: Lil' Mo Ready To Tell 'true Story'

"Mo is an exceptional artist," says Michelle Murray, Elektra's senior director of marketing. "She's a record company's dream come true -- a songwriter, singer, and rapper all in one."

Mo began her industry career two years ago as a songwriter penning tunes for Timbaland, BLACKstreet, 702, Total, and Changing Faces, among others. Elektra signed her as an artist based on her songwriting skills.

"The songs I write for other people are always the songs I want to keep for myself," says the songwriter. "The ones I write for myself I say, 'I should give that one away. That would sound good with Faith.' But if I wrote a song for Faith, I would want to keep it for myself. I guess it's a mental thing."

Mo first received major exposure as an artist working with Ol' Dirty Bastard on his album "Ni**a Please," on which she covered Billie Holiday's "Good Morning Heartache." She also gained a lot of attention through her appearance on Missy Elliott's hit single "Hot Boyz." Lil' Mo's various cameos were a perfect setup for "Based On A True Story."

"This is a story based on my life," says the singer about the 14-track album. "Each song is a chapter from my life. So there should be a chapter on there that other people can relate to as well."

First single "Ta Da" -- written by Shep Crawford and Montell Jordan (Deborah Cox's "Nobody's Supposed To Be Here") -- finds a fed-up Mo experiencing something many young women face in their relationships-infidelity. "We thought it would be a good lead-up single because this is the point in a lot of females' lives when they claim their independence," says Mo.

"A lot of girls ask, 'Can you pay my bills?' " she continues. "But when you look behind closed doors, there are a lot of girls paying guys' bills, taking care of them, being surrogate mothers. Then the guys disrespect you and have another girl on the side. So you tell your girlfriends, 'I wish he would leave.' But if you had magic, I'm pretty sure you'd make him disappear. You'd call David Copperfield and be like, 'Yo, here's $20. I need a little something erased.' "

Released to radio in April, "Ta Da" will be released commercially June 13. The accompanying video was directed by Dave Myers and serviced to BET, the Box, and regional outlets.

Similarly, "Starstruck" reflects how people have reacted to the singer's recent success and celebrity status. "Although it's directed at a particular person, it's not a dis," says Mo, who wrote 11 of the album's 14 songs. "Some people say, 'Man, if I see a star I'm not going to get gassed.' But then you turn around and they're like, 'Oh my God, is that Missy Elliott?' They act all crazy. So I just had to get that off my chest. It's really a testimony."

Mo's relationship with Elliott stems from being labelmates and having similar musical tastes. The two met when Mo was submitting material for an album by Nicole, Elliott's first artist on her Gold Mind label. Elliott took an interest in Mo's material and contacted her.

"Everybody thinks I'm on Gold Mind, but I'm not," says Mo, who performed with Elliott on last year's Lilith Fair bill. "She and I are just mad cool."

Mo's many talents have also attracted other artists. She's featured on Ideal's current single, "Whatever," which is currently No. 19 on Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart. She also guests on Next's "Wifey," which is No. 17 on the same chart. In addition, she's working on material for labelmate Tamia, Gold Mind newcomer Torrey Carter, Roc-A-Fella artist Rell, and Groove Theory.

The Internet will also play a promotional role. The singer's Elektra-developed site (lilmo.net) features a biography, photos, and three downloadable album tracks. The label also plans to book chats with music sites like 360hiphop.com.

Mo hopes that she has an influence on her fans. "I want girls 16 and up to look at me and say, 'I don't have to be all skinny or have long hair down my back just for people to like me,' " says Mo. "I'm representing for them, for the people who feel they aren't fly enough to get anybody.