Faith Renée Evans
(born June 10, 1973) is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, actress and author. Born in Coral Gables, Florida and raised in Newark, New Jersey, Evans moved to Los Angeles in 1993 for a career in music business. After working as a backing vocalist for Al B. Sure, she became the first female artist to be signed to Sean "Puff Daddy" Combs' Bad Boy Entertainment label in 1994, on which she released three platinum-certified studio albums between the years of 1995 and 2001. In 2003, she left the label to sign with Capitol Records.
Next to her recording career, Evans is widely known as the widow of New York rapper Christopher "The Notorious B.I.G." Wallace, whom she married in 1994, 3 weeks after meeting at a photoshoot. The turbulent marriage led to Evans' involvement in the East Coast-West Coast hip hop feud, dominating the rap scene at the time, and ended with Wallace's murder in a yet-unsolved drive-by shooting in Los Angeles in March 1997. A 1997 tribute single featuring Puff Daddy and 112, entitled "I'll Be Missing You," became Evans' biggest-selling hit to date and won her a Grammy Award in 1998.
Also an avocational actress and writer, Evans made her big screen debut in the 2000 musical drama Turn It Up
by Robert Adetuyi. Her self-written autobiography Keep the Faith: A Memoir
was released by Grand Central Publishing in 2008.
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FAITH EVANS TICKETS
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Biography
Early life
Evans was born in
Coral Gables, Florida in June 1973 to an
African-American mother, Helene Evans, a professional singer.
[1] Her father, Richard Swain, was a musician who left before Evans was born (Evans has said "I've heard people mumble something about him being Italian, but I don't know for sure").
[2] A half year later, 19-year-old Helene returned to
Newark, New Jersey and left Faith with her cousin Johnnie Mae and husband Orvelt Kennedy, the
foster parents of more than 100 children they raised in the time that Faith lived with them.
[3] It was not until a couple of years later, Helene's career floundered and she tried to take Evans back home. Faith, however, was scared to leave what she'd "been used to," and instead, Helene moved in next door.
Raised in a
Christian home, Evans began singing at church at age two, and at age four, she caught the attention of the congregation of the
Emmanuel Baptist Church in
Newark when she sang
The 5th Dimension's song "
Let the Sunshine In."
[4] While attending
University High School in Newark, she sang with several
jazz bands and, encouraged by Helene, entered outside pageants, festivals and contests, where her voice would be noticed and praised. "I was raised in a very, very Christian home", Evans told i-D magazine in a 1998 interview. "It was church, school, church, school. I could hardly go to the corner of my block. It was strict."
After graduating from High School in 1991, Evans attended
Fordham University in
New York City to study
marketing but dropped out a year later to have daughter Chyna with
music producer Kiyamma Griffin.
A couple of months later she moved to
Los Angeles, where she worked as a
backup vocalist for singer
Al B. Sure, when she caught the ear of musician
Sean "Puff Daddy" Combs. Impressed with her persona, Combs signed her as the label's first female artist to his
Bad Boy Entertainment in 1994.
[5]
Recording career
1995—2000
Newly signed to Bad Boy, Evans was consulted by
executive producer Combs to contribute backing vocals and writing skills to
Mary J. Blige's
My Life
(1994) and
Usher's self-titled debut album (1994) prior to starting work on her debut record
Faith
.
[6] Released on
August 29, 1995 in
North America, the album saw her primarily collaborating with Bad Boy's main producers
The Hitmen, including
Chucky Thompson and Combs, but also spwaned recordings with
Poke & Tone and Herb Middleton.
Faith
became a hit based on the singles "You Used To Love Me" and "Soon as I Get Home". The album was certified
platinum with over a million copies sold, according to
RIAA.
[7]
Following Biggie's murder in March 1997, Puff Daddy helped get Evans out of her gloom to record a tribute song titled "
I'll Be Missing You". The song, which featured Puffy, Evans, and
Bad Boy Records group
112, reached the top spot on the
Billboard Hot 100 singles chart in 1997 and stayed there for eleven weeks. The song won Puffy and Evans a
Grammy Award for Best Rap Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group.
After marrying Todd Russaw and having a third child, named Joshua, Evans released her long-awaited follow-up,
Keep the Faith
in 1998. Unlike the solemn approach to her first album, this album spoke of optimism, good times, and love. Among its biggest hits include the
Chic-sampled track "Love Like This" (#7 US), the P. Diddy helmed "All Night Long" (#9 US), and
Babyface lent her a number-one R&B hit song with "
Never Gonna Let You Go". Outside of her own albums, Evans found another hit that year with
Whitney Houston and
Kelly Price on the song "Heartbreak Hotel". That album went certified Platinum as of July 1999.
2001—2005
Evans released her third album, 2001's
Faithfully
, which included the hit singles "You Gets No Love" (#8 R&B) and "I Love You" (#2 R&B). For the album's promotion, Evans went through a transformation in her physical appearance. Always a slightly full figured woman, Evans shed over fifty pounds and presented a sexier image that was present for the videos to "I Love You" and "Burnin' Up".
Fatman Scoop also sampled her vocals on the song "Be Faithful" in 2003, which reached number one in the
UK. Although the album wasn't as largely promoted as her first two, it was a moderate success. The album was certified platinum in January 2002, with over 1 million units sold.
In 2004, Evans and her husband Todd Russaw made negative headlines in January 2004 when they were arrested due to drug possession, driving under the influence, and improper vehicle tags.
[8] The couple was fined, sentenced to three years'
probation; and ordered to attend rehab for 13 weeks.
[9] [10] [11] Evans later incorporated this ordeal into the lyrics of "Again", the first single released from the album
The First Lady
.
Evans rebounded with a record that many of her fans have proclaimed as her strongest record to date,
The First Lady
(released on April 5, 2005) her Capitol record debut album. After finding success with her
Twista collaboration, "Hope", Evans released her first song of new material in three years with "Again", a biographical account of her life struggles (its second verse mentioned the 2004 drug incident). Faith recorded "Say A Prayer" with gospel music star
Donald Lawrence on his "I Speak Life" album in 2004.
The First Lady
came out commemorating her tenth anniversary in the industry and her first record on
Capitol Records after leaving Bad Boy in 2003. With the help of "Again" reaching the top ten of Billboard's
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart, and appearances on
David Letterman,
BET,
Later... with Jools Holland and
MTV the album entered the
Billboard 200 at number two with 160,000 copies sold in its first week, marking the largest first-week total of her career.
The First Lady
was RIAA certified Gold selling over 600,000 copies to date. The second single, "Mesmerized", saw Faith going with a 70's retro-funk soul vibe. The track failed to crack top fifty R&B despite numerous remixes; however a dance remix by the
Freemasons went on to hit number one on the Billboard
Hot Dance Club Play chart.
At the end of 2005, Evans released her fifth studio album,
A Faithful Christmas
, a Christmas collection of new material and covers of seasonal classics. She also made lots of appearances on holiday TV programming. In early 2006, Faith Evans' third single, "Tru Love" (produced by
Jermaine Dupri and
Bryan Michael Cox), gradually gained ground on urban/urban AC radio without any assistance from her label since they never promoted (sent to radio) or had a video for "Tru Love", becoming her twelfth solo R&B hit (Top 30).
Also in 2005, Evans appeared along with
Jessi Colter and Cece White as a feature vocalist on the
Shooter Jennings song "Southern Comfort" from the album "
Put the O Back in Country
".
Personal life
Prior to Faith Evans meeting and having a relationship with The Notorious B.I.G. she was involved in a relationship with Kiyamma Griffin. She and Griffin had a daughter named Chyna, who was born April 1, 1993. Evans then married
The Notorious B.I.G. (Christopher Wallace) on August 4, 1994.
[12] The marriage was turbulent as B.I.G. reportedly had affairs with
Lil Kim and
Charli Baltimore. But the two did reunite and their son Christopher Wallace, Jr., (who plays his father ages 10–13 in the 2009 biopic
Notorious
), was born on October 29, 1996; five months later, Wallace was murdered in a California drive-by shooting. The case, as of 2009, still remains unsolved. In summer 1997 the
Bad Boy Records tribute to Wallace "
I'll Be Missing You" dominated charts worldwide. In February 1998 Evans, Combs, and
112 won a
Grammy award for their work on the recording.
In late 1997 Evans became pregnant by Todd Russaw. Her son Joshua was born June 10, 1998. In the summer of 1998 Faith and Todd married.
[13] On March 22, 2007 they had their second son Ryder Evan Russaw.
In Faith Evans' autobiography, Keep the Faith: A Memoir, she states "Biggie and I had known each other for barely two months. And we were now married. I don't know where the legend of us getting married after nine days comes from. Granted, two months isn't a long time, either. But unlike what's been printed so many times, we didn't get married nine days after we met."
Autobiography
Evans released her biographic book called
Keep the Faith: A Memoir
on August 29, 2008. It detailed the highs and lows of the singer's life, but also shed light on Evans' controversial relationship with her late husband, the Notorious B.I.G. "I want people to understand that although he was a large part of my life, my story doesn't actually begin or end with Big's death. My journey has been complicated on many levels. And since I am always linked to Big, there are a lot of misconceptions about who I really am. It's not easy putting your life out there for the masses. But I've decided I'll tell my own story. For Big. For my children. And for myself."
[14]
Discography
- 1995: Faith
- 1998: Keep the Faith
- 2001: Faithfully
- 2005: The First Lady
- 2005: A faithful Christmas
Awards and nominations
- Grammy Awards
- *2003, Best Contemporary R&B Album: Faithfully
(nominated)
- *2002, Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group: "Can't Believe" (nominated)
- *2000, Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group: Heartbreak Hotel
(nominated)
- *1999, Best Female R&B Vocal Performance: "Love Like This Before" (nominated)
- *1998, Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group: I'll Be Missing You
(Won
)
- BET Awards
- *2002, Best Female R&B Artist (nominated)
- Lady of Soul Awards
- *2000, Outstanding Music Video: "Love Is Blind" (nominated)
- *1996, Best Female R&B/Soul Album: Faith
- *1996, Best R&B/Soul or Rap New Artist: "You Used to Love Me"
- MTV Video Music Awards
- *2000, Best Rap Video: "Love Is Blind" (nominated)
- *1999, Best R&B Video: "Heartbreak Hotel"
- *1997, Best R&B Video: "I'll Be Missing You"
- *1997, Viewer's Choice: "I'll Be Missing You" (nominated)
- Soul Train Awards
- *2006, Best Female R&B/Soul Album: The First Lady (nominated)
- *1998, Outstanding Music Video: "I'll Be Missing You"
Singles History
Year
| Title
| Chart positions
| Album
|
U.S.
| U.S. R&B
| UK
| NZ
| AUS
| NL
|
1995
| "You Used to Love Me"
| 24
| 4
| 42
| —
| —
| —
| Faith
|
"Soon As I Get Home"
| 21
| 3
| —
| —
| —
| —
|
1996
| "Ain't Nobody"
| 67
| 14
| —
| —
| —
| —
|
"Come Over"
| —
| 56
| —
| —
| —
| —
|
1997
| "I'll Be Missing You" (with Puff Daddy)
| 1
| 1
| 1
| 1
| 1
| 1
| No Way Out
|
1998
| "Love Like This"
| 7
| 2
| 24
| 33
| —
| 79
| Keep the Faith
|
1999
| "All Night Long" (featuring Puff Daddy)
| 9
| 3
| 23
| 29
| —
| 78
|
"Never Gonna Let You Go"
| 17
| 1
| —
| —
| —
| —
|
"Lately I"
| —
| 78
| —
| —
| —
| —
|
2001
| "Good Life (Remix)" (featuring Ja Rule & Vita)
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| The Fast and the Furious
soundtrack
|
"Can't Believe" (featuring Carl Thomas)
| 56
| 14
| —
| —
| —
| —
| Faithfully
|
"You Gets No Love"
| 38
| 8
| —
| —
| —
| —
|
2002
| "I Love You"
| 14
| 2
| —
| —
| —
| —
|
"Burnin' Up" (featuring Missy Elliott)
| 60
| 19
| —
| —
| —
| —
|
"Alone in This World"
| —
| 73
| —
| —
| —
| —
|
2005
| "Again"
| 47
| 7
| 12
| —
| 49
| —
| The First Lady
|
"Mesmerized"
| 111
| 56
| 48
| —
| 41
| 12
|
2006
| "Tru Love"
| —
| 27
| —
| —
| —
| —
|
As featured performer
Year
| Title
| Chart positions
| Album
|
U.S.
| U.S. R&B
| U.S. Dance
| UK
|
1995
| "One More Chance" (The Notorious B.I.G. featuring Faith Evans)
| 2
| 1
| 1
| 34
| Ready to Die
|
1996
| "How Can We Stop" (Horace Brown featuring Faith Evans)
| —
| 77
| —
| —
| Horace Brown
|
"Stressed Out" (A Tribe Called Quest featuring Faith Evans & Consequence)
| 108
| 56
| 3
| —
| Beats, Rhymes and Life
|
"You Could Be My Boo" (Almighty RSO featuring Faith Evans)
| 104
| 49
| —
| —
| Doomsday: Forever RSO
|
1998
| "Heartbreak Hotel" (Whitney Houston featuring Faith Evans & Kelly Price)
| 2
| 1
| 1
| 25
| My Love Is Your Love
|
"How's It Goin' Down" (DMX featuring Faith Evans)
| 70
| 19
| —
| —
| It's Dark and Hell Is Hot
|
1999
| "Georgy Porgy" (Eric Benet featuring Faith Evans)
| 16
| 15
| 6
| —
| A Day in the Life
|
2000
| "Love Is Blind" (Eve featuring Faith Evans)
| 34
| 11
| —
| —
| Let There Be Eve... Ruff Ryder's First Lady
|
2002
| "Ma, I Don't Love Her" (Clipse featuring Faith Evans)
| 86
| 40
| —
| 38
| Lord Willin'
|
"Brown Sugar (Extra Sweet)" (Mos Def featuring Faith Evans)
| —
| 95
| —
| —
| Brown Sugar
soundtrack
|
"Relax Your Mind" (Boyz II Men featuring Faith Evans)
| —
| 52
| —
| —
| Full Circle
|
"I Miss You" (DMX featuring Faith Evans)
| 86
| 37
| —
| —
| The Great Depression
|
2003
| "Someday" (Scarface featuring Faith Evans)
| —
| 60
| —
| —
| The Fix
|
2005
| "Hope" (Twista featuring Faith Evans)
| 31
| 24
| —
| 25
| Coach Carter
soundtrack
|
2007
| "Got 2 Be Down" (Robin Thicke featuring Faith Evans)
| —
| 60
| —
| —
| The Evolution of Robin Thicke
|
2009
| "Letter to B.I.G." (Jadakiss featuring Faith Evans)
| —
| 125
| —
| —
| The Last Kiss
|
2009
| "Can't Last A Day" (Teena Marie featuring Faith Evans)
| —
| 47
| —
| —
| Congo Square
|
Filmography
- Turn It Up
(2000)
- The Fighting Temptations
(2003)
References
- Rap's first lady
- Keep the Faith: A Memoir
- Faith Evans Tells How She Balances Motherhood and Music
- "Faith's healing - Faith Evans, singer, mother and widow of rapper Notorious B.I.G - Cover Story - Interview", ''Essence'', December 1997. Accessed July 10, 2007.
- Mrs. B.I.G.
- Full Biography
- Sean Combs earns platinum, gold
- http://www.cnn.com/2004/SHOWBIZ/Music/01/28/faith.evans.arrest/index.html ''CNN.com''
- http://music.yahoo.com/read/news/12175567 ''Music.yahoo.com''
- http://music.yahoo.com/read/news/12057347 ''Music.yahoo.com''
- http://music.yahoo.com/read/news/12176996 ''Music.yahoo.com''
- Kevin Chappell (April 1999). After Biggie: Faith Evans has a new love, a new baby, a new career - singer. ''Ebony''. Accessed 2008-10-15.
- Essence Mag cover interview
- Barnes & Noble synposis.