kreesha turner brings the bounce

Canadian hip-pop phenom Kreesha bounces with “Make It or Break It.”

Growing up in Edmonton, Alberta — Canada’s second-biggest provincial capital (it’s north of Montana, if that helps) — Kreesha Turner was bound to stand out. Her dad’s Canadian, and her mom’s Jamaican-Chinese ... which adds up to a pretty unique look.

As a kid, Kreesha studied dance and listened to lots of different music but never thought she could sing. When she was 15, her folks sent her to live in Jamaica for a year to experience the culture. Music is huge on that island — it’s not just about reggae — and soon Kreesha was singing in a youth choir.

When she returned to Edmonton, she got into the local hip-hop scene and started writing songs. A local radio station called “The Bounce” held a contest, and Kreesha won it with — you guessed it — “Bounce With Me.” Smart!

Her career took off from there, but it didn’t happen overnight. Nelly Furtado’s manager helped her get a record deal, but “Bounce With Me” wasn’t officially released as a radio single till December 2007. It helped that iTunes made it a free single of the week. In late 2008, she released her debut album, “Passion.”

Kreesha’s into lots of musical styles, from Jill Scott, D’Angelo, and Erykah Badu to A Tribe Called Quest, Andre 3000, and Common, all the way to rockers Our Lady Peace and the Foo Fighters. Her jazz icons include pianist Oscar Peterson (a childhood fave) and singers Ella Fitzgerald, Peggy Lee, and Billie Holiday.

She’s huge in Canada, and her songs have been on tons of TV shows and commercials there and in the U.S. Now you can hear her song “Passion” on the new ABC Family show “Make It or Break It,” while Emily chats with the other girls and Lauren is on the beam.

What’s your fave Kreesha song?