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Where can a voice
take you? If the singer happens to be Heather Headley, the answer is simply:
anywhere! Blessed with a rare musical ability and a gift for connecting with
an audience, Heather has won countless converts throughout her storied career
as an entertainer. Already a Tony award-winner, Heather now proves herself
a wondrously talented R&B solo artist with her upcoming RCA debut album
This Is Who I Am.
Heather worked
with a host of top producers on the album, including Jimmy Jam & Terry
Lewis (Janet Jackson, Whitney Houston), Dallas Austin (TLC, Toni Braxton),
Shep Crawford (Deborah Cox, Whitney Houston, and Britain's D'Influence (Shola
Ama, Mark Morrison). Along the way, Heather turned these world-class music
makers into true fans, with Dallas Austin saying, "Heather is an exceptional
artist with a beautiful voice... working with her was truly an enlightening
experience," and Jam & Lewis dubbing her "an amazing voice and
talent." On the album, Heather transcended the usual parameters, singing
with a degree of finesse and passion rarely encountered these days. With her
innate gift of song, Heather Headley is certain to captivate R&B for years
to come.
Heather co-wrote
several songs on This Is Who I Am, including the upbeat "Fallin' For
You," "Sunday," and the moving "Sista Girl." Joining
her on the album are such esteemed guest musicians as guitar great Keb Mo'
and Jamaican dancehall master Chuckie Star (who takes a solo turn on the song
"Fallin' For You"). On every track -- ballad and uptempo -- Heather
used one criterion for selecting her songs. "My brain has to connect
with my heart and my voice," she says. "It's a simple test I know
in twelve bars if I can sing the song or not."
For Heather,
who's accustomed to a live crowd, the recording studio posed its own unique
challenges. "It's so meticulous," says the singer. "I would
have to close my eyes and picture an audience." The result is twelve
stunning performances that collectively announce to the world a new star is
born.
Actually, long
before now, Heather Headley impressed everyone around her with star potential.
Growing up the daughter of pastors at the Barataria Church of God in Trinidad,
Heather began competing in performing arts contests at age two, and by age
four was playing concert piano. But she also was steeped in the calypso, soka,
and reggae of the islands as well as the incomparable R&B music of America,
far to the north.
At age 15, Heather
and her family left the islands and moved to Fort Wayne, IN, where her father
secured the pastorship of a local church. Though the culture shock was great
at first, Heather graduated from high school and went on to study Communications
and Musical Theater at Chicago's Northwestern University.
In 1997, Heather
was offered the opportunity to originate the role of Nala, the feisty lioness,
in what would become one of the greatest successes of Broadway History - -
The Lion King. During her run with The Lion King, Disney asked Heather to
audition for a new musical, Aida, the classic story of a Nubian princess,
written by Elton John and Tim Rice. In February 1998, Heather was offered
the title role, for which she won a coveted Tony Award.
Now, the self-proclaimed
"Trinimerican" is eagerly looking forward to the next chapter of
her life "I can't wait to tour," says Heather. "I'll drive
the bus myself!" As for the new album, Heather has the highest of hopes
and the worthiest of ambitions. "I want this to be an album people can
listen to now and ten years from now," says the singer, "something
that can exhilarate people and help them through these uncertain times."
The times may
be uncertain, but music has always had the power to heal and bring joy, especially
in the hands of a brilliant singer like Heather Headley.
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