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{{Infobox musical artist
| Name = Heather Headley
|
![]()
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/3/3b/HeatherHeadley.jpg
| Img_capt =
| Background = solo_singer
| Birth name =
| Born = {{birth date and age|1974|10|5}}
Barataria,
Trinidad and Tobago
| Died =
| Origin =
| Genre =
R&B,
soul,
inspirational,
gospel
| Occupation =
Singer,
songwriter,
record producer,
actress
| Years_active = 1997–present
| Label =
RCA,
EMI Gospel
| URL = [http://www.heatherheadley.com www.heatherheadley.com]
}}
'''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.
==Personal life==
Headley was born in
Barataria,
Trinidad and Tobago, the daughter of Hannah and Eric Headley.
[http://www.filmreference.com/film/84/Heather-Headley.html] At age four, Headley began playing the music of her native Trinidad, including
calypso,
reggae, and
soca.{{Citation needed|date=April 2007}} In 1989 she moved to
Fort Wayne, Indiana in the
United States at the age of fifteen with her mother 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,{{Citation needed|date=April 2007}} Headley married
Brian Musso, formerly of the
New York Jets. Both attended Northwestern University.
[http://www.parade.com/articles/editions/2004/edition_01-25-2004/in_step_with_0]
==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.
[Gans, Andrew.[http://www.playbill.com/news/article/125299.html " 'Obama Inauguration Celebration', with Beyonce, Headley, Usher, Latifah, Broadcast Jan. 18",]playbill.com, January 18, 2009] 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.
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, 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.
[{{cite web|url=http://www.reuters.com/article/musicNews/idUSTRE52Q6WQ20090327|title=Jon Bon Jovi, Queen Latifah go gospel for "Day"|date=March 27, 2009|publisher=Reuters}}]
== Discography ==
=== Albums ===
{| class="wikitable"
!align="left" valign="top" width="40"|Year
!align="left" valign="top"|Album
!align="center" valign="top" width="40"|
US
!align="center" valign="top" width="40"|
US R&B
|-
|align="left" valign="top"|2002
|align="left" valign="top"|''
This Is Who I Am''
(Certified: Gold)
|align="center" valign="top"|#38
|align="center" valign="top"|#14
|-
|align="left" valign="top"|2006
|align="left" valign="top"|''
In My Mind''
(Certified: Gold)
|align="center" valign="top"|#5
|align="center" valign="top"|#1
|-
|align="left" valign="top"|2009
|align="left" valign="top"|''
Audience of One''
|align="center" valign="top"|#27
|align="center" valign="top"|#6
|-
|}
===Singles===
{| class="wikitable"
!align="center" valign="top" width="40"|Year
!align="left" valign="top"|Song
!align="center" valign="top" width="40"|
US Hot 100
!align="center" valign="top" width="40"|US R&B
!align="center" valign="top" width="40"|US Dance
!align="center" valign="top" width="40"|US Gospel
!align="center" valign="top" width="40"|Hot Adult R&B
!align="center" valign="top" width="40"|Hot R&B Recurrents
!align="left" valign="top"|Album
|-
|align="center" valign="top"|2002
|align="left" valign="top"|"He Is"
|align="center" valign="top"|90
|align="center" valign="top"|38
|align="center" valign="top"|4
|align="center" valign="top"|-
|align="center" valign="top"|-
|align="center" valign="top"|2
|align="left" valign="top"|''This Is Who I Am''
|-
|align="center" valign="top"|2003
|align="left" valign="top"|"I Wish I Wasn't"
|align="center" valign="top"|55
|align="center" valign="top"|15
|align="center" valign="top"|5
|align="center" valign="top"|-
|align="center" valign="top"|-
|align="center" valign="top"|5
|align="left" valign="top"|''This Is Who I Am''
|-
|align="center" valign="top"|2005
|align="left" valign="top"|"In My Mind"
|align="center" valign="top"|75
|align="center" valign="top"|16
|align="center" valign="top"|1
|align="center" valign="top"|-
|align="center" valign="top"|-
|align="center" valign="top"|4
|align="left" valign="top"|''In My Mind''
|-
|align="center" valign="top"|2006
|align="left" valign="top"|"Me Time"
|align="center" valign="top"|-
|align="center" valign="top"|35
|align="center" valign="top"|-
|align="center" valign="top"|-
|align="center" valign="top"|5
|align="center" valign="top"|4
|align="left" valign="top"|''In My Mind''
|-
|align="center" valign="top"|2008
|align="left" valign="top"|"Jesus Is Love"
|align="center" valign="top"|-
|align="center" valign="top"|90
|align="center" valign="top"|-
|align="center" valign="top"|10
|align="center" valign="top"|29
|align="center" valign="top"|-
|align="left" valign="top"|''Audience of One''
|-
|}
==Other==
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! 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===
{| class="wikitable"
|----- bgcolor="#ebf5ff"
!Year
!Category
!Role
!Result
|----- bgcolor="#bfd7ff"
| colspan=5 align=center | '''Tony Awards'''
|-
|2000
|Best Actress in a Musical
|''Aida''
|'''Won'''
|-
|----- bgcolor="#bfd7ff"
| colspan=5 align=center | '''Sarah Siddons Award'''
|-
|2000
|Sarah Siddons Award
|Work in Chicago theatre
|'''Won'''
|-
|-
|}
===Music===
{| class="wikitable"
|----- bgcolor="#ebf5ff"
!Year
!Category
!Recording
!Result
|----- bgcolor="#bfd7ff"
| colspan=5 align=center | '''Grammy Awards'''
|-
|2003
|Best New Artist
|N/A
|Nominated
|-
|2003
|Best Female R&B Vocal Performance
|"I Wish I Wasn't"
|Nominated
|-
|----- bgcolor="#bfd7ff"
| colspan=5 align=center | '''Billboard Music Awards'''
|-
|2003
|R&B/Hip-Hop New Artist of the Year
|N/A
|Nominated
|-
|----- bgcolor="#bfd7ff"
| colspan=5 align=center | '''NAACP Image Awards'''
|-
|2003
|Outstanding New Artist
|N/A
|Nominated
|-
|2003
|Outstanding Female Artist
|N/A
|Nominated
|-
|----- bgcolor="#bfd7ff"
| colspan=5 align=center | '''Soul Train Awards'''
|-
|2002
|Best R&B/Soul or Rap New Artist
|"He Is"
|Nominated
|-
|----- bgcolor="#bfd7ff"
| colspan=5 align=center | '''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
|-
|----- bgcolor="#bfd7ff"
| colspan=5 align=center | '''BET J/Centric'''
|-
|2006
|Cool Like That Award
|N/A
|Nominated
|-
|-
|}
==References==
{{reflist}}
==External links==
* [http://www.heatherheadley.com/ Official website]
*{{imdb |0372186}}
{{TonyAward MusicalLeadActress 1976-2000}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Headley, Heather}}
Category:1974 births
Category:Female singers
Category:Living people
Category:Neo soul singers
Category:Northwestern University alumni
Category:People from Fort Wayne, Indiana
Category:Rhythm and blues singer-songwriters
Category:Soul singers
Category:Tony Award winners
Category:Trinidad and Tobago film actors
Category:Trinidad and Tobago musicians
Category:Trinidad and Tobago people of Black African descent
Category:Trinidad and Tobago record producers
Category:Trinidad and Tobago stage actors
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fr:Heather Headley
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