Sy Smith is an American singer and actress.

Early life and career beginnings

Sy Smith began her career leading a six-person Washington D.C. go-go band called "In Tyme". After graduating from

Howard University Howard University (Howard) is a private, federally chartered historically black research university in Washington, D.C. It is classified among "R2: Doctoral Universities – High research activity" and accredited by the Middle States Commissi ...

with a bachelor's degree of Science in psychology and a minor in music therapy, she moved to Los Angeles, California. She soon charted territory singing backup for Usher,

Eric Benet The given name Eric, Erich, Erikk, Erik, Erick, or Eirik is derived from the Old Norse name ''Eiríkr'' (or ''Eríkr'' in Old East Norse due to monophthongization). The first element, ''ei-'' may be derived from the older Proto-Norse ''* ain ...

, Me'Shell NdegeOcello,

Ginuwine Elgin Baylor Lumpkin (born October 15, 1970), better known by his stage name Ginuwine, is an American R&B singer, songwriter, dancer, and actor. He began his career as a member of Swing Mob in the early 1990s. Signing to Epic Records as a solo ...

Brandy Brandy is a liquor produced by distilling wine. Brandy generally contains 35–60% alcohol by volume (70–120 US proof) and is typically consumed as an after-dinner digestif. Some brandies are aged in wooden casks. Others are coloured with ...

, and spending more than a year on the road with

Whitney Houston Whitney Elizabeth Houston (August 9, 1963 – February 11, 2012) was an American singer and actress. Nicknamed "The Voice", she is one of the bestselling music artists of all time, with sales of over 200 million records worldwide. Houston in ...

. Among it all, Smith made appearances as a regular fixture behind

Vonda Shepard Vonda Shepard (born July 7, 1963) is an American singer, songwriter, music director and actress. She appeared as a regular in the television show '' Ally McBeal'', as a resident performer in the bar where the show's characters drank, danced and c ...

on the

FOX Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush''). Twelve sp ...

TV show '' Ally McBeal''.

Career

1999–2003: ''Psykosoul'' and departure from Hollywood Records

Smith moved to L.A. in 1997 and signed with Disney's label Hollywood Records in 1999. Later that year, she released her first single "Gladly", which charted at number 79 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. In early 2000, Smith released the second single "Good N Strong". In 2001, Smith was dropped from Hollywood Records. In the same year, Smith made a cameo appearance in '' All About You'' as the restaurant singer. She has since written for Santana, sung backup for Whitney Houston and with Vonda Shepard on "Ally McBeal". After talking to the proprietors of a coffee shop in Los Angeles' Leimert Park neighborhood, Smith established B!tchcraft in 2001. The monthly showcase ran for nearly two years. The showcase featured three to four female acts, unsigned and signed singers, and comedians. Between releases, Smith served as a temporary lead session singer for British funk group

The Brand New Heavies The Brand New Heavies is an acid jazz and funk group formed in 1985 in Ealing in west London. Centered around songwriters/multi-instrumentalists Simon Bartholomew and Andrew Levy, the core members of the group since its founding, Brand New He ...

on their album ''We Won't Stop''. In 2001, Smith released a single "Welcome Back (All My Soulmates)", which later received an Emmy nomination for "Outstanding Music and Lyrics". In 2002, she released her extended play ''One Like Me''.

2004–2007: ''The Syberspace Social''

In 2004, Smith received a minor role in ''

The Seat Filler ''The Seat Filler'' is an American romantic comedy musical film produced by Magnolia Home Entertainment, Seat Filler Productions, Shake Martin Films and Strange Fruit Films, which released in 2004. It stars Kelly Rowland, Duane Martin, Mel B, Kyl ...

'' as Fitz (VJ). Smith also signed a recording contract with Kajmere Records and began recording her second album in 2004. Later that year, Smith starred as Rose in the independent film ''Black Rose''. In early 2005, Smith began her own recording company, Psyko! Inc. In early 2005, Smith released a single "Fa'Sho". In September 2005, Smith released her second album, ''The Syberspace Social''. The album featured contributions from R&B singer Anthony Hamilton and producers such as

James Poyser James Jason Poyser is an American songwriter, record producer, musician and current member of the hip hop band The Roots. Poyser has written and produced songs for various legendary and award-winning artists such as Erykah Badu, Mariah Carey, ...

and Victor Duplaix. In December 2005, Smith released a deluxe edition of her first album entitled, '' Psykosoul Plus'', which contained three additional songs. In the same year, she also appeared in the theatre ''If You Don't Believe: A Love Story''. She received a NAACP Theatre Award nomination for Best Supporting Female – Local. Smith, along with Sharlotte Gibson and Kenya Hathaway, were featured backup singers on

American Idol ''American Idol'' is an American singing competition television series created by Simon Fuller, produced by Fremantle North America and 19 Entertainment, and distributed by Fremantle North America. It aired on Fox from June 11, 2002, to Ap ...

. Smith also appeared on ''The Article 3'', a 2006 EP release from bass guitar impresario Me'Shell NdegeOcello in addition to opening for the artist. In mid-2006, Smith recorded a single "Fill in the Blanks", which was featured on the Airpushers' ''Themes for the Ordinarily Strange''. In 2006, Smith released a deluxe edition of her second album, ''The Syberspace Social''. The album featured two additional songs. While embarking on her tour in 2006, Sy Smith released her first live DVD ''Sy Smith Live: Worship At The Temple'', recorded live at Temple Bar in

Santa Monica Santa Monica (; Spanish: ''Santa Mónica'') is a city in Los Angeles County, situated along Santa Monica Bay on California's South Coast. Santa Monica's 2020 U.S. Census population was 93,076. Santa Monica is a popular resort town, owing to ...

, California. She also appeared in the theatre ''Body Language'' in the supporting role "Holt". She received a NAACP Theatre Award nomination for Best Supporting Female – Local.

2007–2009: ''Conflict''

In April 2008, Smith released her third studio album, ''

Conflict Conflict may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Conflict'' (1921 film), an American silent film directed by Stuart Paton * ''Conflict'' (1936 film), an American boxing film starring John Wayne * ''Conflict'' (1937 film) ...

'', with " Fly Away With Me" as the lead single. The song "Fly Away With Me" charted at number 38 on the Top 40 Hot Adult R&B Chart. In late 2008, Smith's album ''Conflict'' received an "Album of the Year" nomination from Soultracks. In 2009, she made a guest performance at the Live in Boston show of

Chris Botti Christopher Stephen Botti ( ; born October 12, 1962) is an award-winning American trumpeter and composer. In 2013, Botti won the Grammy Award in the Best Pop Instrumental Album category, for the album ''Impressions''. He was also nominated in ...

where she sang the Burt Bacharach classic " The Look of Love". She also features on the DVD release of this concert and is seen in his tour in Europe. Sy Smith also serves as the voice role of Aisha in the ''

Saints Row ''Saints Row'' is a series of action-adventure video games created by Volition and published by THQ and Deep Silver. The series follows the 3rd Street Saints, a fictional street gang originally operating out of the Saints Row district, hence ...

'' video game series, recording three tracks as the character for the games' soundtracks.

2010–2011: Syberselects

In April 2010, Smith appeared on ''

The Mo'Nique Show ''The Mo'Nique Show'' is an American talk show hosted by comedian and actress Mo'Nique. Aired on BET, the series began October 5, 2009. The show's second and final season premiered on Monday, October 4, 2010. Overview The show ran all-new episo ...

'' to perform her single " Fly Away With Me" and promote her album ''

''. She later announced that she was planning to release a new project in 2010. In July 2010, Smith went on tour with

Mark de Clive-Lowe Mark de Clive-Lowe (born 16 August 1974) is an American-based Japanese-New Zealand DJ, musician, composer and producer raised in Auckland and now based in Los Angeles, California. Early life Born in Auckland, New Zealand, de Clive-Lowe was r ...

. In mid-August 2010, Smith released a single "Truth" to iTunes. In October 2010, Smith received a Soultrack Readers Choice Award "Song of the Year" nomination for her song "Greatest Weapon of all Time". On October 26, 2010, Smith released her

best of A greatest hits album or best-of album is a type of compilation album that collects popular and commercially successful songs by a particular artist or band. While greatest hits albums are typically supported by the artist, they can also be creat ...

album, ''SyberSelects: A Collection of Sy Smith Favorites''. In December 2010, Smith confirmed in an interview, that she will be doing a jazz album. In January 2011, Sy Smith and Mark de Clive-Lowe recorded a version of

Teena Marie Mary Christine Brockert (March 5, 1956 – December 26, 2010), known professionally as Teena Marie, was an American singer-songwriter, musician, composer, arranger, and producer. She was known by her childhood nickname Tina before taking the sta ...

's 1984 hit "

Lovergirl "Lovergirl" is a song by American singer Teena Marie from her sixth studio album, '' Starchild'' (1984). Written, composed and produced by Marie, the song was released as the lead single from ''Starchild'' in October 1984. It was Marie's first hit ...

" and went on the tour with

The Foreign Exchange The Foreign Exchange is an R&B/ electronica/ hip hop duo consisting of the American rapper/singer Phonte and the Dutch record producer Nicolay. Musical career The pair initially made contact via message boards on Okayplayer.com and soon ...

2011–present: ''Fast and Curious''

In November 2011, Smith began touring with

Sheila E. Sheila Cecilia Escovedo (born December 12, 1957) better known under the stage name Sheila E., is an American percussionist and singer. She began her career in the mid-1970s as a percussionist and singer for The George Duke Band. After leaving t ...

and the E Family. In December 2011, Smith announced her fourth album, ''

Fast and Curious ''Fast and Curious'' is the fourth studio album by American R&B recording artist Sy Smith, released on March 6, 2012 by Psyko! Records. Recording and production In April 2010, Smith confirmed that she was working on a new project and that she h ...

'' to be released on March 6, 2012. In January 2012, Smith and The Decorders released a remake of

Minnie Riperton Minnie Julia Riperton Rudolph (November 8, 1947 – July 12, 1979) was an American singer-songwriter best known for her 1975 single " Lovin' You" and her four octave D3 to F7 coloratura soprano range. She is also widely known for her use ...

's song "Inside My Love". On March 6, 2012, Smith released her fourth studio album ''

''. She regularly appears as a guest soloist on tour dates for trumpeter

. In 2013, she performed regularly as a supporting vocalist for French musical icon

Johnny Hallyday Jean-Philippe Léo Smet (; 15 June 1943 – 5 December 2017), better known by his stage name Johnny Hallyday, was a French rock and roll and pop singer and actor, credited for having brought rock and roll to France. During a career spanning 57 ...

. Smith also re-joined Chris Botti as the featured vocalist for his tour. In September 2015, Smith released a cover version of

Janet Jackson Janet Damita Jo Jackson (born May 16, 1966) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and dancer. She is noted for her innovative, socially conscious and sexually provocative records, as well as elaborate stage shows. Her sound and choreog ...

's "

When I Think of You "When I Think of You" is a song by American singer Janet Jackson from her third studio album, ''Control'' (1986). It was released on July 28, 1986, as the album's third single. Composed by songwriters and record producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Le ...

Personal life

On July 11, 2010, Sy Smith married Shawn Carter Peterson.Sy Smith gets married!
Chris Botti Forum. Retrieved November 5, 2010.

Discography

;Studio albums * '' Psykosoul'' (2000) * ''The Syberspace Social'' (2006) * ''

'' (2008) * ''

'' (2012) * ''Sometimes A Rose Will Grow in Concrete'' (2018)

Filmography

Film/stage

Television

Video games

Awards and nominations

, - , 2001 , "Welcome Back" ,

Primetime Emmy Awards The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the Primetime ...

: Outstanding Music and Lyrics , Sy Smith – Awards
IMDb. Retrieved November 15, 2010. , - , 2005 , ''If You Don't Believe: A Love Story'' ,

NAACP Theatre Awards The NAACP Theatre Awards are a NAACP member voted awards started in 1991 and presented annually by the Beverly Hills-Hollywood branch of the NAACP to honor outstanding people of color in theater. The ceremonies usually take place in the Los Angele ...

: Best Supporting Female – Local , , - , 2006 , ''Body Language'' ,

: Best Supporting Female – Local , , - , rowspan="2", 2008 , ''Conflict'' , Soultracks Reader's Choice Award: Album of the Year , , - , Sy Smith , Soultracks Reader's Choice Award: Female Vocalist of the Year , , - , 2009 , Sy Smith , LA Weekly Music Awards: Best Contemporary Blues/R&B Artist , , - , 2010 , "Greatest Weapon of All Time" , Soultracks Reader's Choice Award: Song of the Year , , - , rowspan="3", 2012 , Sy Smith , Soultracks Reader's Choice Award: Female Vocalist of the Year , , - , ''Fast and Curious'' , Soultracks Reader's Choice Award: Independent Album of the Year , , - , "Nights (Feel Like Gettin' Down)" , Soultracks Reader's Choice Award: Song of the Year ,

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Sy Living people African-American women singer-songwriters African-American record producers American contemporary R&B singers American neo soul singers American women record producers The Brand New Heavies members 21st-century African-American women singers Year of birth missing (living people)