Macy Gray Biography
Summary
"Macy Gray" (born ), also credited as "Natalie Hinds" for songwriting credits, is an , , and , , , and , famed for her raspy voice and a singing style heavily influenced by and .To date, Gray has released four studio albums, one compilation album, and one live album-with her fourth studio album, ", released in March 2007. 'Coming Back to You', her latest song, is featured on the soundtrack to the 2006 film ". She has appeared in a number of films including ", ", and ". Gray is best known for her international hit single ", taken from her multi-platinum debut album ".==Biography=====Career beginnings===Gray was born "Natalie Renee McIntyre" in , . After her attendance at in , also in Ohio, Gray decided to pursue a career in music. However, Gray's initial success came as a surprise. She agreed to write songs for a friend of hers and a session was scheduled for the songs to be recorded, by another singer. When the vocalist failed to turn up to record the songs, Gray found herself recording them herself. The demo tape created a lot of attention and consequently landed Gray the opportunity to sing at s in , . Despite Gray's dislike of her own voice, her vocals garnered lots of attention around the jazz scene, and signed her to their label. Months later, Gray gave her demo album to Atlantic much to her dismay, due to the record label being dissatisfied with her efforts. Also going through the break-up of her marriage and expecting her third child, Gray retreated back to Canton. During this time, Gray's demo tape was still doing the rounds, and in 1998 she landed a record deal with . from played with her up until she got her big break.==="On How Life Is" (1999)===During the whole of 1998, Gray continued to work on her debut album. Released in the summer of 1999, " became a worldwide smash. Despite the first single " stalling on the charts, it was by word of mouth and the release of the second single " that the album really became a success for Gray. 'I Try' was one of the biggest singles of 1999, and subsequent singles " and " ensured the album becoming triple platinum in the U.S., quadruple platinum in the , and triple platinum in .In , Gray won the for " for 'I Try', which was also nominated for " and ". She then collaborated with , , and (on the song 'The World Is Yours', from the " soundtrack), as well as acting for the first time in the thriller ". In August 2001, Gray was booed off stage at the exhibition game after forgetting the words to the .===Subsequent albums (2001-2005)===In the midst of the controversy, Gray's " became a commercial failure, largely stalling on the U.S. charts, in spite of appearances by and , though the album managed to peak at number eleven on the . However, it peaked at number one on the and was certified gold by the . The underperformance in the United States, compared to her debut album, may have been attributed to the fact that "The Id" was released just a week after the . In 2002, she appeared in " as herself and worked with on the track 'Amoré (Sexo)', from his album ". A cartoon based on Gray's childhood was being developed at one point, but it never came to fruition.In 2003, she was the headliner for , an annual fundraiser for the Los Angeles-based charity . This performance took place at The Wiltern Theater in Los Angeles, California. The same year, Gray released her third studio album, ", to raving reviews. The lead single " became a radio hit in the U.S. and a top forty hit in the UK, although the album wasn't as well received by fans. It nevertheless became Gray's third top twenty album in the UK. A greatest hits collection and a live album were subsequently released: " (2004) and " (2005).Gray also performed voice-overs for the character Seeiah Owens in the video game ". She hasn't been featured in any of the game's sequels.Gray was featured on 's 2005 album ", on a of 's 1986 song ".==="Big" (2007): return to music===Gray began 2007 badly after being kicked offstage at a concert in for profanity (which was part of the show), but she wasn't aware that it was against the law in that country. She gave a public apology that night to avoid arrest.However, March saw the release of Gray's fourth studio album (sixth overall), entitled ". Two singles, " and ", have been released from the album. 'What I Gotta Do', another track from the album, is featured on the " soundtrack. It is largely considered as Gray's comeback album, after a four-year hiatus since her last studio album. The album has been critically acclaimed and seen as her best work yet. It features collaborations with , , , and , who co-executive produced the album with Gray. "Big" is the second release from will.i.am's record label, will.i.am Music Group, after Fergie's ".The album has been moderately successful in the U.S., where it debuted and peaked at number thirty-nine on the "Billboard" 200, becoming Gray's highest-charting album since "The Id". Surprisingly, "Big" has not seen the same success in the UK, where it reached number sixty-two on the albums chart, becoming her lowest-charting album in the UK by far. The album received consolidating success in other countries such as , the , and , reaching the top forty of their albums chart. It is unknown at this point, whether any other singles from "Big" will be released.'s " live concert series premiered a Gray concert on . The one-hour concert included songs from "Big"-'Finally Made Me Happy', 'Shoo Be Doo', 'Ghetto Love', 'What I Gotta Do', 'Glad You're Here', 'Slowly', and 'Everybody'. Other songs performed were 'Caligula', 'Why Didn't You Call Me', 'Oblivion' with the set ending with 'I Try'. Future airdates can be found on .On , Gray performed at the of at Beach in , . Gray and her band members wore clothes with politically-motivated messages. In her dress, it was written 'Darfur Red Alert'.Surprisingly 'Big' was later promoted on the internet via the UK version of the 'iPhone' launch demo. Due to Gary's past popularity in the UK===Other work===Gray appeared in the eighth season of 's ", playing for . She finished in third place, behind and , and ahead of and .Gray was a for a short period of time on the popular virtual pets site of the same name. She was changed into the Kau during July 2000.In she was the voice for Seeiah Owens in ===Personal life===Gray was married to Tracy Hinds from 1996 to 1998, with whom she had three children: Aanisah (in January 1995), Tahmel (in December 1995), and Cassius (in 1997). She opened up a music academy called The Macy Gray Music Academy in 2005 and it was the scene of 's " because of black mold in the building. Gray has been highly praised for her work with the academy and has given underprivileged children and teenagers the chance to perform.Gray has two s-one on her right wrist with all her children's names and the other on her leg that has a rose and says 'Daddy'.==Discography=====Albums===*1999: "*2001: "*2003: "*2004: "*2005: "*2007: "===Singles======Single appearances=====Filmography=====Films======Television=====Awards and nominations=====1999==="Nominations"*s: " and " ('Do Something')*: " ("On How Life Is")===2000==="Wins"*Grammy Awards: " ('I Try')*: 'International Breakthrough Act' and 'International Female'*: " ('I Try') and " ('Do Something')"Nominations"*MTV Video Music Awards: " and " (both for 'I Try)'*Grammy Awards: " and " (both for 'I Try')*s: 'Favorite New Artist - Pop/Rock'===2001==="Nominations"*MTV Video Music Awards: " ('Geto Heaven Remix T.S.O.I. (The Sound of Illadelph)' - shared with ) and " ('Request Line' - shared with )*" Music Video Awards: 'Best Rap/Hip-Hop Clip of the Year' ('Request Line' - shared with The Black Eyed Peas); the video also received a nomination for Joseph Kahn for 'Director of the Year'==References====External links==******
Credit
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article about Macy Gray.
