Alisha was born on April 16, 1968 in Brooklyn, New York. At age 8, she began receiving vocal lessons and was coaxed into the music business by her parents, who arranged for studio recording sessions and recitals. At age 14, she joined the rock/dance group The Babysitters in Brooklyn. Her self-titled debut album was released in 1985 on Vanguard Records and included her biggest single to date, “Baby Talk”, which reached No. 1 on the Hot Dance charts in December 1985.