Dana Nicole Amma Williams (born June 24, 1978), is known professionally as YahZarah, is a Ghanaian American singer and music producer. She is known for radio hits "Wishing" and "Why Dontcha Call Me No More". In 1997, she began her career as a background singer for

Erykah Badu Erica Abi Wright (born February 26, 1971), known professionally as Erykah Badu (), is an American singer-songwriter, record producer and actress. Influenced by rhythm and blues, R&B, Soul music, soul, and hip hop, Badu rose to prominence in the ...

. In 2000, Yahzarah signed to Keo Music Records released her first album, ''Hear Me''. In 2002, Yahzarah signed a recording contract with Three Keys Music and released her second album, ''Blackstar'', in September 2003. In 2004, YahZarah left Three Keys Music and join

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 be ...

. After a brief hiatus, Yahzarah returned the music industry. In 2008, she released her extended play, ''The Prelude'', on the +FE Music recording label. In January 2010, Yahzarah released her single "

Why Dontcha Call Me No More "Why Dontcha Call Me No More" is a song by American singer YahZarah, Yahzarah. The song was released in March 2010 as the lead single for her third studio album, ''The Ballad of Purple St. James''. Writing and recording The song was written by Ya ...

" followed by her third album, '' The Ballad of Purple St. James'' in May 2010. Her musical genre has varied throughout her career including R&B, rock, acoustic, soul, jazz, and pop. Her artistic influences include

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over a ...

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 o ...

Prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. Th ...

, and

The Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...

. She has a soprano vocal range with the ability to use the whistle register.

Early life

Dana Williams was born to Ghanaian activist and owner of the "Sporting News" Thomas Kojo OduroKwarten and Beverly Brown and then adopted by her step father Clarence Williams and raised partly in Germany and Washington D.C.. Williams started singing at the age of seven in her church choir. Her love for music began after winning a local youth talent search at the Kennedy Center at the age of ten. After years of honing her talent in churches, talent shows, and local concerts, she entered high school at Washington D.C.'s

Duke Ellington School of the Arts The Duke Ellington School of the Arts (established 1974) is a high school located at 35th Street and R Street, Northwest, Washington, D.C., and dedicated to arts education. One of the high schools of the District of Columbia Public School syste ...

. After graduating in 1998, she attended

North Carolina Central University North Carolina Central University (NCCU or NC Central) is a public historically black university in Durham, North Carolina. Founded by James E. Shepard in affiliation with the Chautauqua movement in 1909, it was supported by private funds from b ...

in Durham, North Carolina, where she received a full scholarship in the school's jazz program.

Musical career

1999–2004: Hear Me and Blackstar

In 1999, Williams recorded a few songs and toured with her band "Dirty Soul". She adopted the named "Yahzarah", as a tribute to her grandmothers Yaa Asantewaa and Sarah. In 2000, Yahzarah received her break into the recording industry by singing back-up vocals for

. Yahzarah also appeared in Badu's

Bag Lady "Bag Lady" is a song recorded by American singer Erykah Badu for her second studio album ''Mama's Gun'' (2000). Written by Badu and Isaac Hayes, the song is about a woman who is trying to begin a new relationship but has too much emotional bag ...

music video. Later in 2000, Yahzarah toured with Erykah Badu as the opening act for Badu's "Mama's Gun Tour". In 2000, Yahzarah signed to Keo Music Records and began recording her first album. In early 2001, Yahzarah released her first single "Feel Me". In 2001, Yahzarah released her first album, ''Hear Me''. The album also spawned the singles "Love Is You" and "Natural". In 2002, YahZarah signed a recording contract with Three Keys Music and began recording sessions for her second album. In August 2003, Yahzarah released "Wishing" as the lead single for her second album. In September 2003, Yahzarah released her second album, ''Blackstar'', and began her "Blackstar Tour". Later that year, Yahzarah returned to her hometown Washington D.C. to perform at the Black Luv Festival. In November 2003, she released the title-track "Blackstar" as the second single. In 2004, she released "One Day" as the third single. Later that year, Yahzarah left Three Keys Music and signed to The Foreign Exchange Music.

2005–2011: The Prelude and Purple St. James

In 2005, YahZarah was featured on Foreign Exchange's ''

Connected Connected may refer to: Film and television * ''Connected'' (2008 film), a Hong Kong remake of the American movie ''Cellular'' * '' Connected: An Autoblogography About Love, Death & Technology'', a 2011 documentary film * ''Connected'' (2015 TV ...

'' album. The song "Sincere" which featured long-time friend

Phonte Phonte Lyshod Coleman, known mononymously as Phonte (born December 28, 1978), is an American rapper, singer, and producer. He is currently of the North Carolina hip-hop trio/duo Little Brother (revived in 2019 without producer 9th Wonder) and ...

was chosen as the single for the album. In 2008, Yahzarah released an extended play, entitled "The Prelude". She toured with

Chaka Khan Yvette Marie Stevens (born March 23, 1953), better known by her stage name Chaka Khan (), is an American singer. Her career has spanned more than five decades, beginning in the 1970s as the lead vocalist of the funk band Rufus. Known as the " Qu ...

Musiq Soulchild Taalib Hassan Johnson (born September 16, 1977), better known by the stage name Musiq Soulchild or simply Musiq (pronounced "music") is an American singer and songwriter whose style blends R&B, funk, blues, jazz, and Gospel music, gospel influ ...

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, and

R. Kelly Robert Sylvester Kelly (born January 8, 1967) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and sex offender convicted of racketeering and multiple sex offenses. During his recording career, Kelly sold over 75 million records worldwid ...

to promote her EP. Yahzarah later appeared the Little Brother album ''

The Minstrel Show ''The Minstrel Show'' is the second studio album by hip hop trio Little Brother. It followed the critical success of their 2003 debut, '' The Listening''. The album was highly anticipated and touted as a probable breakthrough for the group, e ...

''. Later that year, YahZarah was the featured artist opener on the Anthony Hamilton "Playing it Cool Tour" which was featured at the House of Blues. She is also featured the album '' Leave It All Behind'' by The Foreign Exchange. In 2009, YahZarah was elected to the "Board of Governors" for the Washington D.C. Chapter of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS) and still currently holds that post. Later that year, Yahzarah performed at the invitation of the Republic of Italy for the inauguration of

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the U ...

. In the same year, YahZarah began recording sessions for her third album previously title, ''Introducing Purple St. James'', later re-titled The Ballad of Purple St. James. In mid-2009, Yahzarah announced the album title "Introducing Purple St. James" along with the expected release date in the fall of 2009, which was later pushed back to May 2010. She continued to promote her upcoming album by touring. In July 2009, she toured with

Conya Doss Conya Doss (born June 13, 1972) is an American singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist, and has been a major figure in independent music for over two decades. Conya is known as an innovator and is widely known for her eclectic work and li ...

Sy Smith 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 with a bachelor's degree of Scien ...

, and Maya Azucena where she hosted the Soulsista Tour where she also tributed to

. In late 2009, Yahzarah reunited with long-time friend " Natalie "The Floacist" Stewart" to perform "

Butterflies Butterflies are insects in the macrolepidopteran clade Rhopalocera from the Order (biology), order Lepidoptera, which also includes moths. Adult butterflies have large, often brightly coloured wings, and conspicuous, fluttering flight. The ...

" in tribute to Michael Jackson. In January 2010, Yahzarah released her buzz single "The Tickler". In March 2010, Yahzarah released the lead single "

". In May 2010, she released her third album, '' The Ballad of Purple St. James''. A music video for her single "

" was released May 19, 2010. In mid-2010, Yahzarah began the "Love vs Lust Tour" along with

. In September 2010, Yahzarah released the second single "Cry Over You" along a music video. On September 18, 2010, Yahzarah announced that she will be touring with

and Q-Tip on the 2010 Hennesy Artistry Tour. Yahzarah also made a cameo on the tune "I Remember" by Wes Felton on his album Land of Sheep, Ran by Pigs, Ruled by Wolves. In July 2011, Yahzarah released the video for her single "Love Come Save the Day". In December 2011, Yahazarh re-appeared on FoxDC News to perform the single. On December 18, 2011, she released a Christmas single, "What Do The Lonely Do At Christmas".

2012–present: Recent activities

In 2012, Yahzarah began her Tribute to the Beatles Tour. In 2015, she toured as a backup for

Lenny Kravitz Leonard Albert Kravitz (born May 26, 1964) is an American singer-songwriter. His style incorporates elements of rock, blues, soul, R&B, funk, jazz, reggae, hard rock, psychedelic, pop and folk. Kravitz won the Grammy Award for Best Male Roc ...

during his Strut Europe Tour. In January 2017, she released a single "Running". In 2019, she toured as a backup vocalist for

Madonna Madonna Louise Ciccone (; ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer-songwriter and actress. Widely dubbed the " Queen of Pop", Madonna has been noted for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, songwriting, a ...

during her

Madame X Tour The Madame X Tour was the eleventh concert tour by American singer Madonna, in support of her fourteenth studio album, ''Madame X'' (2019). It began on September 17, 2019, at New York City's BAM Howard Gilman Opera House, and ended on March 8, ...

Style

Vocal ability

Williams is a lyric soprano and who has been noted for her ability to sing in the whistle register. She possesses a four-octave vocal range. She has also been credited for her ability to sustain notes in the sixth and seventh octave.

Influences

Williams has been influenced by singers such as

Stevie Wonder Stevland Hardaway Morris ( Judkins; May 13, 1950), known professionally as Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, who is credited as a pioneer and influence by musicians across a range of genres that include rhythm and blues, Pop musi ...

, and

. Although Yahzarah has done many R&B influenced songs, her primary musical style is heavily influenced by elements of electronic soul and rock.

Personal life

On July 28, 2011, Williams gave birth to her first son, Miles. He weighed 6 lbs and 5 ounces.

Discography

;Albums * ''Hear Me'' (2001) * ''Blackstar'' (2003) * '' The Ballad of Purple St. James'' (2010) * ''The Ceremony'' (2021)

Tours

* Yahzarah & Dirty Soul Tour (1999) * Mama's Gun Tour (opening act for

) (2000) * Blackstar Tour (2003) * Playing It Cool Tour (opening act for Anthony Hamilton) (2008) * Soul Sista Tour (2009) * Love-vs-Lust Tour (2010) * The Foreign Exchange Tour (2010) * The Hennesy Artistry Tour (2010) * Tribute to Prince Tour (2011) * Tribute to the Beatles Tour (2012–13) * Strut Europe Tour (with

) (2015) *

(with

) (2019)

Awards and nominations

, - , 2009 , Yahzarah , Soultracks Readers' Choice Award: Female Vocalist of the Year2009 SoulTracks Readers' Choice Award Nominees!
Soultracks. Retrieved on October 26, 2010 , , - , 2010 , '' The Ballad of Purple St. James'' , Soultracks Readers' Choice Award: Song of the Year2010 SoulTracks Readers' Choice Award Nominees!
Soultracks. Retrieved on October 26, 2010 , , - , 2010 , Yahzarah , Soultracks Readers' Choice Award: Female Vocalist of the Year ,

References

External links

*
Yahzarah's Official Myspace Page
{{Authority control American people of Ghanaian descent North Carolina Central University alumni American soul singers 1978 births Living people African-American women singer-songwriters American sopranos American contemporary R&B singers 21st-century American women singers 21st-century American singers 21st-century African-American women singers 20th-century African-American people 20th-century African-American women Singer-songwriters from Washington, D.C.