Heather Headley

Heather Headley, born October 5, 1974, is a Trinidadian-American singer and actress whose career spans Broadway, the West End, and R&B/pop recording. She got her start singing in church before rising to prominence in musical theatre, becoming known for a voice that blends gospel-rooted power with theatrical phrasing.

Headley originated the role of Nala in Disney's «The Lion King» on Broadway and later won a Tony Award for creating the title role in Elton John and Tim Rice's «Aida», cementing her as one of the defining voices of turn-of-the-millennium musical theatre. She parlayed that stage success into a recording career, releasing her Grammy-winning debut album «This Is Who I Am» in 2002 and continuing to record R&B, pop, and gospel-inflected material across multiple albums.

Throughout her career Headley has moved fluidly between soundtrack and cast recordings, solo albums, and television work, drawing on both her theatrical training and her R&B sensibility. Her catalogue reflects that dual identity, spanning show tunes tied to roles like Nala and Aida alongside more personal, contemporary R&B and pop songwriting.