Heather Headley

A native of Trinidad, Heather Headley moved to the United States when she was just 15 and her musical sensibilities moved with her. As the soca and calypso of the Caribbean gave way to R&B, Headley won the coveted role of Nala in the stage production of The Lion King. Within a year she had been cast in the title role of Aida. She won a Tony award for the part in 1998, and in 2002 she released her first album, This Is Who I Am. While the material is not always stellar, Headley is a singer who's been cast from an older mold --there's nothing breathy about her voice unless she wills it. She's a belter of the first degree.