* En anglais uniquement
YahZarah broke into the music industry alongside
Erykah Badu, whom she sang backup for on
Mama's Gun, and in turn established herself as a solo artist in a similar vein, releasing independent albums during the early 2000s. Born
Dana Williams in Washington, D.C.,
YahZarah (whose name loosely means "Queen Mother is the brightest star" -- itself a tribute to her deceased grandmother from Ghana) was greatly influenced as a child by soul greats like
Tina Turner,
Prince,
Chaka Khan,
George Clinton, and
Minnie Riperton, as well as the music of the church. She went on to study music at both the
Duke Ellington School of Music and North Carolina Central University, and got her break into the industry alongside
Badu, who featured
Williams on the
Mama's Gun album and tour. Following this experience,
Williams took on the
YahZarah moniker and went solo, releasing the underground albums Hear Me (2001), Blackstar (2003),
The Prelude (2008), and
The Ballad of Purple St. James (2010), all the while sharing the stage with prominent artists (
Stevie Wonder,
Anita Baker), opening shows for many more (
Earth, Wind & Fire,
Musiq Soulchild,
Floetry, Rahsaan Paterson), and frequently collaborating with
Phonte Coleman and
Nicolay's
Foreign Exchange crew. ~ Jason Birchmeier