Macy Gray
(born Natalie Renee McIntyre
on September 6, 1967; [1] also credited as Natalie Hinds
in her music) is an American R&B and soul singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress, famed for her distinctive raspy voice [2] and a singing style heavily influenced by Billie Holiday and Betty Davis.
To date, Gray has released four studio albums, one compilation album, and one live album—with her fourth studio album, Big
, released in March 2007—and has received five Grammy Award nominations, winning one. She has appeared in a number of films including Training Day
, Spider-Man
, and Idlewild
. Gray is best known for her international hit single "I Try", taken from her multi-platinum debut album On How Life Is
. In late 2008, Gray took on a new alias "Nemesis Jaxson", and has plans to release her fifth studio album in 2009. [3]
It was announced on August 17, 2009 that she will compete on the ninth season of Dancing With the Stars. [4]
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Early life
thumb
Macy Gray was born to Laura McIntyre, a math teacher, and Otis Jones, but Laura later remarried to Richard McIntyre, who adopted Macy. Gray was born in
Canton,
Ohio,
[5] home of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, where she briefly worked at age 12, before being fired for tardiness.
[6] She decided to pursue a career in music after being expelled from
Western Reserve Academy in
Hudson,
[7] where she had attended since age 14.
[6] However, Gray's initial success came as a surprise.
[9] While attending the
University of Southern California (graduated 1990)
[10] she agreed to write songs for a friend, and a
demo session was scheduled for the songs to be recorded by another singer.
[11] When the vocalist failed to turn up, Gray recorded them herself. She then met writer/producer
Joe Solo at her job as a cashier in Beverly Hills.
[12] Together, they wrote a large collection of songs and recorded them in Solo's studio. The demo tape created a lot of attention and consequently landed Gray the opportunity to sing at
jazz cafés in
Los Angeles,
California.
[13] Despite Gray's dislike of her own voice
[14], her vocals garnered lots of attention around the jazz scene, and
Atlantic Records signed her. During this time, the demo tape was still making the rounds, and in 1998 she landed a record deal with
Epic Records.
[15] During this time she was also on one of the songs from
The Black Eyed Peas'
debut album, "Love Won't Wait".
[16]
Music career
On How Life Is
(1999)
During the whole of 1998, Gray continued to work on her debut album.
[17] Released in the summer of 1999,
On How Life Is
became a worldwide smash.
[18] Despite the first single "
Do Something" stalling on the charts, it was by extremely positive word of mouth and the release of the second single "
I Try" that the album really became a success for Gray.
[19] "I Try" (which was originally featured in the
Jennifer Aniston-starring vehicle, the romantic-comedy
Picture Perfect
in 1997
[20]) was one of the biggest singles of 1999
[21] [22], and subsequent singles "
Still" and "
Why Didn't You Call Me" ensured the album becoming triple platinum in the U.S.
[23], quadruple platinum in the UK
[24], and triple platinum in Canada.
[25]
In
2001, Gray won the
Grammy Award for "
Best Female Pop Vocal Performance" for "I Try", which was also nominated for "
Song of the Year" and "
Record of the Year".
[26] She then collaborated with
Fatboy Slim,
The Black Eyed Peas, and
Slick Rick (on the song "The World Is Yours", from the
Rush Hour 2
soundtrack), as well as acting for the first time in the thriller
Training Day
.
[27] In August 2001, Gray was booed off the field at the
Pro Football Hall of Fame exhibition game after forgetting the words to the
American national anthem.
[28]
Subsequent albums (2001–2005)
In the midst of the controversy, Gray's
The Id
became a commercial stillborn, largely stalling on the U.S. charts. The album featured appearances by
John Frusciante and
Erykah Badu on the single "Sweet Baby", (which was co-written with longtime collaborator
Joe Solo).
[29] The album managed to peak at number eleven on the
Billboard
200.
[30] Despite its failure in the U.S., it reached number one on the
UK Albums Chart and was certified gold by the
BPI.
[31] 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
September 11, 2001 attacks.
[32]
In 2002, she appeared in
Spider-Man
as herself and worked with
Santana on the track "Amoré (Sexo)", from his album
Shaman
.
[33] [34] She also recorded a duet with
Zucchero called "Like The Sun (From Out Of Nowhere)" which featured
Jeff Beck on guitar released in 2004 on
Zu & Co.
, a duets collection.
[35] [36]
Her song "Time of My Life" was included in the
soundrack to 8 Mile
.
[37] A cartoon based on Gray's childhood was being developed at one point, but it never came to fruition.
[17] [34]
In 2003, Gray released her third studio album,
The Trouble with Being Myself
, to rave reviews.
[40] The lead single "
When I See You" 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.
[41] It nevertheless became Gray's third top twenty album in the UK.
[42] [43] A greatest hits collection and a live album were subsequently released:
The Very Best of Macy Gray
(2004) and
Live in Las Vegas
(2005). Additionally, Gray was featured on
Marcus Miller's 2005 album
Silver Rain
, on a
cover of
Prince's 1986 song "
Girls & Boys". She also appeared on the soundtrack to the film
Chicago
with
Queen Latifah and
Lil Kim on "Cell Block Tango/He Had it Comin'."
[44]
Big
(2007): return to music
Gray began 2007 badly after being kicked off-stage at a concert in
Barbados for profanity (which was part of the show), but she wasn't aware that it was against the law in that country.
[45] She gave a public apology that night to avoid arrest.
[46]
In March, Gray released her fourth studio album (sixth overall), entitled
Big
.
[47] Two singles, "
Finally Made Me Happy" and "
Shoo Be Doo", have been released from the album.
[46] "What I Gotta Do", another track from the album, is featured on the
Shrek the Third
soundtrack. It is largely considered Gray's comeback album, after a four-year hiatus since her last studio album.
[49] The album was critically acclaimed and seen by some as her best work yet.
[50] It featured collaborations with
Natalie Cole,
Fergie,
Justin Timberlake, and
will.i.am, who co-executive produced the album with Gray.
Big
was the second release from will.i.am's record label, will.i.am Music Group, after Fergie's
The Dutchess
.
The album was moderately successful in the U.S., where it debuted and peaked at #39 on the
Billboard
200, becoming Gray's highest-charting album since
The Id
.
[51] Surprisingly,
Big
did not achieve great success in the UK, where it reached #62 on the albums chart
[52], her lowest-charting UK album
[53], but it did achieve some success in several other countries including Switzerland, the Czech Republic, and Finland, reaching the top forty of their albums charts.
[54]
PBS's
Soundstage
live concert series premiered a Gray concert on July 5.
[55] 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" (another collaboration with Producer/ Writer
Joe Solo), "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 July 7, 2007, Gray performed at the
Brazilian leg of
Live Earth at
Copacabana Beach in
Rio de Janeiro,
Rio de Janeiro.
[56] Gray and her band members wore clothes with politically-motivated messages. In her dress, it was written "Darfur Red Alert".
Big
was later promoted on the Internet via the UK version of the Apple iPhone launch demo, due to Gray's past popularity in the UK.
Macy recently launched a new campaign under the name Nemesis Jaxson, with upcoming single, "Slap a Bitch".
[57] Slap a Bitch has not been released as of June 2009, but a video featuring many people slapping each other's faces was released on the Internet around
December 12, 2008.
Recently, Macy was available again in another
Movie soundtrack (she is featured in more than 10 other soundtracks):
Confessions of a Shopaholic, with the newest track "Don'Forget Me".
[58]
Other work
Gray appeared in the eighth season of
Bravo's
Celebrity Poker Showdown
, playing for
Habitat for Humanity. She finished in third place, behind
Robin Tunney and
Christopher Meloni, and ahead of
Joy Behar and
Andy Dick.
[59]
Gray was a
Neopet 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.
[60]
In 2002 she was the voice for Seeiah Owens in the video game
SSX Tricky
.
[61] On the same year, she made a brief appearance in the film
Spider-Man
as herself.
[62]
Gray sang the theme song for
Nickelodeon's As Told By Ginger
.
[63]
She appeared at the 2008 Gulf Air's Bahrain Grand Prix. She stated she liked the Ferrari team and also found Jenson Button 'cute'.
[64]
In August 2008, Gray headlined at the 2008
Summer Sundae music festival in
Leicester, England. The crowd got on their feet and helped her belt her smash-hit "I Try". She also performed cover versions of
Rod Stewart's "
Do Ya Think I'm Sexy?",
Deee-Lite's "
Groove Is in the Heart" and
Radiohead's "
Creep".
[65] For the gig, her band wore pink
Andy Warhol wigs.
[66]
On September 28, 2008, Gray sang the
American national anthem as part of the
Israeli flag-raising ceremony at the Israeli
Consulate of Los Angeles Bloomekatz, Ari B. .
Los Angeles Times. 29 Sep. 2008.
[67]
In 2008, Gray collaborated with Australian DJ and singer
Kaz James on the song "
Can't Hold Back". The single was released in early 2009 in Australia and is credited to Kaz James featuring Macy Gray. It is included on James' debut solo album,
If They Knew
.
[68]
In late 2008, Gray worked with
Carmit Bachar on a few songs for her upcoming solo album. It has been reported that Bachar is also featured on Gray's new album.
Personal life
Gray was married from 1996 to 1998 to
Tracy Hinds, with whom she had three children: Aanisah (born January 1994), Tahmel – known as Mel (born December 1994) – also involved in the music industry, Cassius (nicknamed "Happy") (born 1997).
[69] Gray opened up a music academy called The Macy Gray Music Academy in 2005 and it was the scene for an episode of
MTV's
Punk'd
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
tattoos—one on her right wrist with all her children's names and the other on her leg that has a rose and says "Daddy". She was an early supporter of a
Barack Obama presidential campaign, almost two years before his official announcement, she wore a shirt saying "Barack Obama for President" during the Hurricane Katrina fundraisers.
[70] [71]
Macy is the oldest of her three siblings.
Discography
Studio albums
- 1999: On How Life Is
- 2001: The Id
- 2003: The Trouble with Being Myself
- 2007: Big
- 2009: The Gray Life
Filmography
Films
| Year
| Title
| Role
|
| 2001
| Training Day
| Sandman's Wife
|
| 2002
| Spider-Man
| Herself
|
| 2003
| Scary Movie 3
| Herself
|
| Gang of Roses
| Assassin
|
| 2004
| Lackawanna Blues
| Pauline
|
| Around the World in 80 Days
| Sleepy Frenchwoman
|
| Lightning in a Bottle
| Herself
|
| 2005
| The Crow: Wicked Prayer
| Carman
|
| Shadowboxer
| Neisha
|
| Domino
| Lashandra Davis
|
| 2006
| Idlewild
| Taffy
|
Television
| Year
| Title
| Role
| Notes
|
| 2000
| Ally McBeal
| Herself
| "Hope and Glory" (episode 20, season 3)
|
| 2002
| MDs
| Jess
| "Wing and a Prayer" (episode 7)
|
| 2004
| American Dreams
| Carla Thomas
| "Real-to-Reel" (episode 12, season 2)
|
| That's So Raven
| Rhonda
| "Taken to the Cleaners" (episode 4, season 3)
|
| Blue's Clues
| Herself
| "Bluestock"
|
| 2005
| Duck Dodgers
| Diva (voice)
| "Diva Delivery/Castle High" (episode 10, season 2)
|
| American Dragon: Jake Long
| Trixie's grandmother (voice)
|
- "Act 4, Scene 15" (episode 5, season 1)
- "Professor Rotwood's Thesis" (episode 8, season 1)
|
| Miss Jenkinks
| "Act 4, Scene 15" (episode 5, season 1)
|
| 1-800-Missing
| Cleo
| "A Death in the Family" (episode 13, season 3)
|
| 2009
| Dancing With the Stars
| Herself
| Contestant
|
Awards and nominations
- American Music Awards
- * 2000, Favorite New Artist - Pop/Rock
- BRIT Awards
- * 2000, International Breakthrough Act (WON)
- * 2000, International Female (WON)
- Billboard Awards
- * 2001, Best Rap/Hip-Hop Clip of the Year: "Request Line"
- * 2001, Best Direction: "Request Line"
- Grammy Award
- * 1999, Best New Artist
- * 1999, Best Female R&B Vocal Performance: "Do Something"
- * 2000, Best Female Pop Vocal Performance: "I Try" (WON)
- * 2000, Record of the Year: "I Try"
- * 2000, Song of the Year: "I Try"
- MTV Video Music Awards
- * 2000, Best New Artist: "I Try" (WON)
- * 2000, Best Cinematography: "Do Something" (WON)
- * 2000, Best Female Video: "I Try"
- * 2000, Best Art Direction: "I Try"
- * 2001, Breakthrough Video: "Geto Heaven Remix T.S.O.I. (The Sound of Illadelph)"
- * 2001, Best Hip-Hop Video: "Request Line"
- Soul Train Awards
- * 1999, Best R&B/Soul Album - Female: "On How Life Is"
References
- Macy Gray is philosophical about slumping sales
- http://www.aptv.org/schedule/findid.asp?NOLA1=SOUN&NOLA2=1402
- http://nemesisjaxson.com/nemesis-jaxson/
- Dancing with the Stars 2009 Season 9 Cast Revealed!
- http://www.macygray.com.ar/pictures/macy-gray9.htm
- Loveline 12-01-2003
- http://www.nypost.com/seven/06262008/gossip/cindy/where_the_stars_were_schooled_117280.htm?page=0
- Loveline 12-01-2003
- http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/macygray/articles/story/5933043/new_cds_macy_tori
- USC Black Alumni Programs & Black Alumni Association
- http://www.netglimse.com/celebs/pages/macy_gray/index.shtml
- http://www.spectrasonics.net/news/2007/rmx-hits-it-big-with-macy-gray/
- http://www.zoominfo.com/people/Solo_Joe_-133647.aspx
- http://www.bcheights.com/news/2000/11/14/ArtsReview/Fatboy.Slim.Gutter.Bound-9099.shtml
- http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20133848,00.html
- http://www.abc.net.au/rage/guest/2001/blackpeas.htm
- http://articles.latimes.com/2007/mar/25/entertainment/ca-rack25
- http://www.sonybmg.com.au/artist/artistSiteLink.do?artistId=12467
- http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/macy-gray-the-new-voice-of-soul-72369
- http://www.popmatters.com/music/reviews/g/graymacy-trouble.shtml
- http://www.alaskajim.com/charts/yearlysingles/1999.asp
- http://allcharts.org/music/years/usa-singles-1999.htm
- http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/reviews/first-night-macy-gray-koko-london-4432
- http://www.chicagoinnerview.com/archives/jan04_macy_gray.htm
- http://blogcritics.org/archives/2003/08/16/114139.php
- http://archives.cnn.com/2001/SHOWBIZ/Music/02/21/grammy.night.01/index.html
- http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1445242/20010718/gray_macy.jhtml
- Macy Gray Is Booed During Anthem
- http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1445307/20010720/gray_macy.jhtml
- http://music.yahoo.com/read/news/12037979
- http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/reviews/macy-gray-old-vicbrthe-rza-subterania-
- http://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/index.php/2007/04/16/mccartneys-producer-says-leaked-tracklist
- http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1441621/20010313/gray_macy.jhtml
- http://music.yahoo.com/ar-294045-news--Macy-Gray
- http://www.popmatters.com/music/interviews/zucchero-050906.shtml
- http://ca.music.yahoo.com/Zucchero/Like-The-Sun-From-Out-Of-Nowhere/lyrics/21127475
- http://www.nutsie.com/song/Time%20of%20My%20Life/4718121?album_id=4718104&artist_id=1001467
- http://articles.latimes.com/2007/mar/25/entertainment/ca-rack25
- http://music.yahoo.com/ar-294045-news--Macy-Gray
- http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/macygray/articles/story/5934960/macy_makes_trouble
- http://www.blackvoices.com/blogs/2007/02/05/macy-gray-back-into-the-swing-of-things/
- http://www.uncut.co.uk/music/macy_gray/reviews/5554
- http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/release/vxqv/
- http://music.yahoo.com/read/news/12037435
- http://www.nme.com/news/macy-gray/25835
- http://www.free-press-release.com/news/200708/1187845462.html
- http://blogcritics.org/archives/2007/03/28/235056.php
- http://www.free-press-release.com/news/200708/1187845462.html
- http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/reviews/macy-gray-koko-londonbrmutya-buena-bor
- http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/this-britain/why-macy-gray-is-big-over-here-401149.html
- http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003567085
- http://acharts.us/album/14926
- http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4158/is_20070405/ai_n18788202/pg_1
- http://swisscharts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=Macy+Gray&titel=Winter+Wonderland&cat=s
- http://www.pbs.org/wttw/soundstage/mgray/featured.htm
- Live Earth Artist: Macy Gray
- http://www.videostatic.com/vs/2008/12/watch-it-macy-g.html
- http://www.amazon.com/Confessions-Shopaholic-Original-Soundtrack/dp/B001N6FPR8
- http://www.bravotv.com/Celebrity_Poker_Showdown/Players/About/Macy_Gray.shtml
- http://www.pinkpt.com/neodex/index.php/Old_Neopets
- http://www.gamespot.com/xbox/sports/ssxtricky/news.html?sid=2816990
- http://www.culturecartel.com/review.php?rid=10004216
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3YVnFZoxC4U
- http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport/formula_one/7327851.stm
- http://www.summersundae.com/lineup/artist-detail.php?cat_id=5&year=2008&artid=393445
- http://www.bbc.co.uk/6music/news/20080808_sundae1.shtml
- Tugend, Tom. Israeli flag flies at consulate for first time. The Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles. 29 Sep. 2008.
- "Kaz James" KazJames.com. Retrieved 1 May 2009.
- HELLO! Profiles - Macy Gray
- http://blogs.suntimes.com/webnews/2007/12/lynn_sweet_macy_gray_to_headli.html
- http://blogs.suntimes.com/sweet/2007/12/sweet_extra_obamas_tunes.html