There is a good reason behind knowing who Heather Headley is if you don't know by now. She is a woman of song. While record labels fumble for true artistry, here is an example of what they should be looking for. Heather's debut release, This Is Who I Am, plainly states she is an artist.

Your album is great. The lyrics are respectful and it's just pure R&B music. Coming from Broadway and going into the recording studio to record your first album, what was the transition like? I never thought I would miss the audience as much as I did. When you are in front of people all the time you take that on. When it's taken away and you're watching glass, it's not fun anymore. It was then I learned how much I use the audience. On the album I can hear a range of vocal arrangements. Did you take voice lessons? Let me tell you a quick story about that. My first voice lesson was at 18 years old. I walked into the room and I'm thinking the teacher is going to rip me apart. She is going to say 'you sing like a crappy crappy girl.' (laughs) I do the vocalizing scales and she looks at me and said 'Heather, well you're very, very, good. Who is your teacher?' It was funny because I always say Jesus is my first teacher. Singing in church was my first lessons where God was my teacher. Then I would listen to Whitney Houston, Cece Winans, and, Anita Baker. What role did you play in completing this CD? I call this album This Is Who I Am for the record company and for me because at the time, that was the motto. I never wanted the record company or anyone else to say this is what you're going to sing and this is how you're going to look. I wanted to talk about relationships, God, my mother, sister and men. Maybe if I was 19 years old, the album may have been different. When did you know singing was your passion? I grew up in the Caribbean and my father is a pastor so every day after school, I would go into the church and sing to the pews for hours. I think at that point I enjoyed singing and it was great. It wasn't until I got older that I understood that it is through music that God speaks to me. That is our way of communication. Then it became a passion.

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