Heather Headley

Tony and Grammy Award Winner Heather Headley considers her multi-faceted career a blessing.  Born on the beautiful Caribbean island of Trinidad, her family moved to the United States in the early 90’s where Heather’s love for the arts continued. In 1997, Heather created the role of Nala in the original Broadway cast of Elton John and Tim Rice’s hit Tony winning musical The Lion King. While still in The Lion King, Heather was asked to audition for the title role in the writing duo’s next Broadway venture together, Elton John and Tim Rice’s Aida.  Her portrayal of the Nubian princess, Aida, won her the praise of critics and the prestigious  2000 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical.  In addition to other awards, she also received the coveted Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Musical. That year Heather was named one of People Magazine’s 50 Most Beautiful People and Essence Magazine’s 30 Women To Watch.

Heather continued her musical success on the pop charts with her 2002 debut album on RCA Records, This Is Who I Am which featured productions by several top-flight producers. Two songs, "He Is" and the album track "I Wish I Wasn’t," both emerged as Top 5 R&B and Dance chart hits. Heather earned numerous accolades for This Is Who I Am, including Grammy Award nominations for Best New Artist and Best Female R&B Vocal Performance. Heather returned in January 2006 with In My Mind, her long-awaited second solo album.  The opening title tune single became Heather’s first #1 hit, topping the Dance and R&B charts. In 2009 Heather released Audience of One for which she won the Grammy Award for the Best Contemporary R&B Gospel Album. 

In 2016 Heather made a triumphant return to Broadway playing Shug Avery in The Color Purple and she can currently be seen as a series regular on the Netflix series Sweet Magnolias. Heather was the spokesperson for the March of Dimes and led their “I Want My 9 Months” campaign, and also serves on the Board of Directors for the Catalyst Charter Schools in Chicago.

Last updated: September 13, 2020