Tony-Winner Heather Headley To Perform At The 92nd Street Y

The 92nd Street Y, New York will present Tony and Grammy Award winner Heather Headley for an afternoon of music from her musical theater songbook, on Sunday, November 24 at 2 pm.

Headley first gained prominence with her portrayal of ‘Nala' in the original Broadway cast of the Tony-winning musical The Lion King. She quickly followed this up by originating the titular role in Elton John and Tim Rice's Aida, for which she won a Tony and Drama Desk awards for “Best Actress in a Musical.” Her additional stage credits include the musical adaptation of The Bodyguard, the Tony Award-winning revival of The Color Purple, and New York City Center's 2022 production of Into the Woods. Headley can currently be seen on Netflix's Sweet Magnolias , in which she stars as ‘Helen Decatur.' The hit romantic drama series is set to return for its fourth season.

Heather Headley was born and spent most of her childhood on the beautiful Caribbean island of Trinidad. Her family moved to the United States in the early 90's where her love for the arts continued, and in 1997 – while attending Northwestern University – she was cast in the musical Ragtime. Months later, she was cast as ‘Nala' in the original Broadway production of Elton John and Tim Rice's hit, Tony Award-winning musical The Lion King. While still in The Lion King, she was asked to audition for, and subsequently earned, the title role in the writing duo's next Broadway venture, Elton John and Tim Rice's Aida . Her portrayal of the Nubian princess won her great critical acclaim and the prestigious Tony and Drama Desk awards for “Best Actress in a Musical.” That same year, Headley was also listed as one of PEOPLE Magazine's “50 Most Beautiful People” and Essence Magazine's “30 Women To Watch.”

She continued her musical success with her 2002 debut album, This Is Who I Am, released with RCA Records. The album featured productions by several top-flight producers, and two tracks – "He Is" and "I Wish I Wasn't” – emerged as Top 5 R&B and Dance chart hits. Headley earned numerous accolades for her debut, including Grammy Award nominations for “Best New Artist” and “Best Female R&B Vocal Performance.”  She followed this success with In My Mind in 2006, whose title track became her first No. 1 hit on the Dance and R&B charts, and Audience of One in 2009, for which she won the Grammy Award for the “Best Contemporary R&B Gospel Album.” She has since released two additional studio albums: 2012's Only One In The World and 2018's Broadway My Way.

Headley's additional credits include a recurring role on the NBC medical drama Chicago Med as the formidable ‘Gwen Garrett,' the 2012 musical adaptation of the beloved Whitney Houston film The Bodyguard in London's West End (Olivier Award nomination for “Best Actress in a Musical”), and the 2016 Tony Award-winning revival of The Color Purple, in which she stepped into the iconic role of ‘Shug Avery.'

Outside of her illustrious career, Headley married her husband, former New York Jets' wide receiver Brian Musso, in 2003, and together they have three children. She takes great care of the balance between motherhood and stardom and plays both roles with grace. They currently reside in Chicago, IL.