Erica Abi Wright, known professionally as Erykah Badu, is an American singer and songwriter. Influenced by R&B, soul, and hip hop, Badu rose to prominence in the late 1990s when her debut album Baduizm (1997), placed her at the forefront of the neo soul movement, earning her the nickname "Queen of Neo Soul" by music critics.
Mary Jane Blige is an American singer, rapper, songwriter, and actress. Often referred to as the "Queen of Hip-Hop Soul" and "Queen of R&B", Blige has won nine Grammy Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, four American Music Awards, twelve NAACP Image Awards, and twelve Billboard Music Awards, including the Billboard Icon Award. She has been nominated for three Golden Globe Awards and two Academy Awards, including one for her supporting role in the film Mudbound (2017) and another for its original song "Mighty River", becoming the first person nominated for acting and songwriting in the same year.
Kelendria Trene Rowland is an American singer, actress, and television personality. She rose to fame in the late 1990s as a member of Destiny's Child, one of the world's best-selling girl groups of all time. During the group's three-year hiatus, Rowland released her debut solo studio album, Simply Deep (2002), which debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart and sold over 3 million copies worldwide. It included the Billboard Hot 100 number-one single "Dilemma", as well as the UK top-five hits "Stole" and "Can't Nobody". Rowland also ventured into acting with starring roles in Freddy vs. Jason (2003) and The Seat Filler (2005).
Amerie Mi Marie Nicholson is an American actress, singer-songwriter, and writer. She has released four studio albums to date: All I Have (2002), Touch (2005), Because I Love It (2007), In Love & War (2009). She is best known for her 2005 single "1 Thing".
702 is an American girl group with the final and most known line-up consisting of Kameelah Williams and sisters Irish and LeMisha Grinstead. The group was named after the area code of their hometown of Las Vegas, Nevada.
Natasha Anne Bedingfield is a British singer and songwriter. She released her debut album, Unwritten, in 2004, which contained primarily up-tempo pop songs and was influenced by R&B music. It enjoyed international success with more than 2.3 million copies sold worldwide. Bedingfield received a Grammy Award nomination for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for the title track "Unwritten", and at the 2005 and 2006 Brit Awards, she was nominated for Best British Female Artist. Unwritten also produced her only UK number one, "These Words".
Phyllis Linda Hyman was an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Hyman is best known for her music during the late 1970s through the early 1990s. Some of her most notable songs were "You Know How to Love Me" (1979), "Living All Alone" (1986) and "Don't Wanna Change the World" (1991).
Ciara Princess Wilson is an American singer, songwriter, businesswoman, dancer, model, and actress. She rose to prominence with her debut studio album Goodies (2004). The album spawned the single of the same name which topped the Billboard Hot 100 and the UK Singles Chart. Further singles from the album included "1, 2 Step" and "Oh", both of which peaked at number 2 in the United States. The album was certified triple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and garnered two nominations at the 48th Annual Grammy Awards. Ciara was also featured on Missy Elliott's "Lose Control" and Bow Wow's "Like You", both of which peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot 100.
Angela Laverne Brown known professionally as Angie Stone, is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and record producer. She rose to fame in the late 1970s as member of the hip hop trio The Sequence. In the early 1990s, she became a member of the R&B trio Vertical Hold. Stone would later release her solo debut Black Diamond (1999) on Arista Records, which was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America and spawned the single "No More Rain ".
Misaki Itō commonly known as Misia and stylized as MISIA, is a Japanese singer and songwriter. Born in Tsushima, Nagasaki, Misia moved to Fukuoka at the age of 14 to pursue a recording career. There, she continued her secondary education and briefly attended Seinan Gakuin University before withdrawing to focus on her musical career. She was signed to BMG Japan in 1997, after auditioning for record producer Haruo Yoda.
Keyshia Myeshia Cole is an American singer, songwriter, television personality and actress. Born and raised in Oakland, California, she began her career as a backing vocalist for MC Hammer before ultimately signing with A&M Records, under whom she released her debut studio album, The Way It Is, in 2005. The record was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and earned two nominations at the 2006 Soul Train Music Awards. Riding on the album's success, Cole would begin filming a reality television series for BET documenting her career, family and personal life called Keyshia Cole: The Way It Is; the show ran for three seasons, and became one of the most-watched programs in the network's history.
Keri Lynn Hilson is an American actress, singer, and songwriter from Decatur, Georgia. She began her musical career in 2002 as a songwriter and backing vocalist for other artists, under the wing of record producer Anthony Dent. By the age of 14, Hilson had secured a record deal with the girl group D'Signe, which ultimately disbanded. She attended Oxford College of Emory University in Georgia while contributing to material for artists including Britney Spears, The Pussycat Dolls, and Mary J. Blige; she formed the production group The Clutch in 2004.
Dana Nicole Amma Williams, 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.
Chrisette Michele Payne is an American R&B and soul singer. She won a Grammy Award for Best Urban/Alternative Performance in 2009 for her song "Be OK".
Sy Smith is an American singer.
Ledisi Anibade Young, better known simply as Ledisi, is an American R&B and jazz recording artist, songwriter, music producer, author and actress. Her name means "to bring forth" or "to come here" in Yoruba.
Jhené Aiko Efuru Chilombo is an American R&B singer-songwriter. Aiko embarked on her musical career in 2002, as a backing vocalist and music video performer for R&B group B2K. To promote and cultivate her own following, she was marketed by their record label, The Ultimate Group as a "cousin" of group member Lil' Fizz, despite them not being related. Her debut album, slated for a 2003 release through Epic Records, was ultimately shelved due to Aiko instead further pursuing her education.
Melanie Fiona Hallim is a Canadian singer and songwriter. She was born and raised in Toronto, Ontario. She began her career in 2002 as part of a Canadian R&B trio X-Quisite, of whom were nominated for a Juno Award for R&B/Soul Recording of the Year for their self-titled album (2004). She went on to form the duo The Renaissance with hometown native Drake, although they released no albums.
Lerato Moipone Molapo, known professionally as Lira, is a South African singer. Her name translates to "love" in Sesotho and she speaks four languages. She is a multi-platinum selling and an 11-time South African Music Award (SAMA)-winning Afro-soul vocalist, who refers to her music as "a fusion of soul, funk, elements of jazz and African."
Mindy Gledhill is a singer-songwriter from Eureka, California who is best known for her songs "I Do Adore" and "Anchor". She is also known for her guest vocal work with DJ Kaskade.
