Tila Tequila

Template:Infobox musical artist 2 Tila Nguyen (IPA: [tiːˌlɑː ŋwiɜn]) (born October 24, 1981 in Singapore), better known as Tila Tequila or simply Tila, is a Vietnamese American glamour model and singer who is most notable by her appearances in automotive import magazines and films, as well as her impact on the MySpace community. She currently resides in Los Angeles.

Biography

Early years

Although Tila is of Vietnamese descent, her family moved away from Vietnam when she was born. She and her family later moved to the Alief neighborhood of Houston, where she was raised. During most of her early childhood, she lived in a Buddhist temple, spending most of her time in a gated community. When she reached her adolescent years, she was released from the temple. As soon as she entered middle school, Tila developed a tomboy attitude, and was known as a school bully. Her behavior eventually caused her to be sent to a boarding school for six months before being transferred to another school, where she improved her behavior.

In her first year of high school, she continued her rebellious tomboy attitude, as well as developing a relationship which lasted until her sixteenth birthday. Soon after, Tila went through a period of self discovery. Tila used her sister's identification card to enter nightclubs which were intended for those ages twenty-one and older, where she began experimenting with drugs as well as engaging in gang violence. In an interview with Import Tuner, Tila mentioned how she was trying to find a sense of identity; "I was really confused then, 'cause at first I thought I was black, then I thought I was Hispanic and joined a cholo gang." Later, she met with a group of people who, for a short time, would help turn her life away from those traits.

However, jealousy had taken its toll on the group and Tila fled to Queens, New York for a short time. There, she returned to her previous state of partying and drugs. Once she returned to Texas, she had a three-way relationship with two other girlfriends until she decided she couldn't handle her lifestyle and she began to focus on her studies, as well as obtaining a couple of jobs. Most of Tila's high school years had similar events.

Modeling

File:Stuff Magazine Apr 2006.jpg

Tila on the cover of Stuff magazine.

Tila realized her life would only lead to disaster if she lived in Texas, so she moved to Hollywood to find a better calling. Tila's career began when she was spotted at a mall at the age of eighteen by a Playboy scout, and was offered a chance to model for Playboy. She at first declined, but decided to accept after several more offers were made. As a result, she became the first Asian to achieve Playboy's Cyber Girl of the Month title.

Tila gained popularity through modeling in the Import Racing Scene. She has been featured on the cover of the magazine Import Tuner, as well as modeling at many car shows, including Hot Import Nights. In the Street Racing Syndicate video game, Tila is featured as an unlockable dancer . Tila was also a contestant on VH1's Surviving Nugent, a reality TV show where she would do various tasks and stunts for Ted Nugent.

Leanna Scott, a nude model who performed in a pornographic video and who happens to resemble Tila, was being marketed by a number of porn sites as Tila, which started a rumor that Tila had performed in hardcore pornography. Tila publicly announced on her MySpace blog that it was not her in the video.

Tila was featured as a cover story for the April 2006 of Stuff magazine. In the interview, she mentions how her Tila Tequila nickname comes from her friends, when they found out about Tila's allergic reactions to alcohol.

Music career

Tila used her modeling as a way for her to put her foot in the door for other career opportunities, since she wanted to show that she was more capable of being an actual artist. At age twenty, she took interest in rock and started looking for bands who were willing to have her join. However, her notability as a Playboy model became an obstacle, but she eventually established a band called Beyond Betty Jean. Through her run with the band, she gained enough skills and confidence to become a serious singer-songwriter. As soon as Beyond Betty Jean separated, Tila started working in recording studios to sharpen her vocal skills and write music.

Tila is now the lead singer of an Indie rock band called Jealousy, who has been releasing songs on the Internet. Tila's band has appeared on MySpace Records' inaugural compilation album, released through MySpace Records/Interscope.

Selected discography

Below is a partial list of songs which Jealousy has released:

Singles

• 2005 "Straight Up" - MySpace Records Volume 1 Compilation.

Internet downloads

Most of Jealousy's music has been available at one time or another on Tila's MySpace Music profile. This is a partial list of songs which have appeared on her profile.

• "Sex"
• "Electric Bon Bon"
• "No Woman No Cry"
• "Geisha"
• "Playgirl Central"
• "Summer Nightfalls"
• "Straight Up"
• "Fake Friendship"
• "Little Brat"
• "Rat Room"
• "December Skies"
• "Waste My Time"
• "808 Heaven"

The RLLMUK connection

In 2004 Tila was talked into posing for a photograph for members of the UK videgame forum Rllmuk. Member and frequent poster Kerraig UK persuaded her to pose in a parody of the infamous Haribokart Pose; in front of a television displaying the logo for Microsoft's Xbox console.

External links

• Tila Nguyen at IMDb
• Tila's official website
• Tila's Myspace Profile
• Tila's World
• Tila's Fashion
• Tila's Band Site