Teedra Shenita Moses was born in New Orleans, Louisiana. Her mother, Shirley Moses, was a gospel singer who performed on the Chitlin' Circuit alongside her own father, a pastor, and introduced young Teedra to gospel, blues, jazz, and zydeco from an early age. After her parents separated, Moses moved to Los Angeles with her mother and three siblings. Before pursuing music professionally, she worked alongside her best friend Nonja McKenzie as an assistant wardrobe stylist for artists including Will Smith, Kelis, R. Kelly, and No Doubt.
It wasn't until after her mother's death that Moses decided to follow her heart into music. In 2003, she co-wrote "Still in Love" for Nivea's self-titled album, and the following year co-wrote Christina Milian's Top Ten pop hit "Dip It Low." That same year, Moses released her debut album, Complex Simplicity, on TVT Records, entirely self-written and executive produced alongside Paul "Pauli" Poli. The album's closing track, "I Think of You (Shirley's Song)," stands as a direct tribute to her late mother.
Moses has gone on to become a Grammy-nominated songwriter and two-time BMI Songwriter of the Year, writing for artists including Nivea, Christina Milian, and Mary J. Blige, and contributing vocals to two songs on Raphael Saadiq's Ray Ray album. Her second full album, Cognac & Conversation, arrived in 2015 on the Shanachie label, entering the R&B/hip-hop chart at #20. In the years since, Moses has continued collaborating widely, appearing on Rick Ross tracks including "Family Ties," "Nobody" (featuring Diddy and French Montana), and "Amsterdam," and notably featuring on Kaytranada's Grammy-winning 2019 album Bubba — a producer who had first built an underground following with his remix of Moses's own song "Be Your Girl." In 2024, Moses returned to Complex Simplicity's title track, updating it two decades later alongside Durand Bernarr.
