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Tila Nguyen (born October 24, 1981 in Singapore), better known as Tila Tequila or simply Tila, is an American glamour model and singer of Vietnamese ancestry who is most notable by her appearances in automotive import magazines and films, as well as her role as the most popular woman in the MySpace community. She currently resides in Los Angeles. Although Nguyen is of Vietnamese descent, her family took refuge from Vietnam shortly before she was born. In the same way they came to Singapore, she and her family later moved to the Alief neighborhood of Houston, where she was raised. During most of her early childhood, her family lived in tattered housing before being admitted to a Buddhist temple. During that time, she spent most of her time in a gated community. When she reached her adolescent years, she was released from the temple. As soon as she entered middle school, Nguyen developed a tomboy attitude, and was known by her classmates as a school bully. Her behavior eventually caused her to be sent to a boarding school for six months before being transferred to another school, where she improved her behavior.

In her first year of high school, she continued her rebellious tomboy attitude, as well as developing a relationship which lasted until her sixteenth birthday. Soon after, Nguyen went through a period of self discovery. Nguyen used her sister's identification card to enter nightclubs which were intended for those ages twenty-one and older, where she began experimenting with drugs as well as engaging in gang violence. In an interview with Import Tuner, Nguyen mentioned how she was trying to find a sense of identity; "I was really confused then, 'cause at first I thought I was black, then I thought I was Hispanic and joined a cholo gang." Later, she met with a group of people who, for a short time, would help turn her life away from those traits. However, jealousy had taken its toll on the group and Nguyen fled to Queens, New York for some time. There, she returned to her previous state of partying and drugs. Once she returned to Texas, she had a three-way relationship with two other girlfriends until she decided she couldn't handle her lifestyle and she began to focus on her studies, as well as obtaining a couple of jobs. Most of Tila's high school years had similar events.

Nguyen realized her life would get worse if she lived in Texas, so she moved to Hollywood to find a better calling. Nguyen's career began when she was spotted at a mall at the age of eighteen by a Playboy scout, and was offered a chance to model for Playboy. She at first declined, but decided to accept after several more offers were made. She has also posed for Playboy's Cyber Girl of the week for March 22, 2002; she became the first Asian Cyber Girl of the Month. Nguyen gained popularity through modeling in the Import Racing Scene. She has been featured on the cover of the magazine Import Tuner, as well as modeling at many car shows, including Hot Import Nights. In the Street Racing Syndicate video game, Nguyen is featured as an unlockable dancer. Nguyen was also a contestant on VH1's Surviving Nugent, a reality TV show where she would do various tasks and stunts for Ted Nugent.

Nguyen was featured as a cover story for the April 2006 of Stuff magazine. In the interview, she mentions how her "Tila Tequila" nickname comes from her friends, when they found out about Nguyen's allergic reactions to alcohol. Nguyen used her modeling as a way for her to put her foot in the door for other career opportunities, since she wanted to show that she was more capable of being an actual artist. At age twenty, she took interest in rock and started looking for bands who were willing to have her join. However, her notability as a Playboy model became an obstacle, but she eventually established a band called Beyond Betty Jean. Through her run with the band, she gained enough skills and confidence to become a serious singer-songwriter. As soon as Beyond Betty Jean separated, Nguyen started working in recording studios to sharpen her vocal skills and write music. Nguyen is now the lead singer of a band called Jealousy, who has been releasing songs on the Internet. Nguyen's band has appeared on MySpace Records' inaugural compilation album, released through MySpace Records/Interscope. In 2006, she appeared again in Stuff magazine as one of its top 100 Sexiest Women Online, as well as being featured in Maxim and Blender. Nguyen also became the host of Fuse TV's dance show, Pants-Off Dance-Off; a competition where contestants strip dance to music videos. A major turn in Nguyen's music career occurred during the April 24, 2006 taping of Total Request Live. In an interview with the TRL VJs, will.i.am announced that Nguyen was signed to the will.i.am Music group, a record label under A&M/Interscope. This marks Tila's first contract with a major record label. Tila was featured in Maxim's Hot 100 (88). Tila has just finished shooting her first video Playgirl Central. Stay tuned for details!!