Adina Howard
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Adina Marie Howard (born November 14, 1973) is an American singer and songwriter. She rose to fame during the mid-1990s with her debut album, ''
Do You Wanna Ride? ''Do You Wanna Ride?'' is the debut album by American R&B singer Adina Howard. It was released by Mecca Don and EastWest Records on February 28, 1995. It features the gold-selling hit single "Freak like Me," which was later covered by Tru Fait ...
'' and her debut single, "
Freak like Me "Freak Like Me" is the debut single of American R&B singer Adina Howard. It was released on January 25, 1995, as the lead single from her debut album, ''Do You Wanna Ride?''. It reached number two on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 for two weeks, a ...
". Some of her other minor hits include "What's Love Got to Do with It?" (with
Warren G Warren Griffin III (born November 10, 1970) is an American rapper and producer known for his role in West Coast rap's 1990s ascent.Steve Huey"Warren G: Biography" ''AllMusic.com'', Netaktion LLC, visited May 8, 2020. Along with Snoop Dogg and N ...
), "(Freak) And U Know It", "Nasty Grind", "Freaks" (with Play-N-Skillz and
Krayzie Bone Anthony Henderson (born June 17, 1973), better known as Krayzie Bone, is an American rapper, singer, producer, and entrepreneur. He is a member of the rap group Bone Thugs-n-Harmony. Personal life Henderson comes from a fourth generation famil ...
) and "
T-Shirt & Panties "T-Shirt & Panties" is a song by American recording artist Adina Howard. It was written by Jamie Foxx and Billy Moss. Background Howard was working with producer Billy Moss at the time on her ''Welcome to Fantasy Island'' album, when Jamie Foxx d ...
" (with
Jamie Foxx Eric Marlon Bishop (born December 13, 1967), known professionally as Jamie Foxx, is an American actor, comedian, and singer. He became widely known for his portrayal of Ray Charles in the 2004 biographical film '' Ray'', for which he won the ...
).


Early life

Adina Marie Howard-Walker was born on November 14, 1973, and raised in
Grand Rapids Grand Rapids is a city and county seat of Kent County in the U.S. state of Michigan. At the 2020 census, the city had a population of 198,917 which ranks it as the second most-populated city in the state after Detroit. Grand Rapids is the ...
, Michigan, by her mother with her three younger sisters. The family would later move to
Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix ( ; nv, Hoozdo; es, Fénix or , yuf-x-wal, Banyà:nyuwá) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Arizona#List of cities and towns, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona, with 1 ...
. One of her earliest role models was
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 ...
, another Michigan native. In the mid-1990s, she gained the attention of manager-producer Livio Harris, who helped her record some demos and later land a deal with Max Gousse through Mecca Don/EastWest Records.


Career


1993–1996: ''Do You Wanna Ride?'' and the hit success of "Freak Like Me"

Her debut album ''
Do You Wanna Ride? ''Do You Wanna Ride?'' is the debut album by American R&B singer Adina Howard. It was released by Mecca Don and EastWest Records on February 28, 1995. It features the gold-selling hit single "Freak like Me," which was later covered by Tru Fait ...
'', featuring the Platinum-certified hit single, "
Freak like Me "Freak Like Me" is the debut single of American R&B singer Adina Howard. It was released on January 25, 1995, as the lead single from her debut album, ''Do You Wanna Ride?''. It reached number two on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 for two weeks, a ...
", was released in 1995 and was certified Gold by the RIAA. Her follow-up singles included "My Up and Down" (#32 R&B, No. 68 Hot 100) and "It's All About You" (#58 R&B). In 1996, she collaborated with
Warren G Warren Griffin III (born November 10, 1970) is an American rapper and producer known for his role in West Coast rap's 1990s ascent.Steve Huey"Warren G: Biography" ''AllMusic.com'', Netaktion LLC, visited May 8, 2020. Along with Snoop Dogg and N ...
for the '' Police Story 3: Super Cop'' soundtrack with the single "
What's Love Got to Do with It What's Love Got to Do with It may refer to: *Tina Turner: ** "What's Love Got to Do with It" (song), a 1984 song by Tina Turner ** ''What's Love Got to Do with It'' (1993 film), a biographical film about Tina Turner ** ''What's Love Got to Do with ...
" which featured a sample of the
Tina Turner Tina Turner (born Anna Mae Bullock; November 26, 1939) is an American-born Swiss retired singer and actress. Widely referred to as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Queen of Rock 'n' Roll", she rose to prominence as the lead singer o ...
hit. The single was another hit for the two, peaking at No. 36 on the Hot 100, No. 32 on R&B, and No. 2 on the UK charts. The music video also featured
Jackie Chan Fang Shilong (born 7 April 1954), known professionally in English as Jackie Chan and in Chinese as Cheng Long ( zh, c=成龍, j=Sing4 Lung4; "becoming the dragon"), is a Hong Kong actor, filmmaker, martial artist, and stuntman known for ...
in a cameo. Also that year, she collaborated on a track with
Somethin' for the People Somethin' for the People was a contemporary R&B group from Oakland, California, who scored several hits in the US in the late 1990s. History The group was founded in 1990 by Curtis "Sauce" Wilson and Jeff "Fuzzy" Young, both from Oakland, Calif ...
titled "Damned If I Do" which appeared on the soundtrack for '' A Thin Line Between Love and Hate'' as well as their self-titled debut album. She also recorded the track "For the Funk" for the ''Sunset Park'' soundtrack.


1997: ''Welcome to Fantasy Island'' and acting

In 1997, she prepared for the release of her second album, ''
Welcome to Fantasy Island ''Welcome to Fantasy Island'', is the second album from American R&B singer/songwriter Adina Howard. The album was due for release on July 29, 1997, but the album was then shelved. It later received an unofficial release (excluding "T-Shirt & Pa ...
'' (originally titled ''Portrait of a Lady''). It garnered critical raves and a moderate hit with the lead single, "(Freak) And U Know It", but was shelved by
Elektra Records Elektra Records (or Elektra Entertainment) is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group, founded in 1950 by Jac Holzman and Paul Rickolt. It played an important role in the development of contemporary folk and rock music between the 1 ...
in 1997. The album was leaked to the internet a few years later and promotional copies sell for hundreds of dollars One of the shelved album's tracks, "
T-Shirt & Panties "T-Shirt & Panties" is a song by American recording artist Adina Howard. It was written by Jamie Foxx and Billy Moss. Background Howard was working with producer Billy Moss at the time on her ''Welcome to Fantasy Island'' album, when Jamie Foxx d ...
" (a collaboration with
Jamie Foxx Eric Marlon Bishop (born December 13, 1967), known professionally as Jamie Foxx, is an American actor, comedian, and singer. He became widely known for his portrayal of Ray Charles in the 2004 biographical film '' Ray'', for which he won the ...
) ended up on a soundtrack the following year. It was originally slated for the soundtrack to his film ''
Booty Call ''Booty Call'' is a 1997 American buddy comedy film, written by J. Stanford Parker (credited as Bootsie) and Takashi Bufford, and directed by Jeff Pollack. The film stars Jamie Foxx, Tommy Davidson, Vivica A. Fox, and Tamala Jones. Plot Rusho ...
'' but it eventually ended up on the soundtrack to the 1998 feature film ''
Woo Woo, WoO, WOO, W.O.O. and variants may refer to: People Woo or Wu, romanization of several East Asian names: * Hu (surname): 胡, 瓠, 護, 戶, 扈, 虎, 呼, 忽, 斛 * Wu (surname): 吳, 伍, 武, 仵, 烏, 鄔, 巫 * Ng (name): 吳, 伍 * ...
''. It was released promotionally as a single, and the remix featured
Cam'ron Cameron Ezike Giles (born February 4, 1976), better known by his stage name Cam'ron, is an American rapper, record executive, and actor from Harlem, New York City. Beginning his career in the mid-1990s as Killa Cam, Giles signed to Lance "Un" ...
and
Charli Baltimore Tiffany Lane (born August 16, 1974), better known as Charli Baltimore, is an American rapper and reality television personality. Her stage name is taken from Geena Davis's character in the film '' The Long Kiss Goodnight''. Career Charli Bal ...
. Also this year, she collaborated with Cydal on a track titled "Chocolate (Cuties & Condoms)" which was released as a single for the ''
Bulletproof Bulletproofing is the process of making an object capable of stopping a bullet or similar high velocity projectiles (e.g. shrapnel). The term bullet resistance is often preferred because few, if any, practical materials provide complete protectio ...
'' soundtrack. The track was also included on their debut album ''Cydalwayz'' the following year. During this time, she made her feature film debut in the independent film ''
High Freakquency ''High Freakquency'' is a 1998 comedy directed by Tony Singletary about life at an urban radio station. The film's tagline is ''Where Comedy Is In Heavy Rotation''. Synopsis 24-7 Radio finds itself at the top of the charts, yet all is not well i ...
'', starring
Deon Richmond Deon Richmond (born April 2, 1978) is an American actor from New York City who is best known for his recurring roles as Rudy Huxtable's friend Kenny (nicknamed "Bud") on the NBC sitcom ''The Cosby Show'' and Jordan Bennett on the ABC/The WB sit ...
and
John Witherspoon John Witherspoon (February 5, 1723 – November 15, 1794) was a Scottish-American Presbyterian minister, educator, farmer, slaveholder, and a Founding Father of the United States. Witherspoon embraced the concepts of Scottish common sense reali ...
. In 2002, she filmed her second movie role, in the still-unreleased ''Casanova's Demise'' for director Tigre Hill. Also this year, she collaborated with the Hip-Hop group PYG'z and Yuck Mouth on the track "Been Around the World" for the former's debut album.


1998–2005: New label and ''The Second Coming''

By 2004, Howard released her third album '' The Second Coming'' on Rufftown Records. A
video Video is an electronic medium for the recording, copying, playback, broadcasting, and display of moving visual media. Video was first developed for mechanical television systems, which were quickly replaced by cathode-ray tube (CRT) syste ...
was made for the first single, "Nasty Grind",
Mark Rezyka Mark Rezyka (born 11 June 1959 in Montreal, Canada) was best known as a top director of Heavy metal music, heavy metal music videos in the 1980s and 1990s. With partners Marcelo Epstein and Dominic Orlando, he founded Pendulum Productions in 1982, ...
Directed the video and the music video was produced by Jack Edward Sawyers. The video featured Adina topless covering herself while she sang. The video played on
BET Black Entertainment Television (acronym BET) is an American basic cable channel targeting African-American audiences. It is owned by the CBS Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Global via BET Networks and has offices in New York City, Los A ...
during early morning hours. The album sold poorly due to lack of promotion and only managed to gather 40,000 copies on store shelves and she was later sued by the label. A second single, "(Outside) The Club" was slated to be released, along with a remix album ''The Second Coming: Remixed & UnCut'' but both were canceled following her departure from the label. Later that year, she collaborated with Play-N-Skillz and
Krayzie Bone Anthony Henderson (born June 17, 1973), better known as Krayzie Bone, is an American rapper, singer, producer, and entrepreneur. He is a member of the rap group Bone Thugs-n-Harmony. Personal life Henderson comes from a fourth generation famil ...
for the track "Freaks" which sampled her hit single "Freak Like Me". The single appeared on the Play-N-Skillz album ''The Process'' and became a hit, peaking at No. 52 R&B and No. 69 on the Hot 100 (her first-charting single in 7 years). She released an official mixtape album (with DJ RIP) featuring new songs, remixes, and unreleased tracks titled ''Let You Hit'' through SoundJewelz.com on August 5, 2005.


2006–2007: ''Private Show''

In 2006, she announced that the single "Phone Sex" was going to be released, but the following year, the song "L.O.V.A." was released digitally as her lead single. Additionally, a song titled "Hips" was announced to be her second single. Her fourth album, '' Private Show'' was delayed many times by Arsenal Records, almost to the point of being shelved. However, it was released on June 26, 2007, along with a promotional single, "Picture This". As of 2008, the album has sold 4,000+ copies. Following the album's release, a remixes EP for "My Hips" (appears as "Hips" on her album) was released on iTunes & other digital services in December. A third official single, "Tease" was slated to be released, but as Howard parted ways with the label shortly after the album's release, it was cancelled. In 2008, she appeared in the short film ''Poke the Sleeping Bear'' which won the Grand Jury Award at the 2008 Solstice Film Festival. On September 25, 2009, a UK compilation ''Independent Soul Divas 2'' was released on Lola Waxx Records. This compilation album featured "What Do I Do", a song recorded by Howard in 2008. The album version is different than the version that was originally included on Howard's MySpace page.


2008–2014: Culinary school, marriage and documentary

In 2011, she started work on her Culinary Arts degree, a cookbook, a new album and a restaurant in
Austin, Texas Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the county seat, seat and largest city of Travis County, Texas, Travis County, with portions extending into Hays County, Texas, Hays and Williamson County, Texas, Williamson co ...
. She graduated from the Le Cordon Bleu with an Associates in Culinary Arts in October 2012. In 2012, Howard released two buzz singles online: "2 Close" and "Ooh Wee". She collaborated with rapper Ruffa on the track "I Want You" for his ''Coming to America'' album which was released on July 31, 2012. On January 16, 2013, Howard wrote on her Twitter account that her new single "Better Than Ever" would be released soon. She premiered a snippet of the single on January 28 on her official YouTube page. A longer version premiered on March 6 on the mixtape ''DJ Jump Off's R&B Madness Volume 4''. Additionally, she signed a new record deal with
Monarchy Records A monarchy is a form of government in which a person, the monarch, is head of state for life or until abdication. The political legitimacy and authority of the monarch may vary from restricted and largely symbolic (constitutional monarchy), ...
in April 2013. She also filmed an episode of TV One's ''Life After'' in April, and it is set to premiere during the Fall 2013 season on October 2. In July, she announced that she will be releasing an EP next, ahead of her forthcoming fifth studio album. On September 10, 2013, she released her new single "Switch" which is the lead single off her fifth studio album ''The Switch Up''. It received positive reviews, and won "Best Dance/Club Single of the Year" at the 2013 UB Honors, which was voted by the public. On December 3, 2013, it was announced that Howard would be the resident chef on Wednesday nights at Michael's Cafe and Supper Club in Phoenix, Arizona. She completed her run at the end of December. In June 2014, it was announced that Howard had landed the lead role of April in Derrell Lawrence's touring stage play "Do You Trust Your Best Friend?" and is set to make her stage debut in October in Washington, DC. She later confirmed that her role had been changed to Olivia in the play. She announced in November 2014 that she signed a new label deal with SMG/Sony Red in addition to news of a new single "Bad 4 Me" set for release in December. Howard is also set to appear on Centric's new docu-series "Being" in early 2015. She released a cover of
Amy Winehouse Amy Jade Winehouse (14 September 1983 – 23 July 2011) was an English singer and songwriter. She was known for her deep, expressive contralto vocals and her eclectic mix of musical genres, including soul, rhythm and blues and jazz. A membe ...
's "Love is a Losing Game" in January 2015 to media outlets. A documentary, ''Adina Howard 20: A Story of Sexual Liberation'' was released on May 6, 2015.


2015–2018: ''Resurrection'' and TV/film projects

In June, she announced that her single "Bad 4 Me" will make its premiere on a San Diego, CA radio station on June 5, ahead of her appearance at the Urban Network Digital "Back To Basics 2" Music Summit that weekend. It was released to digital outlets on August 14, 2015. She was also working on her next album now titled ''#IHeartAdinaHoward'' (originally titled ''The Switch Up''). She was featured on
Pitbull Pit bull is a term used in the United States for a type of dog descended from bulldogs and terriers, while in other countries such as the United Kingdom the term is used as an abbreviation of the American Pit Bull Terrier breed. The term was f ...
's single "FREE.K", which sampled her hit single "Freak Like Me". Her "Being" interview originally filmed back in 2014, premiered on December 9, 2015, under their new series "Designed For". In March 2016, she was featured on the new single "Freak" by
R3hab Fadil El Ghoul ( ar, فضيل الغول; born 2 April 1986), performing under the stage name R3hab (stylized in all caps as R3HAB; pronounced "rehab"), is a Dutch-Moroccan disc jockey and music producer. Ranked at number 12 on the DJ Mag Top 1 ...
and Quintino, who sampled her single "Freak Like Me". In May 2016, she previewed four new songs ("Love Jones", "Come Over", "Nasty" and "Run It") from ''
Resurrection Resurrection or anastasis is the concept of coming back to life after death. In a number of religions, a dying-and-rising god is a deity which dies and is resurrected. Reincarnation is a similar process hypothesized by other religions, which ...
'' on her
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account, in addition to doing a mini-concert for her fans. In June 2016, she announced she'll be playing the role of Candice in the new stage musical ''For All My Girls'' alongside April Nixon,
Monifah Monifa Carter (born January 26, 1972), also known as Monifah, is an American R&B singer. She is best known for her association with the late rapper Heavy D and her music from the mid-1990s, including "I Miss You (Come Back Home)", "You" and " ...
and Marlain Angelides premiering in New York on June 27. In July, one of her new promotional photos went viral, in which she released a sneak peek into her album for her fans the following weekend. A year after its release, the album's lead single "Bad 4 Me" was featured on
MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...
and garnered renewed interest and radio airplay. In November, she announced the ''Resurrection'' album will be released on March 17, 2017. On December 6, 2016, she released a ''Resurrection'' mixtape with DJ Daz-One on AudioMack. A few days earlier, her vocals were sampled once again on the DJ Luke Nasty track "Adina (Freaks)" produced by Djay Cas. On January 25, 2017, she shot a music video for the track "Blasphemy" in California. It premiered on March 20, 2017. On March 17, 2017, an EP containing previously unreleased/released material was released through Famous Records Corp / Echo International called ''Freaky''. While many of the song titles were variations on the word "freak" they were actually renamed tracks from previous releases. "(Gonna Make You) Freaky" was previously released as "It's On Tonight" from her ''Let You Hit'' mixtape, "Time to Freak" is rumored to actually be called "Too Sexy" or "Mirror Mirror", "Freak Like Me (Remix) (Re-Recorded Version)" was an actual previously released remix on her 1995 hit single, and "Stay Freaky" was a previously leaked duet with Estevan called "Rough Ridin". Her fourth studio album ''
Resurrection Resurrection or anastasis is the concept of coming back to life after death. In a number of religions, a dying-and-rising god is a deity which dies and is resurrected. Reincarnation is a similar process hypothesized by other religions, which ...
'' was released on April 14, 2017. Due to some issues with
iTunes iTunes () is a software program that acts as a media player, media library, mobile device management utility, and the client app for the iTunes Store. Developed by Apple Inc., it is used to purchase, play, download, and organize digital mul ...
and other digital services, Howard decided to release the album for free (on her SoundCloud) for 24 hours beginning at 12 pm PST. A week later, the album was finally released on all digital services. In November, she released a short tour film titled ''Adina Howard: Resurrection Tour Atlanta'' which premiered on digital services. Later that month, she received two UB Honors nominations in the Best Artist Return Single (for "Blasphemy" with King Gas) and Best Independent R&B Album Release (for ''Resurrection''). In December, she further received two more award nominations, at the MCP Music Awards for Best Deep Cut of the Year ("Radiation" (with
Tech N9ne Aaron Dontez Yates (born November 8, 1971), better known by his stage name Tech N9ne (pronounced "tech nine"), is an American rapper. In 1999, he and business partner Travis O'Guin founded the record label Strange Music. He has sold over two m ...
)) and Best Comeback of the Year (for "Blasphemy" with King Gas). In January 2018, she did an interview with the online radio show ''Tha Council Radio'' and announced she was in the works of co-writing a self-help book tentatively called ''Adina Howard: Real Raw'' with a therapist. She also announced a new film role in the independent film ''The Relaxer'', which was to premiere at the 2018
SXSW South by Southwest, abbreviated as SXSW and colloquially referred to as South By, is an annual conglomeration of parallel film, interactive media, and music festivals and conferences organized jointly that take place in mid-March in Austin, Te ...
Festival in March. Additionally, she confirmed she was working with producer-rapper King Gas again on a new album tentatively titled ''Diary of a Desperate Housewife''.


2019–present: ''Mind Reader'' and more ventures

The new year brought her some high-profile releases. Her profile on TV One's hit "Unsung" series premiered on March 10, 2019. Later that month, her film ''Relaxer'' (directed by Joel Potrykus) was released to theaters on March 22, 2019, through Oscilloscope Labs. It garnered critical praise, receiving a 72% positive score on Rotten Tomatoes. In May, she announced a new single with Mothers Favorite Child called "Freak" after collaborating with them for her acoustic performances for her TV One episode. She appeared in the documentary ''A Fatherless America'' from media personality and filmmaker Tommy Sotomayor which was released in June 2019. With her promotion for a Detroit performance with
Montell Jordan Montell Du'Sean Barnett Jordan (born December 3, 1968) is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. Best known for his 1995 single "This Is How We Do It", Jordan was the primary male solo artist on Def Jam's Def Soul imprint until le ...
in July, she discussed a new single in the works called "Lifeline" in addition to a book and a motivational speaking career. In a cover story interview with Consciousness Magazine, she announced hopes for a second quarter release for the single. At the beginning of 2020, her new dance single "Mind Reader" with Opolopo was announced, and released on January 17. After a few weeks, the song ended up hitting #1 on the TraxSource charts as well as #2 on the Dutch FREAK31 music chart. In an interview with R&B Junkie celebrating the 25th anniversary of her debut album, she discussed starting a Houston, TX residency set to begin in May. She also joined Katrina Walker's new theatrical stage play "Miss Dee's Kitchen" which was set to premiere April 3 but was postponed until further notice due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In December, she received another nomination at the UB Honors in the Best Dance/Club Single of the Year category for her single "Mind Reader." In January 2021, it was announced that her previously shelved album ''
Welcome to Fantasy Island ''Welcome to Fantasy Island'', is the second album from American R&B singer/songwriter Adina Howard. The album was due for release on July 29, 1997, but the album was then shelved. It later received an unofficial release (excluding "T-Shirt & Pa ...
'' will be finally released in the United States on February 19 thru Rhino Records. She released a new single titled "Keep Lookin" on April 23, 2022 to streaming and digital services.


Personal life

She divorced Sherman Jordan in 2017. On the March 10, 2019 episode of TV One's "Unsung," Howard revealed to having an affair with Boyz II Men's
Wanya Morris Wanyá Jermaine Morris ( ) (born July 29, 1973) is an American singer, best known as a member of the R&B group Boyz II Men. Television and film appearances Morris was announced as one of the celebrities who would compete on season 22 of ''D ...
, who was dating singer
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 ...
, at the time. Despite refusing Atlantic Records Label Executive (and Howard's boss), Sylvia Rhone's advice to focus on her career, Howard conducted an interview with then-DJ
Wendy Williams Wendy Williams Hunter ( Wendy Joan Williams; born July 18, 1964) is an American broadcaster and writer. From 2008 to 2021, she hosted the nationally syndicated television talk show ''The Wendy Williams Show.'' Prior to television, Williams ...
; insulting both Rhone and Brandy. Rhone eventually stalled Howard's release of her second album indefinitely.


Discography


Studio albums


EPs

* 2017: ''Freaky''


Mixtapes

* 2005: ''Let You Hit'' * 2013: ''Welcome to Fantasy Island'' * 2016: ''The Official "Resurrection" Mixtape Starring Adina Howard''


Singles


As featured performer


Videography


Filmography


Stage


Awards and nominations


References


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Howard, Adina 1973 births Living people African-American actresses African-American chefs American women chefs American chefs 20th-century African-American women singers American hip hop singers American film actresses American restaurateurs Women restaurateurs American female hip hop musicians American contemporary R&B singers American soul musicians Businesspeople from Grand Rapids, Michigan Musicians from Grand Rapids, Michigan Actresses from Grand Rapids, Michigan Singers from Michigan 21st-century American singers 21st-century American women singers 21st-century American actresses East West Records artists 21st-century African-American women