Macy Gray parlayed an utterly unique voice and an outlandish sense of style into R&B stardom at the turn of the millennium, appealing to audiences of all colors in search of a fresh alternative to mainstream soul. Things started to take off in 1999, when On How Life Is was released and won glowing reviews — the record was initially slow to catch on. That all changed when Gray received two Grammy nominations (for Best New Artist and Best Female R&B Vocal), and the single “I Try” started to take off on radio. “I Try” proved to be an enormous hit, and On How Life Is suddenly sold like hot cakes, entering the Top Ten and going triple platinum by the end of 2000. Gray scored a smaller follow-up hit with “Why Don’t You Call Me,” and also raised eyebrows with the album track “I’ve Committed Murder.” In late 2000, Gray made her screen acting debut in the Denzel Washington police drama Training Day. During 2002, Gray appeared as herself in the blockbuster film Spider Man and also guested on Santana’s Shaman. One year later, her third album — The Trouble with Being Myself — arrived on the shelves. With a new production team, including will.i.am, Gray returned with a slicker, Tom Joyner-approved version of soul on 2007’s Big, featuring collaborations with Natalie Cole and BEP’s Fergie. The Sellout, a 2010 release on the Concord label, featured some self-composed songs and an appearance from Bobby Brown. Gray then signed to the 429 label and released Covered in 2012. Gray continues to perform to packed houses around the world.
