Heather Headley

Heather Headley (b. Trinidad and Tobago, October 5, 1975 - ) -- Singer. As a young child in Trinidad, Headley was immersed in the national traditions of calypso, soco and reggae. When she was fifteen, her father uprooted the family to Fort Wayne, when he accepted a Pastor position in Anderson. After graduating form Northrop High School, Headley studied communications and Music Theatre at Northwestern, but she dropped out at the end of her junior year to join a production of Ragtime. On Broadway, she played Nala in the Lion King (see "Shadowland" below) and won a Tony Award for Best Actress for her title role in Aida. Her stage experience also includes playing Rachel Marron in a musical adaptation of the movie Bodyguard. Running from November 2012 to August 2013 at London's Delphi Theatre, Bodyguard earned a What's on Stage Award and an Olivier nomination. From May 2016 to January 2017, Headley played Shug in a Broadway run of Color Purple. As an R & B recording artist, she has also received high accolades. For instance, her first two albums went gold, and she was nominated for two Grammys—Best New Female Vocalist and Best Performance—in 2003. Her second album In My Mind (2006) reached #1 on the R & B Billboard charts. Her third effort Audience of One (2009) peaked at #6 on the R & B charts and won her a Grammy for Best Contemporary R & B Gospel Album.