| Yahzarah | |
|---|---|
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Dana Nicole Williams |
| Also known as | Purple St. James, Yahz |
| Born | June 24, 1980 |
| Origin | Washington D.C., Virginia |
| Genres | R&B, soul, pop, neo-soul, rock |
| Occupations | Singer-songwriter, record producer, music producer |
| Instruments | voice |
| Years active | 1997–present |
| Labels | +F.E. Music, Three Keys Music |
| Associated acts | Phonte, Nicolay, Sy Smith |
Dana Nicole Williams (born June 24, 1980) is an American singer. She is commonly known by her stage name, Yahzarah or Purple St. James.
Yahzarah rose to fame when she became a back-up singer for Erykah Badu in 2000. In 2001, Yahzarah signed to Keo Music Records released her first album, Hear Me. In 2002, Yahzarah signed a recording contract with Three Keys Music and released her second album, Blackstar, in September 2003. The album featured the singles "Wishing", "Blackstar", and "One Day". In 2004, Williams left Three Keys Music and joined the Foreign Exchange Music. In 2004, Yahzarah left Three Keys Music and join The Foreign Exchange. In 2008, she released her extended play, The Prelude.
In January 2010, Yahzarah released her single "Why Dontcha Call Me No More" followed by her third album, The Ballad of Purple St. James in May 2010.
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Dana Williams was born and raised in Washington D.C.. Yahzarah started singing at the age of 7 in her church choir. Her love for music began after winning a local youth talent search at the Kennedy Center at the age of 10. After years of honing her talent in churches, talent shows, and local concerts, she entered high school at Washington D.C.'s Duke Ellington School of the Arts. After graduating in 1997, she attended North Carolina Central University in Durham, North Carolina, where she received a full scholarship in the school's jazz program.[1]
In 1999, Williams recorded a few songs and toured with her band "Dirty Sol". In 2000, Yahzarah received her break into the recording industry by singing back-up vocals for Erykah Badu. Yahzarah also appeared in Badu's Bag Lady music video. Later in 2000, Yahzarah toured with Erykah Badu as the opening act for Badu's "Mama's Gun Tour".
In 2000, Yahzarah signed to Keo Music Records and began recording her first album. In early 2001, Yahzarah released her first single "Feel Me". In 2001, Yahzarah released her first album, Hear Me.[2] The album also spawned the singles "Love Is You" and "Natural".
In 2002, Yahzarah signed a recording contract with Three Keys Music and began recording sessions for her second album. In August 2003, Yahzarah released "Wishing" as the lead single for her second album. In September 2003, Yahzarah released her second album, Blackstar, and began her "Blackstar Tour". Later that year, Yahzarah returned to her hometown Washington D.C. to perform at the Black Luv Festival. In November 2003, she released the title-track "Blackstar" as the second single. In 2004, she released "One Day" as the third single. Later that year, Yahzarah left Three Keys Music and signed to The Foreign Exchange Music.
In 2005, Yahzarah was featured on Foreign Exchange's Connected album. The song "Sincere" which featured long-time friend Phonte was chosen as the single for the album. In 2008, Yahzarah released an extended play, entitled "The Prelude". She toured with Chaka Khan, Musiq Soulchild, The Roots, and R. Kelly to promote her EP. Yahzarah later appeared the Little Brother album The Minstrel Show.[3] Later that year, YahZarah was the featured artist opener on the Anthony Hamilton "Playing it Cool Tour" which was featured at the House of Blues. She is also featured the album Leave It All Behind by The Foreign Exchange.
In 2009, Yahzarah was elected to the "Board of Governors" for the Washington D.C. Chapter of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS) and still currently holds that post. Later that year, Yahzarah performed at the invitation of the Republic of Italy for the inauguration of Barack Obama.
In 2009, Yahzarah began recording sessions for her third album previously title, Introducing Purple St. James, later re-titled The Ballad of Purple St. James. In mid-2009, Yahzarah announced the album title "Introducing Purple St. James" along with the expected release date in the fall of 2009, which was later pushed back to May 2010. She continued to promote her upcoming album by touring. In July 2009, she toured with Conya Doss, Sy Smith, and Maya Azucena where she hosted the Soulsista Tour where she also tributed to Michael Jackson. In late 2009, Yahzarah reunited with long-time friend "Natalie "The Floacist" Stewart" to perform "Butterflies" in tribute to Michael Jackson.
In January 2010, Yahzarah released her buzz single "The Tickler". In March 2010, Yahzarah released the lead single "Why Dontcha Call Me No More". In May 2010, she released her third album, The Ballad of Purple St. James. A music video for her single "Why Dontcha Call Me No More" was released May 19, 2010. In mid-2010, Yahzarah began the "Purple Saint James Tour" along with The Foreign Exchange. In September 2010, Yahzarah released the second single "Cry Over You" along a music video. On September 18, 2010, Yahzarah announced that she will be touring with The Roots and Q-Tip on the 2010 Hennesy Artistry Tour.[4]
Yahzarah is a high-pitched soprano with a whistle register as demonstrated in her songs "Dedicated to You" (from The Ballad of Purple St. James) and "Bury It" (from Blackstar). Yahzarah is also noted for her ability to sing in the whistle register, displayed on tracks such as "Baby" (from Blackstar) and a rendition of "My Funny Valentine" on jazz pianist Marcus Johnson’s In Person - Live at Blues Alley.
Williams has been influenced by singers such as Prince, Stevie Wonder, and Erykah Badu. Although Yahzarah has done many R&B influenced songs, her primary musical style is heavily influenced by elements of electronic soul and pop music. Williams has also influenced musical artists such as Sy Smith, The Floacist, and other well-known singers.
On July 28, 2011, Williams gave birth to her first son, Miles. He weighed 6 lbs and 5 ounces.
These are the awards and nominations received by American R&B singer Yahzarah.
| Year | Category | Nominated Work | Result | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Soultracks [5][6] | |||||
| 2009 | Female Vocalist of the Year | Nominated | |||
| 2010 | Independent Album of the Year | "The Ballad of Purple St. James" | Nominated | ||
| 2010 | Song of the Year | "Why Dontcha Call Me No More" | Nominated | ||
| 2010 | Female Vocalist of the Year | Won | |||