If there’s one thing someone can’t accuse Teairra Mari of, it’s giving up. Mari could’ve easily faded into obvlivion after getting cut from Roc-a-Fella years ago, but the young artist pushed forth and today, she can claim a steady acting career along with a fledgling singing career. Things may not be perfect yet for the Detroit-born singer but her days are looking bright. Next up for Ms. Mari? A guest spot on VH1′s hit show “Love & Hip-Hop.” We caught up with the busy working gal to have her answer some questions we’re quite curious about. Check her responses out below!

My greatest love lesson is… OMG? My famous saying is “Don’t Chase ‘em- Replace ‘em!”

My best trait is…WOW… I never had to narrow that down. That is kind of tough to answer, but if I have to choose, I will say my resilience. I’ve been in the industry since I was 16 and I have learned so many important life lessons that has made me into the woman I am today.

My worst trait is…hands down my memory. I swear I need to take a Ginkba pill! I am TERRIBLE at remembering certain things. It’s pretty bad. However, I am making it a point to change that in 2012.

My favorite three albums of all time are…this is a hard question?! If I had to choose, it would be1. Beyonce- Dangerously in Love, 2. Jodeci- Back to the Future: The Very Best of Jodeci, 3. Sam Cooke- Greatest Hits

If I could live anywhere in the world…Italy. Such a beautiful place with great food!

My happiest time was…my Sweet Sixteen birthday party. Those were happy times in my life in Detroit. I wish I could turn back the clock to re-live an hour of that day….

If I could only wear one designer’s clothes for the rest of my life, it would be.. I never want to limit myself with just one designer’s clothing; each designer creates his/her own beautiful pieces and I am a canvas for wearing great clothes!

My biggest regret is… not telling my grandmother that I love her enough before she died. When you are young, you feel invinceable and that your family is going to be with you forever, so you take advantage of time until something tragic happens which causes you to stop and think about things. I say all that to say make sure you tell your loved one that you love and appreciate them. Tomorrow isn’t promised….

My favorite pair of shoes are…anything Hot with a 6 inch heel! I LOVE a mean shoe. Any Hot, confident lady should have a MEAN shoe game! Men appreciate a woman with mean shoe game, too!

My favorite book is..I LOVE to read! I try and read a new book per month (whether it’s fictional/ biography/suspense.) However my FAVORITE book of all time is “Coldest Winter Ever” by Sista Souljah. The satire in the title says it all.

On the top of my list of qualities for a man is...EXCELLENT HYGIENE! Their is nothing more sexier then a man that smells heavenly! Whew chile!

Ha! And you thought this was going to be a negative story didn’t you? Well it kind of is, but it steers towards the positive. Promise.

I’ve noticed that there are so many people in Hollywood now trying to sing, dance, act and more, when in reality, they have no business doing it. In fact their “talents” could be of better use in some other field. And maybe it’s the hundreds of pounds of makeup their teams throw on them, and the stylists they pay big money to help them keep their wigs on straight, but I always look at the following women and think, while they are not the best at their chosen craft, they’re pretty enough to be successful at something else: modeling. Take a look yourself and see if you agree…

Does sex still sell?

I’m pretty young, but when I think back to the ‘90s, pretty much a huge chunk of my childhood, sex in music and film (but maybe not in literature) was pretty vague, as I’m sure it was for most people growing up before the new millennium. We weren’t hidden like we were living in the ‘50s, but as a child there was still the possibility that you would stay in the dark about what songs “really” meant. Not until you were a teenager did you have that epiphany, during which your ears would finally hear what was “really” being said to you, and only then did it connect to your brain.

But nowadays, everything is explicit. It’s such a risk to ride in a car with your elders listening to the radio because  a commercial about condoms comes on and makes things awkward. And if that doesn’t, there’s always that song about making love faces and taking your panties off, breaking ‘ol girl’s back, and forcing things to fit and on and on. The lack of decorum has desensitized us. What wasn’t explained to kids about “birds” and “bees” by their parents can be taught by the likes of Jeremih. And now it’s easier than ever for my nephew to see offensive things in PG-13 and rated G films. Even Shrek takes it there from time to time. This overexposure has forced artists to borrow even more raunchiness to make you blush, but does sex still sell?

Here are some exclusive shots from Teairra Mari’s video shoot for “Body,” a single from her “Sincerely Yours” EP. Be on the lookout for this video release on February 1st!

Ooooh La La: Sure he doesn’t need to have his shirt lifted up, but with abs like that, no one’s complaining. If you need a little workout inspiration, imagine rubbing your own newly, toned body up against those mocha, vanilla abs! Yum!

It’s hard to bounce back after being a called a bona fide “gold-digger” in the press, but lo and behold she did it!

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