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Biography

Aliciadine (pronounced ah-lee-shah-deen) is an American Christian/Gospel recording artist. She is the mother of one beautiful daughter, Carolyn Janet(CJ), who is a graduate of Valdosta State University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology. Aliciadine now lives in Gwinnett County. As a singer/songwriter she enjoys writing music for all genres, including her own.

She also is a published author, originally through Publish America, which is now America Star Books, of the book entitled, “Close to Death”, where she writes about her harrowing experience after being diagnosed with one of the most severe cases of Type II Diabetes ever. The book explains how her glucose level was so high, the doctors and technicians thought it was just a blip on the machine. She now enjoys singing,writing,traveling across the country and doing mission work.

Aliciadine does mission work through her Aliciadine Music Ministries, which helps those less fortunate through ministry in music, clothing and food drives and other needed community resource services. She is in the process of developing a non-profit called, “Even Now Community Outreach Incorporated”, which will begin in Gwinnett County, as a model for other counties and across the globe. The goals of “Even Now Community Outreach Incorporated” will be to help the homeless population by providing resources, education and training to develop a whole and healthy individual, capable of making an impact within society. It will also help to empower youth, in getting them on the right track, towards understanding their purpose and plans for their lives. The outreach will also aid in supporting and empowering women and children of abusive crimes (i.e. rape, incest, domestic violence), to help them understand, that they are worthy of the best life has to offer, while providing counseling, education for new skills,training for the job market and finance management skills for the household, as the women become the new breadwinner for their families. The programs for the homeless, youth and women and children of violent crimes will be 24 hours, 7 days a week, with wraparound services, to ensure that the path they have taken after leaving the program, will remain secure.

Aliciadine is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Incorporated, through the Zeta Xi Omega Chapter, in Augusta, Georgia and is now employed full time with Alliant Health Solutions/Georgia Medical Care Foundation as a Medical Records Specialist. She once did part time work as a content writer for Ga Traffic Reports Incorporated. Prior to this, she worked in the field of social services with family and children services in foster care, intake and after hours investigations, with long term care, substance abuse, mental health, forensic patients, troubled youth and discharged veterans, coming home from the wars in Iraq, Afghanistan and other parts of the world. She recently discovered the name Alicia, means truth and now seeks to find the “truth” in everything she does and everyone she meets.

Early Years

Aliciadine Starks (aka Aliciadine) was born in Augusta Georgia on April 17, 1964, at the University Hospital. She was named after her paternal grandmother, Richardine and a maternal aunt Alice. She began playing the piano at the tender age of seven years old under the training of Lydia Porro Milham. As a youngster, she won awards at the Georgia Music Teacher's Association(GMTA) and the Georgia Music Educator's Association(GMEA), even as her first year as a piano student.

Aliciadine was born to now deceased parents, James Lafayette Starks, Jr. and Emma Grant Starks. She has one brother Leonard, who is married to her beautiful sister-in-law Karla and has two children, her birthday buddy niece, Kandace, who has the same birthday as Aliciadine (aka aunty Dine) and her adorable nephew, Jordan. Her father was a musician for Tabernacle Baptist Church for over fifty years and also played the piano for a country club in the Aiken County area. He also played for the Master's Golf Tournament parties each year, for over thirty years. Her mother had a beautiful soprano voice, which she used to sing for choirs within Tabernacle Baptist Church, for over fifty years. Her paternal aunt, Carrie Evelyn Starks, has a Masters in Music from Columbia University and taught music to children, through the Board of Education, in the Richmond County, Georgia and the Dade County, Florida areas, for over thirty years. She also played for opera singers within the Dade County, Florida area. There are also other family members, both alive and deceased, who are and were wonderfully talented musicians and singers who are related to Aliciadine.

As a child, Aliciadine played the piano, at the church where she was baptized at seven years old, Tabernacle Baptist, for the youth Sunday School and sang for the youth choir. She would continue to come back home from college in later years and sing with the combined choir. Aliciadine attended Ursula Collins Elementary, Copeland Middle and T.W. Josey High School, where she played in the stage band and sang for numerous programs at school. It was also during this time, when Aliciadine's mother would take her to programs within the week, to sing for various organizations. While at T.W. Josey High school, Aliciadine was honored to be chosen Homecoming queen, President of the National Honor Society and salutatorian of her graduating class of 1982.

There was a special moment in Aliciadine's life, after she sang a solo at the age of sixteen years old at Tabernacle Baptist church, when a senator's wife, who was visiting the church along with her husband, approached her after the services, to tell her that she had a gift, that she must share with the rest of the world. This would help shape the passion inside of Aliciadine to become a purposeful and powerful singer/songwriter. Following her high school years, Aliciadine attended and graduated from Spelman College in Atlanta, Georgia with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Philosophy. It was here where she made friends for life, who, along with her family, other friends from her adoring neighborhood in Augusta, Georgia, and those within the communities where she has lived over the years, have helped to shape her into the woman she is today.

Recording Career

Aliciadine's recording career began as a professional, following the release of her first single debut in late 2001. Prior to the single release, she met Steve Twyman, who wrote the music for “Even Now” and offered the arrangement for “Child of the King”, and who would help her in determining what kind of artist she would be. She has stated in the past, that Steve, while being like a big brother, has always offered valuable advice, knowledge and wisdom, about the gospel industry and the music business in general. Following the release of her single, Aliciadine's music was featured on the nationally syndicated radio show, Inspirations Across America and played on the radio in over 100 markets, including the West Indies. It was at this time that Vanessa Vaughn became a spearhead in her life, helping Aliciadine to understand the business of the gospel industry, as it relates to the calling God placed on her life. Aliciadine's music has been bought from as far away as Japan, the United Kingdom, South Africa and France, with domestic sales from Kentucky, Florida, New York, North Carolina, Texas, Colorado and of course Georgia. She has appeared on the Babbie Mason show, Bobby Jones, Good Day Atlanta, TBN and other well known shows. She has shared stages with such gospel heavyweights as Pastor Shirley Caesar, Pastor John P Kee, Canton Jones, Shirley Murdock, Dottie Peoples, Pastor William Murphy and others. She was asked to sing “The National Anthem” in front of over twenty thousand screaming Atlanta Braves baseball fans, when Bobby Cox won his 2000th win. In both December of 2006 and December of 2008, Aliciadine was honored to be chosen to sing on the ellipse of the White House lawn, for the annual “Christmas Tree Lighting”, in Washington D.C., as sponsored by the National Parks and Services. It was a magical moment which she was able to share with some of her family members and closest friends. In February 2012, Aliciadine signed a distribution deal with EMI/CMG, partnered with Amen Gospel and is now looking forward to releasing her debut album by the end of the year 2016.

Aliciadine is honored and humbled, by the doors that God has opened for her, in being able to use the gift of song she has been given, since before being birthed in her mother's womb. She understands that only God can open the doors which have been opened for her and that he does it, only after he has broken, molded, shaped and prepared us and only after he sees that we are ready, able and willing to go through them.

Musical Influences

Aliciadine's musical influences are a variety of artists from different genres. Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey, Anita Baker, CeCe Winans, Yolanda Adams, Mary Mary, Gladys Knight and the Pips, Michael Jackson and The Jackson 5, Jeffrey Osbourne, The O'Jays,Charlie Wilson and the Gap Band, Dolly Parton, Barbara Streisand, Celine Dion, Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds, Boyz II Men, Kenny G, James Taylor, Hall and Oates, The Bee Gees, Elton John and others have all paved the pathway for her music. These artists have inspired me along the way and I thank you.