Heather Headley
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| Heather Headley | |
|---|---|
| Born | October 5, 1974 Barataria, Trinidad and Tobago |
| Genre(s) | R&B, soul |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, songwriter, record producer, actress |
| Voice type(s) | Mezzo-soprano |
| Years active | 1997–present |
| Label(s) | RCA |
| Website | www.heatherheadley.com |
Heather Headley (born October 5, 1974) is a Trinidadian R&B and soul singer, songwriter, record producers, and actress. She has won one Tony Award and received two Grammy Award nominations.
Contents |
[edit] Biography
At age four, Headley began playing the music of her native Trinidad, including calypso, reggae, and soca.[citation needed] In 1989 she moved to Fort Wayne, Indiana in the United States at the age of fifteen with her mom Hannah and brother Junior, when her father was offered a job as pastor of McKee Street Church of God (Anderson).
After graduating from Northrop High School, Headley attended Northwestern University to study communications and musical theatre until the last day of her junior year, when she made the difficult decision to become a part of the musical Ragtime and drop out of school.
On 6 September 2003[citation needed], Headley married Brian Musso, formerly of the New York Jets.
[edit] Career
In 1997, she played Nala in The Lion King, the Broadway musical. Headley's performance was well-received and she then originated the title role in the Broadway adaptation of Aida, earning the Tony Award for Best Actress in 2000. She also starred in a concert version of the musical Dreamgirls alongside Audra McDonald.
In the autumn of 2006, Heather sang a rendition of "I'll Never Fall In Love Again", from the musical Promises, Promises. The song was written by Hal David & Burt Bacharach for the play by Neil Simon (1968). The occasion for her performance was "The Kennedy Center Presents: The 2006 Mark Twain Prize", honoring playwright Neil Simon, and was televised on PBS.
[edit] Musical
Headley released her debut album, This Is Who I Am, in October 2002 on RCA Records. Although its first single, "He Is", was not very successful, the second single, "I Wish I Wasn't", achieved moderate success. Headley earned her a Grammy Award nomination for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance and for Best New Artist.
Her second album, In My Mind, was delayed due to the various executive shake-ups associated with RCA parent BMG's merger with Sony. Headley joked that it should have been called Caught Up instead[citation needed].
Under BMG North America chairman/CEO Clive Davis for the first time, Headley released her second album In My Mind in January 2006. The title track "In My Mind" ( produced by India.Arie collaborator Shannon Sanders ) was released as the first single; and its music video was directed by Diane Martel. The song reached number-one on the U.S. Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart. The second single "Me Time" was released to Urban AC outlets only. An album track, "Am I Worth It", served to promote Headley's New March of Dimes Educational Campaign "I Want My 9 Months".
[edit] Discography
[edit] Albums
| Year | Album | US | US R&B |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | This Is Who I Am (Certified: Gold) |
#38 | #14 |
| 2006 | In My Mind (Certified: Gold) |
#5 | #1 |
She also appears on The Lion King Original Broadway Cast Recording CD (released in 1997), most notably singing lead on the track "Shadowland", and on the recordings for Aida. She was called again to another project related to The Lion King; Headley performed the single version of the song "Love Will Find a Way" with Kenny Lattimore for the sequel The Lion King 2: Simba's Pride in 1998.
She has a brief appearance in the 2002 film Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights as a singer of the Rosa Negra. Also, she performs one of the movie's songs, "Represent Cuba".
[edit] Singles
| Year | Song | US Hot 100 | US R&B | US Dance | Album |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | "He Is" | 90 | 38 | 4 | This Is Who I Am |
| 2003 | "I Wish I Wasn't" | 55 | 15 | 5 | This Is Who I Am |
| 2005 | "In My Mind" | 75 | 16 | 1 | In My Mind |
| 2006 | "Me Time" | - | 35 | - | In My Mind |
[edit] Other
| Name of the Song | Year | Album |
|---|---|---|
| Shadow Land | 1998 | The Lion King on Broadway cast recording |
| I Just Can't Wait To Be King | 1994 | The Lion King |
[edit] Awards
[edit] Acting
| Year | Category | Role | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tony Awards | ||||
| 2000 | Best Actress in a Musical | Aida | Won | |
| Sarah Siddons Award | ||||
| 2000 | Sarah Siddons Award | Work in Chicago theatre | Won | |
[edit] Music
| Year | Category | Recording | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grammy Awards | ||||
| 2003 | Best New Artist | N/A | Nominated | |
| 2003 | Best Female R&B Vocal Performance | "I Wish I Wasn't" | Nominated | |
| Billboard Music Awards | ||||
| 2003 | R&B/Hip-Hop New Artist of the Year | N/A | Nominated | |
| NAACP Image Awards | ||||
| 2003 | Outstanding New Artist | N/A | Nominated | |
| 2003 | Outstanding Female Artist | N/A | Nominated | |
| Soul Train Awards | ||||
| 2002 | Best R&B/Soul or Rap New Artist | "He Is" | Nominated | |
| Soul Train Lady of Soul Awards | ||||
| 2003 | R&B/Soul Album of the Year - Solo | "This Is Who I Am" | Won | |
| 2003 | Best R&B/Soul or Rap New Artist - Solo | "He Is" | Won | |
| 2003 | Best R&B/Soul Single - Solo | "He Is" | Nominated | |
| BET J | ||||
| 2006 | Cool Like That Award | N/A | Nominated | |
| Awards | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Bernadette Peters for Annie Get Your Gun |
Tony Award for Best Leading Actress in a Musical 2000 for Aida |
Succeeded by Christine Ebersole for 42nd Street |
