Heather Headley
(born October 5, 1974) is a Trinidadian R&B and soul singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. She has won one Tony Award and received two Grammy Award nominations.
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HEATHER HEADLEY TICKETS
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Biography
At age four, Headley began playing the music of her native Trinidad, including
calypso,
reggae, and
soca. In 1989 she moved to
Fort Wayne, Indiana in the
United States at the age of fifteen with her mother Hannah and brother Junior, when her father was offered a job as
pastor of McKee Street Church of God.
Headly attended
Northrop High School, and was a member of their resident show choir,
Charisma. 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 September 6, 2003, Headley married
Brian Musso, formerly of the
New York Jets. Both attended Northwestern University.
[1]
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. In
1999, she appeared in the
Encores! production of
Do Re Mi
, with
Nathan Lane,
Randy Graff, and
Brian Stokes Mitchell. She also starred in a concert version of the musical
Dreamgirls
alongside fellow Tony Award winners
Audra McDonald and
Lillias White.
In the autumn of
2006, Heather performed
Hal David and
Burt Bacharach's song "I'll Never Fall In Love Again", from the
1968 musical Promises, Promises
for "The
Kennedy Center Presents: The 2006
Mark Twain Prize," honoring
playwright Neil Simon. The ceremony was later broadcast on
PBS.
On 5 July 2007 Headley did a guest appearance for
Andrea Bocelli's
Vivere Live in Tuscany concert in
Lajatico,
Italy. They performed
Vivo Per Lei and
The Prayer. Headley sang "
My Country, 'Tis of Thee" (also known as "America") with
Josh Groban on January 18, 2009 during the
We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration at the Lincoln Memorial.
[2] On March 12, 2009, Headley sang, "I Wish" on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.
Music
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. The work on this album 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 .
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".
In 2009, Heather Headley, along with
Al Green, released a version of the song
People Get Ready on the compilation album
Oh Happy Day: An All-Star Music Celebration.
[3]
Discography
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
|
2009
| Audience of One
| #27
| #6
|
Singles
Year
| Song
| US Hot 100
| US R&B
| US Dance
| US Gospel
| Hot Adult R&B
| Hot R&B Recurrents
| Album
|
2002
| "He Is"
| 90
| 38
| 4
| -
| -
| 2
| This Is Who I Am
|
2003
| "I Wish I Wasn't"
| 55
| 15
| 5
| -
| -
| 5
| This Is Who I Am
|
2005
| "In My Mind"
| 75
| 16
| 1
| -
| -
| 4
| In My Mind
|
2006
| "Me Time"
| -
| 35
| -
| -
| 5
| 4
| In My Mind
|
2008
| "Jesus Is Love"
| -
| 90
| -
| 10
| 29
| -
| Audience of One
|
Other
Name of the Song
| Year
| Album
|
Can You Feel the Love Tonight
| 1997
| The Lion King on Broadway Cast Recording
|
Shadowland
| 1997
| The Lion King on Broadway Cast Recording
|
The Madness of King Scar
| 1997
| The Lion King on Broadway Cast Recording
|
Love Will Find a Way
| 1998
| Return to Pride Rock
|
People Get Ready (with Al Green)
| 2009
| Oh Happy Day
|
Awards
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
|
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
|
References
- http://www.parade.com/articles/editions/2004/edition_01-25-2004/in_step_with_0
- Gans, Andrew." 'Obama Inauguration Celebration', with Beyonce, Headley, Usher, Latifah, Broadcast Jan. 18",playbill.com, January 18, 2009
- Jon Bon Jovi, Queen Latifah go gospel for "Day"