Macy Gray

The famous American singer was born in Canton, Ohio. Macy Gray started to think about the music career when she studied in the University of Southern California. Nevertheless, she was lucky: it all started when she agreed to help to her friend in song writing. It was planned that the vocals would be recorded by another singer, but it turned out that it was Macy who performed the vocals. Later Gray worked as a cashier in Beverly Hills, where she met a producer Joe Solo. Together they recorded a big amount of songs in Solo’s studio, and, as the result, the demo tape attracted attention to the young singer. Macy got the opportunity to sing at jazz cafes in Los Angeles. Curiously enough, but Macy was not satisfied with her own vocals. However the demo tape played its role – in 1998 Gray managed to sign the contract with Epic Records. By that time she already participated in the creation of The Black Eyed Peas debut album Love Won't Wait.

In 1998 Macy Gray started to work on her debut album. In 1999 On How Life Is was released, and it turned out to be a real hit. The first single Do Something did not manage to peak at the first places in the charts, however the following single I Try brought the success to the young singer. I Try became one of the biggest singles of 1999 and such compositions as Still and Why Didn't You Call Me proved the status of the album: On How Life Is was certified triple platinum in Canada and the U.S. In 2001 Macy Gray won the Grammy Award in the nomination "Best Female Pop Vocal Performance" with the composition I Try. That song was also nominated for "Song of the Year" and "Record of the Year". Later Macy experienced the art of acting: she participated in the thriller Training Day. In August, 2001 Macy faced the unpleasant episode of her life: during the football match she sang the American national anthem and forgot the words. As the result, she was booed by the fans and had to leave the field.

In 2001 Macy Gray released her second studio work titled The Id. In the United Kingdom it was certified Gold, however in the US it failed to become a super hit. Perhaps it was connected with the fact that The Id was released only a week after the attacks of September 11, 2001. In 2002 Macy appeared on the soundtrack to the film Chicago: she collaborated with Queen Latifah and Lil Kim. The singer did not let her fans wait long for another album: in 2003 the record The Trouble with Being Myself was issued. The lead single When I See You became the radio hit in the USA. In 2004 Macy’s discography was enlarged by the compilation album The Very Best of Macy Gray, and in 2005 the singer released her live album Live in Las Vegas.

In 2007 Macy was nearly arrested in Barbados: some parts of her show were considered offensive and even illegal. Later the singer gave a public apology. In March, 2007 Gray released her fourth studio work titled Big. The record received fair reviews and is considered to be one of Macy’s best albums. The composition What I Gotta Do from that album was later included into Shrek the Third soundtrack. Macy’s new album The Sellout was issued in 2010. That record will definitely attract the music lovers’ attention, because the singer has a reputation of a real professional and a wonderful musician. The interesting sound is guaranteed: one track from the new album was recorded with the super-band Velvet Revolver.