Mz Byrd was born July 16, 1982, in Sacramento, ca, the daughter of an Wade Byrd 
and a vocalist. Mz Byrd, and her one sister and her brother  were forced to live
under the strict rules of their family's faith. The  girls of the Byrd family
were not allowed to wear pants, sandals or  makeup, were not allowed to have
boyfriends, and the children were not  allowed to listen to mainstream music.
That didn't stop them from  listening to music; when their parents were out,
they watched Soul Train  and listened to music. Mz Byrd and her siblings no
longer had to sneak  around to watch television once her parents joined the
United Methodist  Church, which had less strict rules. Watching soul greats such
as Stevie  Wonder and Chaka Khan eventually contributed to Mz Byrd's musical 
style. Doe-eyed Mz Byrd discovered her talent as a member of the church  choir,
which her mother encouraged her to join. Although Mz Byrd knew  she wanted to
pursue a singing career, she received a college education  at Grambling State
University. While studying teaching, Mz Byrd never  gave up music. She took
singing lessons to fulfill her true passion in  life. Remaining true to her love
for music, Mz Byrd  sister get singned  to Dm Records  ". Although the song was
a commercial success, it did  manage to catch the ear of Kenneth "Babyface"
Edmonds and Antonio "L.A.  Reid", of LaFace Records. "The Good Life" was good
enough for Mz Byrd  career, as it led to her record contract with Rangutan
Records